State Member for Northern Victoria Mark Gepp welcomed the latest round of on-farm energy tier one grants, which are being rolled out across the state and have allowed six more farm businesses across Victoria to share in $262,192 of funding to invest in projects worth up to $50,000 each.
Of these, one project in Greater Shepparton has been supported to reduce their energy costs.
The Nevill Family Trust will receive funding for solar installation, which includes installation of a 19.14 kW solar PV system on the dairy, saving the business up to $8595 a year, or a 61 per cent reduction in energy bills.
So far, nearly 230 farmers have been awarded tier one grants totalling nearly $7 million to spend on equipment and projects to improve energy efficiency or support on-farm generation.
Since 2018, the Agriculture Energy Investment Plan has supported farm businesses to enhance their energy efficiency and productivity, helping to boost competitiveness and protect local jobs.
Agriculture Victoria's On-Farm Energy Survey, which underpins the plan, revealed investment costs and the speed of technological change were major barriers preventing farmers from investing in energy efficient technology.
As a result, the plan included support for farmers to access free on-farm energy assessments, three tiers of grant funding as well as investment in research, skill development and demonstration projects.
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