Our Decarbonising the Basin’s Irrigation Regions project is underway, and in recent months the project team has run workshops, undertaken site visits, and engaged with local media. Read on to learn more:

Workshop:

The first workshop of this project, “Loxton Listening Workshop – Accelerating Low-Carbon Irrigation Transitions: Technologies, Implementation Challenges, and Opportunities”, was held on 26^th November in Loxton, with 18 attendees including farmers, local government representatives, researchers, and industry partners participating in a collaborative session focused on advancing low-carbon irrigation systems. Participants explored what is working, what is not, and what is needed next to accelerate the transition across the region, with their insights now informing the next steps in the research.

Region-based Site Visits:

1. YES Group Solar Farm Site Visit at Riverland

A site visit was undertaken to the YES Group, where their deployment of more than 150 sub-5 MW solar farms across regional Australia was presented. Insights were provided on grid constraints, farmer adoption drivers, and the economics of distributed solar. An operational 180 kW solar-powered irrigation system on a vineyard was inspected, where it was demonstrated how negative-price periods can be utilised to reduce pumping costs.

2. Minter Magic Farm at Red Cliffs

A field visit was conducted to Darren’s 800-acre citrus–almond enterprise, where detailed information was shared on irrigation energy use, salinity and drainage challenges, and long-term economic considerations. Significant investments in solar systems, irrigation pumps, and planned microgrids with battery storage were described. The farm’s water security strategies—including saline drainage management and proposed desalination using excess solar—were outlined, as well as emerging opportunities for agrivoltaics and other on-farm innovations.

3. Agrivoltaics Demonstration Site at Dookie Campus

A visit was made to the Dookie agrivoltaics research site, where a 20 kW solar-over-vineyard installation was examined. Dr Sabine Tausz-Posch introduced the project’s monitoring systems, microclimate effects, and early findings showing no yield penalty and improved fruit quality. The team outlined ongoing modelling of panel heights and configurations, comparative trials, and opportunities for collaboration across the wider agrivoltaics program. The visit also included Dr Kristin Limbach—Postdoctoral Researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Managing Director of the French-German Institute for Environmental Research (DFIU)—who is joining the University of Melbourne as a visiting researcher to contribute her expertise in multifunctional land use, renewable energy integration, and Agri-PV systems to the decarbonisation project.

4. Tatura SmartFarm

A site visit to the Tatura SmartFarm was undertaken on 9 December 2025. The Tatura Agrivoltaics site visit focused on understanding long-term performance of one of Australia’s earliest replicated agrivoltaics trials, including technical performance, crop responses, engineering requirements, economic considerations, and grower perspectives, to inform potential collaboration with the CRC project.

Media Releases:

One Basin CRC Voices on ABC Radio
One Basin CRC Mildura Hub researchers Dr Reihaneh Bandari and Dr Arezoo Boroomandnia, together with the CEO of the Mallee Regional Innovation Centre, Rebecca Wells, were recently featured on ABC Radio, where they discussed the project’s focus on decarbonising irrigation systems across the Murray–Darling Basin. They highlighted the importance of working closely with growers, irrigation trusts, and industry partners to accelerate the transition to low-carbon technologies and improve water–energy efficiency across the Basin.

Mallee Regional Innovation Centre Newsletter
The Mallee Regional Innovation Centre newsletter featured an article in its Issue 51 | October 2025 newsletter introducing the Irrigation Decarbonising Project and outlining how the upcoming Loxton workshop will bring together growers and regional partners to explore opportunities for reducing emissions and improving irrigation efficiency.