Industrial Microgrid Technology passes the challenges of the hottest day in years with flying colours.
Yesterday, the Cadell Almond Orchard microgrid, driven by PowerTec’s PowerCache® Grid Strength BESS and PaDECS® Edge control systems, flawlessly mastered the power supply during the hottest day in years.
With the local thermometer hitting 50 °C, the operation faced extreme challenges:
🌱 Peak irrigation load
🌤️ Heavily intermittent solar generation with scattered afternoon clouds
🔥 Heat stress on controllers, inverters, batteries, and environmental systems hardware
⛽ Night-time diesel generation struggling with reliability in the heat

The system was 100% available, producing 66% of energy from solar over 24 hours while handling continuous high pumping and irrigation loads (summer average ~85% solar).

Background:
In the harsh, semi-arid climate of the Riverina, irrigation of Cadell’s 500,000 almond trees is essential for Australian Farming Services. AGL operates the microgrid, integrating 5 MW solar, 4 MW/4.2 MWh PowerCache® battery storage, and backup diesel generation with pumping stations via a branched high-voltage network – providing an economically and ecologically sustainable solution.

Microgrid technology continues proving its superiority for industrial farming power supply. What is your experience?