UK battery energy storage systems (BESS) developer Harmony Energy has established a joint venture with New Zealand energy group Clarus’ subsidiary First Renewables to develop a 200MWac solar project.
Constructed on 182 hectares near Te Aroha in the North Island, the Tauhei Solar Farm will install 330,000 solar modules with an annual electricity generation capacity of 270GWh and 150MWdc capacity at point of interconnection to the grid, a Harmony Energy spokesperson told PV Tech.
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It is set to be the country’s biggest ground mount solar PV power plant to date, Harmony Energy claimed. With only around 140MW of large-scale PV connected to the grid in total in New Zealand so far, the biggest in operation on its islands to date appears to be the 2.1MW Sunergise Kapuni Solar Power Plant which was inaugurated in 2021.
Construction of the project is expected to commence this year, with operation slated in 2026.
Harmony Energy said the project will not co-locate BESS at the site now, but it would consider adding such systems in the future if it becomes valuable to do so.
Speaking of the New Zealand power market, Harmony Energy said it benefits from a stable and well operated grid infrastructure, which will help facilitate the introduction of new utility-scale solar PV plants.
The company added that utility-scale solar generation has not been a feature of the New Zealand electricity market until very recently. As hydro accounts for about 60% of New Zealand’s generation mix, utility-scale solar could play a complementary role within the market dynamics.
“Utility-scale solar generation presents a significant and largely untapped source of renewable energy in New Zealand, as proven in many markets overseas,” said James Irvine, general manager of Future Fuels at Clarus.
Before this project, New Zealand has been developing renewables projects, including solar, across the country as it has submitted nine solar PV projects for fast-track approval since 2020, totalling 1,147MWp in power generation capacity and deploying nearly 2 million solar PV modules combined.
Moreover, the New Zealand government and US investor BlackRock launched a NZ$2 billion (US$1.2 billion) investment fund in August 2023 to support renewable power generation in the country.
The fund will support the establishment of new renewable power facilities, as New Zealand looks to hit its ambitious renewable power targets. The government aims to meet 100% of its electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030, up from 82% as of 2021.