Sign up here to subscribe to the Grower2grower Ezine. Every two weeks you will receive new articles, specific to the protected cropping industry, informing you of industry news and events straight to your inbox.
24
Apr 2023
Apr 2023
Anaerobic Digestion (AD) technology – Could this be used to provide energy for protected cropping?
Gaia’s biodigester to assist AgVic’s Ellinbank SmartFarm to become the world’s first carbon-neutral grazing-based dairy farm
Gaia EnviroTech has been awarded a tender from the Victorian Government to install cutting-edge Anaerobic Digestion (AD) technology and deliver related services at the Ellinbank SmartFarm in Gippsland, Victoria. The Ellinbank SmartFarm is a commercial dairy farm currently home to a herd of 450 cows that graze pasture year-round.
Gaia EnviroTech’s CEO, Michael Renehan, is pleased with this news, “this is a significant milestone for Gaia EnviroTech, we will be able to showcase our technology to farmers, industry experts, agribusinesses, and communities as part of the research led SmartFarm.”
Partnering with Agriculture Victoria, the Ellinbank SmartFarm is dedicated to advancing sustainable and productive farming practices through the development of innovative solutions. As Australia’s premier dairy innovation facility, the SmartFarm plays an important role in showcasing new technology that can benefit the industry.
The Ellinbank SmartFarm is committed to becoming the world’s first carbon neutral grazing-based dairy farm, making it an ideal partner for Gaia EnviroTech. Once installed, the AD facility will demonstrate on-farm energy generation technology to complement their other alternative energy generation, and offset grid-sourced electricity. It will also showcase a low maintenance and convenient process to realise the value of digestate nutrients for the benefit of soils and pasture. The installation of the Gaia AD facility will reduce the site’s carbon footprint and methane emissions from decomposing manure, leading to carbon credit revenue.
Gaia EnviroTech AD services provide access to proven technology for dairy operators and is suitable for rapid implementation thanks to its modular and flexible design, automation, and remote monitoring capability. Positioning Gaia EnviroTech well to play a role in reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy generation.
The partnership between Gaia EnviroTech and Agriculture Victoria at the Ellinbank SmartFarm is a significant development for both organisations, marking an exciting opportunity to advance sustainable and productive farming practices using Gaia’s innovative AD technology.
Website: https://gaia-envirotech.com/
About Gaia EnviroTech
Gaia EnviroTech, based in Ballarat, Victoria, provides automated waste management services that are both innovative and sustainable. With its in-house engineering capability and AD laboratory, the company has developed modular and flexible solutions that can be tailored to specific needs. Gaia’s aim is to de-carbonise the food manufacturing, processing, and intensive agriculture industries by producing renewable biogas and diverting organic waste from landfill.
Photos
Gaia EnviroTech Biodigester installed at a Victorian dairy operation
Aerial view Ellinbank SmartFarm
Gaia EnviroTech, CEO, Michael Renehan
Release date: April 20, 2023
Contact: Michael Renehan
E-mail: michael.renehan@gaia-enviro.com
I appreciate your comments. Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page or email: stefan@grower2grower.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/
For all media releases please send to marie@grower2grower.co.nz or upload directly: https://www.grower2grower.co.nz/article-form/
CLASSIFIED
Photo
Gallery
Subscribe to our E-Zine
More
From This Category
March 10, 2026
Energy saving through screens
A combination of screen use, screen quality, greenhouse climate requirements, and greenhouse equipment.
March 10, 2026
Heating Uncertainty Leaves Greenhouse Growers Searching for Answers
Waste oil supply changes force growers to reconsider long-term heating options ahead of winter. Two weeks ago I was alerted that one of the major recycled waste oil suppliers, based in the Auckland region, will soon stop supplying greenhouse growers. For one of my customers this came as a significant shock, particularly given that notice was given that deliveries will cease in the coming months –
February 23, 2026
New Zealand’s 2026 Energy Stock-Take – Part 2 – Natural Gas
New Zealand’s Nord Stream moment. That sucking-straw sound at the bottom of the glass and suddenly a gaping hole emerges in the New Zealand energy landscape
December 29, 2025
Best of 2025 – 79.2% decrease in Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) allocations for South Auckland Cucumber Grower
Chickens come home to roost for Greenhouse Growers
December 17, 2025
Ball Australia Boosts Climate Control with New Blackout Screen Upgrade
'Powerplants partnered with Ball Australia to deliver a full blackout screen replacement, supported by detailed mechanical, electrical, and irrigation work'
December 17, 2025
Why energy is now a strategic risk (2025 Grower2Grower overview of energy and looking forward)
What Tomato, Cucumber, Capsicum and Capsicum Growers Need to Know (And other heated greenhouse crops). Energy has shifted from a manageable operating cost to a strategic production risk for New Zealand’s protected-cropping sector. In 2025, growers are facing a convergence of structural changes that directly affect whether heat is available when it is needed, not just what it costs.
CLASSIFIED
