Lightyears Solar has turned on the Waingawa Solar Farm, a 4.7 MW community agrivoltaic project in New Zealand. The project features 7,700 solar panels raised above the ground to allow livestock to graze beneath them on a 12-hectare farm. The project was built by sub-contractors Downer, Sol Srv Solar Services, and local contractors, and is connected to Powerco’s distribution network. The power produced will be purchased by Manawa Energy under a power purchase agreement, and will provide electricity for the surrounding district and grow the renewable proportion of power supply.
The landowner sees solar as a way to diversify income and has built a holiday property on the land. Co-founder and Director Matt Shanks notes that the interest in agrivoltaic farming is increasing, with demand rocketing compared to two years ago. He highlights the benefits of medium-sized solar farms in complementing larger scale solar farms and providing renewable energy to the grid quickly. Shanks also notes that solar works well with New Zealand’s existing hydro and wind, providing energy when it is most used and diversifying the grid. The project offers a lifetime carbon offset equivalent to planting nearly 60,000 trees over 30 years.