Powering the future

Grid-size photo voltaic farms have change into extra economically viable over the previous few years setting the scene for photo voltaic power to take off. Photo voltaic will probably be a part of the facility combine and way forward for Mid Canterbury and New Zealand as extra grid-scale photo voltaic farms are deliberate, consented and developed.

Photo voltaic power is a sustainable energy resolution for Mid Canterbury and a possible for farmers to diversify their earnings.

There are two large-scale photo voltaic farms deliberate for the Ashburton District to spice up the renewable power combine within the district.

Building is underway on a 93-hectare farm in Lauriston whereas work on a 35-hectare farm close to Mount Somers resulting from start earlier than the top of the yr.

Electrical energy Ashburton (EA) Networks’ community common supervisor Peter Armstrong stated Mid Canterbury was nicely positioned to benefit from photo voltaic era as large-scale photo voltaic farms change into extra economical and reasonably priced.

“Photo voltaic era is the best way of the long run”… particularly as the fee for grid-scale farms continues to enhance and turns into extra reasonably priced, like wind energy.

Whereas the district didn’t have the perfect photo voltaic useful resource within the nation, the sunshine hours got here “fairly shut” to being among the many finest, Armstrong stated.

Mid Canterbury’s flat land made it each simpler and cheaper to construct photo voltaic farms.

Connecting energy to Electrical energy Ashburton’s present grid was additionally extra reasonably priced than in different rural areas.

The distribution community had been constructed for the excessive demand of irrigation and the capability to tackle solar energy “was already there”.

This meant it was comparatively reasonably priced to attach solar energy and export a little bit of the facility, Armstrong stated.

If the panels are constructed excessive sufficient, there may be the choice to make use of much less productive land for photo voltaic and have animals, often sheep, graze under them.

One of many benefits of photo voltaic era for Mid Canterbury is that photo voltaic farms’ peak manufacturing in summer season would coincide with the height demand on sizzling days throughout summer season when farmers wanted to irrigate and dairy farms had the chillers working.

Nevertheless, Mid Canterbury would profit from a mixture of renewable energy, he stated.

Solar energy ramped up within the morning and had a steep ramp-off within the night which meant photo voltaic wouldn’t meet the early night 6pm demand in winter.

“We’d like different energy era” or an funding in batteries to retailer solar energy and shift the era.

Armstrong stated solar energy era was predictable over the longer-term however couldn’t be predicted on a day-to-day foundation.

“On a wet day the facility generated can be just about zero.”

The addition of photo voltaic to the community wouldn’t be with out its challenges, Armstrong stated.

One in all these is the potential for photo voltaic farms to journey the community. Farms would want to have the ability to dampen their functionality for durations if the community went down.

Mid Canterbury’s first large-scale photo voltaic farm in Lauriston, a three way partnership between Genesis Vitality and FRV Australia, will set up about 80,000 photo voltaic panels is anticipated to produce renewable power to the grid earlier than the top of 2024.

Genesis Vitality’s chief wholesale officer, Tracey Hickman, stated it was an essential milestone for the corporate and the nation.

“Photo voltaic has a transparent function to play in New Zealand’s power transition as a renewable supply of era” and would assist handle dry years when hydro ranges had been low or the wind wasn’t blowing.

The Lauriston web site would supply cleaner power and scale back the corporate’s emissions from energy era portfolio. It’s designed for twin use with sheep grazing beneath the photo voltaic panels and is likely one of the largest photo voltaic farm in New Zealand to start out development. 

As soon as operational it’ll generate sufficient renewable power to energy 13,000 homes

A second smaller web site on Tramway Highway in Mount Somers is a part of Lodestone Vitality’s plans to diversify its photo voltaic provide, with two different websites deliberate for Canterbury – one in Dunsandel and the opposite in Clandeboye close to Temuka.

Lodestone has partnered with HES Aotearoa Restricted which has consents from the Ashburton District Council and Surroundings Canterbury to transform a 35-hectare space of comparatively unproductive farmland to solar energy era, with sheep grazing underneath the photo voltaic panels.

Other than the three Canterbury farms, Loadstone has plans to develop one other six photo voltaic grid-scale farms throughout New Zealand.

Lodestone Vitality managing director Gary Holden the corporate’s plans put it one step nearer to bringing grid-scale photo voltaic to clients in all areas of New Zealand.

The corporate’s first photo voltaic era web site in Kaitaia began supplying energy to the grid in November final yr.

Other than the daytime and seasonal limitations of solar energy, agrivoltaics – the mix of photo voltaic era and farming both crops or livestock under the photo voltaic panels – does have a number of drawbacks or unknown components.

In response to a 2023 report for Our Land and Water Rural Professionals Fund, agrivoltaics has the potential to extend the productiveness of land, generate renewable power with out displacing meals manufacturing, and probably optimise farming and environmental outcomes.

The report ready by Tambo, the Victoria College of Wellington and Infratec, discovered that the shade from the photo voltaic panels would mitigate warmth stress threat and supply shelter from extreme climate for livestock. However lifting the panels excessive sufficient to accommodate cattle got here with elevated prices, the chance of injury from bigger livestock and elevated publicity to wind shear points.

The authors stated photo voltaic panels may very well be recycled once they reached the top of their life however the expertise was not obtainable in New Zealand did would require funding and laws to make sure no long-term environmental hurt.

The impacts of agrivoltaics on crops and pasture in New Zealand was additionally largely unknown, together with long-term dangers, equivalent to leaching from the panels the report stated.

By Sharon Davis