Floating solar panels are being installed on a pond at the Dannevirke Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Floating solar panels are being installed on a pond at the Dannevirke Wastewater Treatment Plant.
A “win, win, win” is how Shaun Lines is describing floating solar panels at the Dannevirke Wastewater Treatment Plant.
More than 400 solar panels are being installed at the site on Makirikiri Rd and will save ratepayers money, help the community with energy poverty and use spare space.
Lines, the general manager of Rangitāne o Tamaki nui-ā-Rua Charitable Trust, said: “From the ratepayers’ perspective it’s going to save the council about $50,000 a year in energy costs”.
Tu Mai Ra Energy and Barber Climate and Electrical are responsible for the installation of the $1.1 million project, a partnership with the trust and Tararua District Council, set to be completed in May.
The panels, which float on rafts absorbing energy, will take up a significant portion of pond four, and will be used to power the wastewater plant.
“Pond four at the Dannevirke Wastewater Treatment Plant is part of a series of ponds that process waste and stormwater before it is distributed to local waterways as clean water,” Lines said.
He said the treatment plant used a significant amount of energy and was the second floating solar project in New Zealand.
A November 2024 council proposal to power the plant with solar energy stated that it was one of the highest users of electricity of all council facilities.
The solar panels are floating on rafts, and will create enough energy to power the wastewater treatment plant.
Lines said excess energy from the panels would go, through grants, to community members in need.
He estimated that could help 30 to 40 homes.
“It actually produces more energy than the council will use, and will then be sold, and the money will go into a trust which is then used to provide whānau in the Tararua district who are struggling with energy poverty.”
It would help those who couldn’t afford their power bill, and the elderly on a pension.
“Often, we see that with older people choosing not to put heating on in winter and struggling with illness as a result.”
He said the project was made possible through a grant from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to advance the use of solar energy.
A council spokesperson said the installation would reduce the cost of powering the plant, which in turn helps lower operational costs and benefits ratepayers.
“There will be savings; the exact figure will become clearer once the system has been operating for a period of time.”
The spokesperson said there is also future potential to add battery storage to further improve energy security, operational resilience, and deliver additional savings.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
