{"id":47171,"date":"2025-08-06T06:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T06:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/47171\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T06:25:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T06:25:06","slug":"ultimate-test-new-zealand-solar-farm-powers-through-major-flood-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/47171\/","title":{"rendered":"“Ultimate test:” New Zealand solar farm powers through major flood event"},"content":{"rendered":"

A New Zealand solar farm has powered almost all the way through a major flood event, passing what the developers have described as \u201cthe ultimate test\u201d of the project\u2019s design and technology.<\/p>\n

Lodestone Energy says its 42 megawatt (MW) Te Herenga o Te R\u0101 solar farm in the North Island\u2019s Bay of Plenty region was last week caught up in an extreme rainfall event described by meteorologists as an \u201catmospheric river.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a post on LinkedIn<\/a> on Monday, Lodestone says the solar farm, which achieved first generation in December 2024, \u201cremained fully operational until the last few millimetres of rain \u2026 when the operations team decided, out of caution, to disconnect from the grid and ride out the storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the sun rose again, the water receded nearly as quickly as it came. The Lodestone team were able to quickly assess the site with thermal-camera drones, scanning each component and determining just how well the tracking solar technology and flood-mitigation design met the challenge,\u201d the post says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team discovered that the flood waters rose to levels designed for and the farm performed as the engineering team had expected \u2013 the farm fared well!<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a big effort from the #NewPower and #Lodestone crew, who have been working hard over the weekend to complete inspections and testing, we\u2019ve been able to recommence generation. We are once again harvesting the sunshine of Waiotahe Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Web cam photos taken during and after the rain event in Waiotahe Valley, Lodestone Energy<\/p>\n

Te Herenga o Te R\u0101<\/a> \u2013 a named gifted by the local hap\u016b Te \u016apokorehe, meaning \u201cmooring place of the sun\u201d \u2013 was built on the border of the Waiotahe River and designed as agrivoltaic project, preserving the agricultural and horticultural potential of the land.<\/p>\n

But its location in a valley also meant its design needed to account for the probability of \u201ca lot of water from time to time,\u201d the LinkedIn post says \u2013\u00a0\u201cand this week was the ultimate test!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnticipating extreme weather conditions like this one requires painstaking reviews of every rise and dip in the terrain, and all the rainfall that has occurred in the area for as long as records have been kept.\u201d <\/p>\n

Taking all of this into account, the engineering approach for the solar farm included a special piling design going more than four meters deep and extra high placement of the solar panels.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsiderations for rapid water flow, the possibility of floating debris, and the prospect of sliding embankments were also built into the equation,\u201d the post says. <\/p>\n

\u201cGiven how quickly the rain can come, the ability to stow the panels in a horizontal position from Lodestone\u2019s remote control centre ultimately became a critical part of bracing for this amazing force of nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, while more costly than an average solar farm, raising the inverter stations and panel connection boxes high above the ground so the plant could continue to operate in more than a meter of water turned out to be the right choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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