Each stand runs an overhead shearing motor, and a shed with several stands going at once adds up. On top of that there is the wool press, often hydraulic or electric, board and pen lighting so shearers can see the skin, a grinder for combs and cutters, and the hot water and jug in the smoko room. Many back-country sheds have no grid at all and run a generator for the whole run. The noise drowns the shed and the fuel has to be carted in.
Shearing sheds sit idle most of the year, which suits hydrogen storage well. Between runs, the electrolyser can fill the buffer slowly from off-peak power, a wind turbine or a micro-hydro on the creek, and the stored hydrogen holds for weeks without losing charge. When the gang arrives, the store is full and the fuel cell does the work. There is no engine, so the board is quiet enough to hear the shearers talk.
How it works →
The system gives 15 kW continuous with a battery to soak up motor starts. That covers a modest shed comfortably, including a few stands, lights and a grinder. A big shed with many stands, a large press and a full cookhouse running at once may need a larger or multi-unit setup, sized during the pilot from what actually runs at the busiest hour. Round-trip efficiency is 30% or less, so where the grid is reliable, this is for outages and remote sheds rather than everyday savings.
The LiFePO4 battery and 15 kW hybrid inverter handle motor start surges, and the fuel cell keeps the battery topped up. Several stands starting together is the sort of thing the pilot would check on your shed's actual gear.
Yes, that is part of the appeal. The hydrogen buffer is low pressure and keeps for weeks. Water in the system would need protecting from frost in a cold high-country shed, which the pilot install would plan for.
If the system covers your load, no fuel runs for power at all. Some stations may keep an old generator as a last resort. The aim is that it rarely, if ever, needs to start.
Pilot installs go to people on this list first. Rural homes, farms and remote sites especially. No spam, no payment.