Kaitāia is home to NZ’s largest solar farm
And that’s just the start of Northland's renewable energy campaign
"Our Dargaville farm is our next Northland project and it will be even bigger than [Kohirā] and that will have the same impact for the Dargaville area as this one has had for Kaitāia and the wider area. "
Northland could become a solar power hotspot, with the people behind the country’s largest solar farm at Kaitāia looking to build an even larger one near Dargaville.
Lodestone Energy’s massive solar farm on Gill Rd, just a few kilometres from the centre of Kaitāia, officially switched on on February 29, to provide power for the national grid.The farm covers a whopping 64ha and is the country’s largest solar farm, though larger ones are already under construction elsewhere in New Zealand. Other solar farms are being constructed in Pukenui, in the Far North, Maungaturoto and near Dargaville, in Northland.
Gary Holden, managing director of Lodestone Energy, said the opening marked a pivotal point in New Zealand’s electricity market with the company delivering the first grid-scale solar generation plant.
“As New Zealand’s largest solar installation to date and the first solar farm in New Zealand to bid into the electricity market, this is a crucial step forward in the future of energy generation.
“Many organisations were involved in delivering this project and learnings from Kaitāia are being used in the construction of our other sites with Edgecumbe close to starting generation and Waiotahe construction on target to be generating by the end of the year.”
The site’s official name Kohirā was gifted by Te Rarawa. Kohirā translates to suncatcher in te reo Māori and reflects how Lodestone harnesses the energy of the sun to generate electricity. This partnership with local iwi aligns with Lodestone’s commitment to work with tangata whenua to deliver solar projects that empower both the regions in which they operate, and the way Kiwis live, Holden said.
Holden said to get Kohirā from a blank paddock into the solar farm in less than one year, even with Cyclone Gabrielle and other major wet wether events, was amazing and testament to the partnerships involved.
He said given its success he felt Northland could become a solar farm hot spot in the country with Kohirā to be followed by others.
Holden said the company’s solar farm near Dargaville should start construction in the last quarter of this year.
As well, l i nes company Northpower is developing a $25 million large-scale solar farm in Ruawai, as the first step in its renewable energy strategy. The 20ha solar farm will produce 28GWh, enough to power 3000 homes a year.
Far North Solar is building a solar farm at Pukenui, on the Aupouri Peninsula, that will generate enough power to cater for 3000 homes.
And Meridian Energy plans a large solar project for Ruakākā, likely to be worth over $200m.
Holden said with its long sunshine hours, suitable land and reliable working relationships and workforce, Northland was well placed to lead the renewable solar energy charge.
“Our Dargaville farm is our next Northland project and it will be even bigger than [Kohirā] and that will have the same impact for the Dargaville area as this one has had for Kaitāia and the wider area.
“Solar is the cheapest form of electricity, and it’s getting cheaper as the technology advances. And it’s totally renewable. It’s not been done in New Zealand on this scale before, but we showed that it can be done.”
Kohirā was blessed by Te Rarawa, which has worked closely with Lodestone on the project, along with other iwi/hāpu from the area.
Mike Te Wake, from Te Rarawa, said the name gifted to the farm was special and had deep significance.
Te Wake said the name has two parts - Koki, which means to collect or gather, and Ra, the sun, which is the name many indigenous cultures around the world call it.
He said Lodestone were the experts in solar farms.
“In New Zealand we are the experts and the first experts to do so. Maui fought the sun and tamed it. It’s not a myth, it’s something we take seriously. For us it’s true.”
Holden said another first for New Zealand is the agri-voltaic design of Kohirā, which maximises the production of electricity and maintains productive farming. Attendees at the ceremony were able to see the design first-hand – a design feature that will be rolled out across Lodestone’s solar farms
Kaitāia is the first of Lodestone Energy’s solar farms and its $300m solar farm portfolio will include Edgecumbe, Waiotahe, Whitianga and Dargaville sites.
The Kaitāia farm has more than 61,000 solar panels supported by more than 6500 piles across an expansive area spanning 64ha on an 80ha property. The site has an AC capacity of 23.7MW and is expected to produce approximately 56 GWh annually, which is enough energy to power over 7770 households.
The farm is designed to continue to be generating electricity for more than 35 years.
Lodestone worked with Infratec and New Energy on the Gill Rd farm with big input from Te Rarawa.
The Gill Rd location was chosen for its “ideal combination” of sunlight hours, ease of connecting to the existing power network and ability to achieve a low-impact design.
According to Niwa figures, Kaitāia gets more than 2000 hours of sunshine a year.
That’s more than other areas of Northland apart from the Aupouri Peninsula, but less than East Cape, Nelson or Blenheim.
Construction of the farm started in December 2022 and was completed last December. A team of more than 80 construction staff worked to bring this project to fruition, with many from the local community.
In conjunction with Te Rarawa, Lodestone Energy planted 7ha of native reforestation which will reduce the visual impacts of the solar farm. There is little or no audible impact on neighbours as the only moving part is the panels when they are tracking the sun.
The company said the design for the farm aims to maximise the combined production of electricity and agricultural products.
The solar panels have been installed at least 2m above ground allowing for livestock and lower density shading on vegetation beneath.
It said leaving larger spacing (9-11m pitch) between the rows of panels means more room for machinery and light diffusing to arable land.
By optimising agricultural activities this farm is expected to maintain up to 80 per cent of existing productive capacity, Holden said.