Genesis Energy is planning to build the country's biggest PV solar farm:
Power generator and retailer Genesis Energy says it is in advanced discussions to build New Zealand's biggest solar farm in northern Waikato.
The company, which earlier reported a 15 per cent decline in operating earnings to $167.2 million, said its "future-gen" programme was aimed at transitioning it away from baseload thermal generation and delivering on its commitment to ditch coal by 2025.
The 300 megawatt solar farm will dwarf Refining NZ's 27 megawatt solar development, which is aimed satisfying 10 per cent of the Marsden Point refinery's requirement.
For context, this is about the equivalent of one of its dirty coal-fired units at Huntly. And hopefully by providing cheap energy during the day, it will reduce the need for fossil fuel generation and accelerate its shutdown. At the moment we have the ridiculous situation that we burn fossil fuels while the sun is shining; the sooner we engineer our way out of that dirty waste, the better.
