Better distribution of energy explored in Qld

Farmers exporting power and then buying it back down the line is another aspect to be explored.

Along the way, unsustainable electricity costs that are eroding the viability and productivity of many agriculture businesses may be able to be minimised.

The QFF has received $654,807 from round one of the federal government's Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund to assess options for microgrids to offer a more stable network, increase network utilisation, increase the uptake of on-farm solar energy, and cut costs in the rural and irrigation sector.

If they come to fruition, microgrids could deliver a number of benefits to irrigators around the state, decreased costs being chief among them but also clarity for future electrical infrastructure investment decisions, as well as the installation of smart meters to allow for better monitoring of energy.

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Mackay and the Pioneer Valley, Stanthorpe, St George, and Bundaberg farming systems are being targeted in Queensland, along with the Hunter Valley in NSW.

QFF project manager Andrew Chamberlin said microgrids offered a new model for the utilisation of energy that would hopefully reduce costs.

"Microgrids are a collection of distributed energy resources and users - pumps and sheds - aggregated behind a meter that can be islanded, or operate independently of the network," he said.

"They should mean farmers will be able to use more of their own solar power across different assets.

"For example, one could be storing lots of broccoli in a big shed but then they've sold it all, so an irrigator down the road can use the solar power he's generating and not needing."

Because some days are cloudy, and farmers have full coldrooms on varying days, it's hard to match consumption with power generation, but it's expected that microgrids will allow farmers to use power on other infrastructure without losing it to the grid, or enable the farmer next door to use it.

Mr Chamberlin said blockchain technology may have a role in working out how transactions would get paid for.

"The technology is there to have meters on each property, and to work out contract rates too," he said.

QFF will partner with Cotton Australia, ReAqua and Constructive Energy to deliver the project.

ReAqua has installed Australia's largest solar diesel hybrid pumping system, in NSW.

Mr Chamberlin said there were a lot of assumptions to test.

"A power line system cost might be replaced with a management system cost for example."

QFF has two years in which to undertake the project, some of which would be taken up in assessing which farms to include.