Developing a Solar Farm

When viewing potential locations for new solar developments, we look for:

• Flat, gentle slopes, or undulating land that has good exposure to sunlight

• Land that is mostly clear of vegetation, such as stock grazing land

• Land that is not prone to, or at risk of, flooding or coastal inundation

• Land that does not contain major waterways, wetland areas, or significant areas of native vegetation

• Locations where the visual impact of the solar farm can be minimised

• Close proximity to electricity distribution infrastructure, such as substations or main transmission/distribution lines

Although they can cover a large area, solar farm structures tend to be very low to the ground, with few pieces of key infrastructure exceeding more than 2-3 metres in height.

Part of our planning for a solar development will consider how we can minimise the visual impact to the surrounding area, through site selection and other options such as vegetation planting around the boundary of the site to shield it from view.

The panels used in solar farms are designed to absorb light, rather than reflect, and use anti-reflective coatings. At some times of the day, the angle of the sunlight on the panel may cause some reflection, similar to the reflection from a water body such as a lake or a wide river.

The low risk of glare means solar farms can exist safely, even near reflective or glare sensitive areas such as airports.

The timeframe for the development of a project will vary, depending on the size, location and individual characteristics of the site.

For a guide on what you can expect, please see Building a Solar Farm Stage Guideline

Larger or more complex projects may have longer consenting or construction and commissioning timeframes.

At all stages of the development, you will be provided with regular updates and a designated liaison person to contact should you have any questions or concerns.

Manawa Energy has many years of experience in developing and operating electricity generation assets in successful partnership with landowners and communities. We understand that to create a successful and long-term partnership, we need to be collaborative, flexible and solution-focused.

When solar is being developed on farm land, we work with the landowners to make sure we are accommodating farming practices, such as access routes, stock movement and grazing areas into the design and operation of the project.

As a renewables generator and through our partnerships with iwi, Manawa Energy also understands the importance of protecting features of our natural environment and sites of cultural, historic or community significance.

The design of the solar farm will take all of these factors into account and establish workaround, mitigation, or remedial actions to ensure both people and place are taken care of when developing and operating the farm.

While there may be occasional noise from the site, solar farms have very few moving parts and will create very little noise on a day to day basis. Resource consents for the building and operation of solar farms often include conditions around maximum noise levels so that landowners, the environment and the community are not impacted.

The energy output of the solar farm will depend on weather conditions, size, the season and the time of day. Typically, 1 hectare of solar panels will generate enough electricity annually to power around 175 average New Zealand homes across a year.

Solar panels will not permanently block sunlight or rainfall from reaching the ground beneath them, due to the space between the panels and the ground (approximately 2m) and spacing between the rows of panels (between 5 and 10m). This will limit negative impacts to soil quality or the natural drainage of the land.

Once construction of the solar farm is completed, the land can still be used for grazing of some animals.

If it is found during the resource consent application process that there may be other possible negative impacts, these will be addressed to ensure the consent conditions include action that will be taken to mitigate these.

While some might associate New Zealand with rainfall, cloud and weather patterns that don’t lend themselves to solar energy production, this is a misconception. Aotearoa New Zealand has regions with annual sunshine hours that exceed those of locations in other parts of the world where effective solar generation has been operating for decades.

Having large-scale solar energy production also provides surety of supply when electricity generation from other natural sources may not be possible, such as periods of low wind and rain.

When a solar farm reaches the end of its life (approx 30 – 35 years), the owner needs to decide on whether the farm will be decommissioned and the land returned to its previous use, or if it will be re-powered and equipment upgraded to continue electricity generation. The decision will be made by weighing up several factors and will require consultation with the local community.

The solar farm owner is responsible for decommissioning, and requirements for what needs to be done – such as reinstating the land – are agreed in contracts with landowners as part of the planning and development phase of the solar farm.

The planning, development and operation of solar farms can bring a number of benefits to local communities, including employment opportunities, boosts to the local economy, investment in community initiatives and assured income for landowners.

We are committed to meaningful engagement with the local community throughout all stages of the solar farm project’s life. We engage with local council, landowners, neighbours and local communities as early as possible in the project to make sure we are keeping people informed and involved in the planning and development from the start.

We will share progress and announcements about the solar farm through a number of channels, including in-person meetings, email newsletter updates and social media. Landowners and community leaders will have a dedicated contact person who questions or concerns can be raised with directly.

There are also a number of ways to contact us here.