A solar farm expected to provide surplus renewable power to tens of thousands of households has been given resource consent after a landmark ruling from the Environment Court.
Greytown Solar Farm was earlier also granted resource consent in April to go ahead with the next stage of development for its 178MW (peak capacity) project, according to the project developer Far North Solar Farm’s New Zealand-based director, Richard Homewood.
When complete, the solar farm - on Moroa Rd and Bidwills Cutting Rd south of Greytown and 74km from Wellington - would provide surplus renewable power to 41,000 households – including to Wellington to accelerate decarbonisation of the capital.
Greytown was the first solar farm in New Zealand to receive grant of consent by the Environment Court, and to receive direct referral to that court.
“This decision is a major step that enables us to continue progressing towards bringing on 178 MW peak capacity of new renewables to the grid when Greytown is commissioned in 2028,” Homewood said.
“More broadly for our industry, it sets a detailed precedent for future councils, panels and court decisions when considering the novel and nuanced issues that are specific to solar farms, and not shared by other renewable energy generation categories, such as wind farms.”
Auckland-headquartered Far North Solar Farm has solar farms in development across the country, totalling more than 1.2 GWp of potential capacity.
The Environment Court decision comes after the $9.8 million Transpower Works Agreement for the connection of Greytown was signed by the developer in July.
In its ruling, the court placed special emphasis on the essential nature of rural settings for solar farm development, Homewood said.
“Where solar farms are located can often be the subject of much debate, so we were pleased to see the court recognise that solar farms would naturally need to be developed in rural areas.
“The optimal conditions for development are flat, sunny areas, close to substations. In New Zealand, this means rural settings.”
The court also found the solar farm would complement, rather than deter, from local environmentally conscious business, and the local character of the area could be maintained by mitigations proposed by both Far North Solar Farm and the South Wairarapa District Council.
The conditions that supported the decision were expected to become the gold standard for resource consents for future solar farms in New Zealand, Homewood said.
“Far North Solar Farm took seriously the views of submitters during the court proceedings and amended the original plans. These include adjustments to screening, operational noise, glint and glare, grass heights - in relevance to fire risk - relevant to fire risk, amongst others.
“Our experience engaging with local communities around the country has taught us it’s important to take community concerns seriously.”
Each community’s priorities could differ, he said.
“But the reality is that we are in their backyard so we need to be as considerate as we can and be good neighbours.”