ABOUT THE PROJECT
A sheep farmer in South Australia has access to a high volume of groundwater in an artesian basin but the water is salty, contains dissolved iron and has a high degree of hardness. The bore field is also located far from the existing solar supply so a new solar supply was needed to supply power to any treatment unit installed close to the bore. Moerk Water designed and constructed an automated solar powered membrane filtration unit to meet the farmer’s plans for growth. The combined water treatment (membrane filtration and iron removal) and PV system that Moerk Water developed allowed the farmer to not only increase the number of sheep on the farm but also to increase the variety of crops grown. The unit was constructed from quality parts and built to Australian-German engineering standards. Moerk Water constructed a bespoke PV system which allows for additional power to be drawn near the bore site to run farm machinery. The unit was also constructed with remote monitoring and remote control capabilities that allow the farmer to monitor the water production process (including flow rate, water quality and tank levels) from anywhere with network coverage. The remote monitoring capability also allows Moerk Water engineers to observe the machine while not being on site and advice when servicing will be required.
Project Outcomes:
- A sheep farmer in South Australia has access to a high volume of salty water but limited fresh water
- Installing a solar powered desalination system allows for farm operations to be expanded
- The automated water treatment system removes salt and dissolved iron and lowers the hardness of the water
- Water treatment system is equipped with remote monitoring capabilities allowing the owner to keep an eye on water production and tank levels
