Wilandra Farms.

Four AEI SmartBox systems were installed at Wilandra Farms in Gippsland, Victoria, to control over 200kW of irrigation and transfer pumping equipment. The installation was accompanied by 200kW of renewable energy with all pumps and pivot irrigators now fully automated.

The AEI App allows owners, Wilco Droppert and Sandra Jefford, to monitor farm operations on their phones including the ability to forecast schedule for up to 3 days.

Irrigation pump efficiency was optimised by controlling the pressure to each pivot irrigator, and dam transfer was optimised by adjusting the flow for varying conditions. As a result renewable energy utilisation is maximised by AEI's SmartBox technology, regularly achieving over 90% usage of daily solar generation, keeping grid power requirements to a minimum.

An analysis of 2021 and 2022 irrigation energy costs was conducted, with huge savings achieved.

Additional Benefits.

  • The farms irrigation system is now fully automated, removing the need for on farm travel and the stresses of manual operations. The system can be monitored and controlled from anywhere, anytime, promoting a healthier work/life balance with the confidence that operational requirements are being met.

  • By optimising the use of on site renewable generation and keeping grid usage to a minimum, the impact of imminent energy price rises on the farm have been significantly reduced, with only a small portion of the total irrigation energy requirement exposed to price hikes.

  • In addition to minimising the use of grid energy, the AEI SmartBox system intelligently improved the efficiency of the irrigation pumps, further reducing fossil fuel energy consumption and the farms overall carbon footprint.