Over
THE GATE
WITH
s k n a h S t t Ma FARM) (WAIUKU SOLAR
Matt Shanks
Especially during summer, the sun will come out and Waiuku Solar Farm will be ready to harvest it. As mentioned in our previous issue, Lightyears Solar flipped the switch at its new farm in September. Employing approximately 3700 solar panels, it is expected to produce enough power for 500 homes. To enlighten readers further, we caught up project developer, Matt Shanks, to shine a light on this development… over the gate. Why choose Waiuku? Have locals warmed to the project? Sean [Tobin, Lightyears Solar cofounder] and I went to school with the farm’s owner, Nigel Upchurch. The sunshine in Waiuku is above average for New Zealand and proximity to Auckland means more demand for the electricity. We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response locally. Lots of
8 — Rural Living — October/November 2023
local contractors and suppliers have been involved and really supportive. There’s been a little disruption, while Counties Energy upgrades the lines, but work has been temporary. Will the solar farm impact the landowners and animals? Will it operate in harmony with the livestock operation? The owners have been great to
work with, as we figure out how to tie in farm operations, stock rotations and animal interaction with the equipment. The site is largely automatic, so we don’t anticipate any operational involvement by the landowners. It’s very important for us as a test case, and for the farm to maintain productivity. We’ve made design modifications to allow grazing to continue, such as by elevating panels. At this
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