New Zealand's largest solar farm goes online

[nzoomed]

This is a step in the right direction, didn't even know about this getting built but have heard about plans for other ones around the country.
I'm assuming it will have a giant tesla battery installed but might be something they add later.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/12/01/n...ing-power/

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Good news on the day the new govt canceled Onslow..

[Kenj]

This is a step in the right direction, didn't even know about this getting built but have heard about plans for other ones around the country.
I'm assuming it will have a giant tesla battery installed but might be something they add later.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/12/01/n...ing-power/

Grrr another farm.. can't even get enough people to pick the apple crop here in Hawke's Bay.....

[zqwerty]

Probably need to pay more. The apple pickers wages I mean.

[nzoomed]

Good news on the day the new govt canceled Onslow..

Probably not a bad thing given that the north islands energy demands are much larger than in the south and transmission to get it up to the north is expensive.
They are already spending lots on upgrading it for the time Tiwai shuts down they will have surplus energy to transmit around the country.
This solar farm will be handy to Auckland where most of it will be diverted to i would assume. Northland also needs power and this will be the closest power generation to that region.
I expect we will see many such solar farms spread around the country in the coming years, newer sodium battery technology will also be a game changer in this field.

[Lilith7]

Yes indeed, a step in the right direction. Just as long as none of that lot - or the next - in the beehive don't decide to stomp all over it.

[nzoomed]

I think public opposition to these projects is the biggest threat, there is one planned near Whakatane but apparently some are not happy with the plans for whatever reason.

[Lilith7]

I think public opposition to these projects is the biggest threat, there is one planned near Whakatane but apparently some are not happy with the plans for whatever reason.

There are always some who manage to oppose anything...

[harm_less]

This is a step in the right direction, didn't even know about this getting built but have heard about plans for other ones around the country.
I'm assuming it will have a giant tesla battery installed but might be something they add later.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2023/12/01/n...ing-power/

This report on Radio NZ includes some interesting insights into where our electricity supply sector see their future. Moves by Genesis Energy to install utility scale batteries at Huntly as well as adopting wood waste as a fuel instread of coal.

Any installation of large scale batteries in our power grid is a positive move for any renewable generation development.

[R2x1]

^^ Coal is merely Senior Wood.

[harm_less]

^^ Coal is merely Senior Wood.

Both of which, and all fossil fuels for that matter, are stored sunlight processed via photosynthesis at some point in history, and in the case of fossil fuels subsequently concentrated by geological pressure and heat over the millennia.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I want to see some more local work on wave power. We have enough shore lines...

---

^^ Coal is merely Senior Wood.

So diamonds then are old as bro? 

[Lilith7]

We should be doing various things rather than relying on only one, in case of future problems. Wave power,solar, wind - everything which doesn't harm the environment & works well.

[harm_less]

I want to see some more local work on wave power. We have enough shore lines...

Plenty of energy there to be captured but a very aggressive environment for the installations to survive in. There are some interesting projects being undertaken in the wave and tidal sector though.

[nzoomed]

I want to see some more local work on wave power. We have enough shore lines...

Plenty of energy there to be captured but a very aggressive environment for the installations to survive in. There are some interesting projects being undertaken in the wave and tidal sector though.

There was some talk a while back about placing some units in the kaipara harbour, but then i heard that environmentalists had concerns about the turbines sucking in the fish and chopping them up.
I dont know how great that risk is to fish/wildlife, but it would be a great constant energy supply.

[harm_less]

Plenty of energy there to be captured but a very aggressive environment for the installations to survive in. There are some interesting projects being undertaken in the wave and tidal sector though.

There was some talk a while back about placing some units in the kaipara harbour, but then i heard that environmentalists had concerns about the turbines sucking in the fish and chopping them up.
I dont know how great that risk is to fish/wildlife, but it would be a great constant energy supply.

I lived in Nova Scotia back in 2004 not far from the tidal generation plant at Annapolis. It has since been shut down for environmental reasons.

The 1m tidal range in the Bay of Fundy made for great tidal energy capture and I understand they're now investigating moored mid stream turbines of the style that was planned for the Kaipara Harbour but have stalled, again due to environmental reasons.

[nzoomed]

Im sure with the right planning, there could be a design that would be friendly, me thinks that a design similar to those fanless dyson blowers could be made to work in reverse perhaps?
The potential with tidal energy is huge, and will never go away, I dont think the small fish will be the big issue here, but more with whales, dolphins and seals, etc
I think its something that should be explored, and being so handy to Auckland is a bonus.

[nzoomed]

Looks like a bladeless turbine is a reality .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArQE3SB0kyM