Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Kohirā Solar Farm: Northland sheep benefiting from the power of the sun

RNZ
7 Jul, 2024 07:48 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Sheep graze under the panels at Lodestone's Kohirā Solar Farm.

Sheep graze under the panels at Lodestone's Kohirā Solar Farm.

By Sally Round - RNZ

The sheep grazing at a Northland solar farm seem to like spending a lot of time chilling in the shade of the solar panels, their farmer says.

It’s the first lambing season at Lodestone’s Kohirā Solar Farm, which started supplying the national grid with electricity alongside grazing sheep in February 2024.

There have been no scientific studies yet at the farm but Connor Dent, who looks after the 170-strong flock, has some observations on their behaviour.

“We see the sheep sitting down for longer periods than most farms, which means that they’re sort of content, they’re full.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The first lamb had just been born when Country Life visited the farm to check out agrivoltaics in action.

It turned out there was very little action apart from the occasional automatic tilting of the 61,000 panels as they tracked the sun.

Two metres below, the sheep don’t flinch at the subtle movement and the biggest challenge was mustering early or late when the sheepdogs found it tricky to see through the arrays tilted at their lowest point, Dent said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Pasture and sheep growth in partly shaded paddocks are yet to be evaluated, but things are ticking along well at the present stocking rate, he told Country Life.

“We’re working to establish our stock numbers that the farm can handle - we don’t really want to push this farm to the point where we’re having to feed out.”

Connor Dent. Photo / RNZ / Sally Round
Connor Dent. Photo / RNZ / Sally Round

Kōhira, which powers the equivalent of 7000 homes on 80 hectares of flat, former drystock land near Kaitāia, is Lodestone’s first foray into agrivoltaics – grazing stock or growing crops alongside solar energy harvesting.

The dual farming system is a growing - albeit experimental - practice in other countries. Here in New Zealand, agrivoltaics is very much in its infancy.

In China, for instance, there are hundreds of projects incorporating farming with solar energy production, from vegetable greenhouses underneath solar panels in Hainan, to shrimp farming underneath arrays bolted to posts attached to the bottom of a bay in Tianjin.

And in Europe and North America, there are berry orchards, salad plots and even vineyards under panels.

Agrivoltaics is said to have many potential benefits (PDF), including less stress on the livestock and crops, with the panels providing shade and protection, improved productivity and added revenue for the farmer amid the ups and downs of weather and commodity prices.

But there are many unknowns, too, especially in New Zealand conditions.

Sheep are used as a tool for managing the vegetation growing between the solar panels at Lodestone's Kohirā Solar Farm. Photo / RNZ / Sally Round
Sheep are used as a tool for managing the vegetation growing between the solar panels at Lodestone's Kohirā Solar Farm. Photo / RNZ / Sally Round

Lodestone plans to engage with researchers and conduct further trials, in horticulture, for example, at its newly commissioned solar farm in Edgecumbe, according to chief operating officer Richard Pearce.

“See how sustainable that is and what the right types of crops or herbs or fruits, whatever that might be … that can be farmed and in an economic way.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“It’s quite an exciting prospect for farming and helping [farmers] through those tougher times when this revenue stream will be more constant.”

Richard Pearce of Lodestone Energy. Photo / RNZ / Sally Round
Richard Pearce of Lodestone Energy. Photo / RNZ / Sally Round

Lodestone has a third plant in construction at Waiotahe in Bay of Plenty and plans for up to 12 more up and down the country. Phase two of its rollout will largely involve lease option arrangements.

Lodestone is keen to hear from interested farmers, Pearce said.

“A large part of the success of the solar farms [will involve] working with the farming community to understand the pros and cons of agrivoltaic activity, and to learn together and to do that in a really practical way that we both benefit from.”


Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales
Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

More than 170 customers south of Cape Rēinga are still without power.

17 Jul 08:26 AM
'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi
Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

17 Jul 06:02 AM
Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime
Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

17 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP