Country’s largest solar farm prepares to power up, as green waste piles up

A large Canterbury solar farm is gearing up to increase the power output in the district, but it's also creating a massive jump in green waste.

The solar farm in Lauriston, about 80km from Christchurch, is a $104 million joint venture between Genesis Energy and Future Renewable Vision Australia.

It has been under construction since April and is expected be the country's largest solar farm with the ability to power more than 13,000 homes. However, it won't have the title for long as there is an even larger plant under construction near Taupō.

Genesis Energy asset development general manager Craig Brown said the Lauriston project remains on track for the first power generation by December.

"It will be progressively brought online to full generation over the following months."

The solar farm has produced an estimated 200 tonnes of mainly green waste, which has been delivered to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park. The park sorts Ashburton's rubbish, recycling and green waste.

There was a 43 percent increase in waste received at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park in September, according to a recent Ashburton District Council activity briefing meeting.

Operations and projects manager Hernando Marilla said it was partly due to the volume of waste received from the solar farm project.

The recovery park had received more than 100 tonnes - the equivalent weight of a blue whale - from the solar farm in August and another 117 tonnes in September, he said.

"They have been bringing in green waste and some two tonnes of general waste."

Infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said that Enviro NZ, the council's contractors running the recovery park, diverted any materials from the general waste when possible.

Brown said Beon Construction had been appointed to deliver the project and has experience managing large-scale solar developments in Australia to NZ, "including robust waste management procedures".

"Given the scale of the project and the large amount of equipment delivered to the site, construction waste is to be expected and is a normal part of solar construction.

"We are confident waste produced from the project is being managed to best practice standards, including segregating waste and recycling wherever possible."

The 63 MW solar farm will have around 89,000 solar panels across the 93 acres of land leased from third-generation Lauriston farmer Bernard Daley.

Daley runs a dryland cropping and dairy support farm and will run sheep below the solar panels once construction is complete.

The solar farm's claim of being the country's largest will be short-lived.

Nova Energy's Te Rāhui will convert a 1022ha dairy farm - around 35km out of Taupō - into a solar farm with approximately 900,000 ground-mounted solar panels producing enough electricity to power 100,000 homes.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.