Our first solar farm projects around New Zealand have already begun their mission of generating enough energy to power 50,000 homes, and there’s much more to come.
Lodestone Energy is 98% New Zealand owned and operated, and we are committed to working as partners and collaborators with community and stakeholder groups to deliver solar projects that both power New Zealand, and empower the regions we operate in.
By harnessing the power of the sun we’re generating 320GWh of renewable energy across five farms, enough to power 50,000 homes. In utilising solar and reducing dependence on traditional energy sources, we create a sustainable solution to power our zero carbon future.
Our farms are designed to last a minimum of 35 years and remain operating at almost 80% of their original efficiency. After that our solar panels will either find a second life somewhere new or be sold for recycling.
We use bi-facial panels and single axis trackers to follow the sun’s movement. This means we’re 30% – 40% more productive than rooftop solar, resulting in lower costs, higher efficiency, better use of embedded carbon, and more energy generation.
Using global best practice, Lodestone Energy’s solar farms can continue to be used for agricultural and horticultural purposes. For example, running sheep between the solar panels helps control vegetation growth, for the benefit of both the solar farm and our neighbours.
Lodestone Energy is proud to have completed the first grid-scale solar farm in Aotearoa, with more under construction. We’re looking forward to demonstrating the benefits of solar power to our local communities and showing how solar can contribute to the future wellbeing of all New Zealanders.
Aotearoa has a diverse range of renewable energy resources, all contributing to our aspiration of becoming 100% renewable. Solar production corresponds with the hottest daytime temperatures, when New Zealand’s increasing demand for air-conditioning and irrigation is at its highest.
Our solar farms are redefining what green energy generation means. In minimising our environmental footprint, we’re committing to a sustainable future.
Lodestone’s team of experts have deep technical and industry knowledge, using this to pick apart every aspect of grid-scale solar to utilise the best approach for Aotearoa.
Why work against nature? We believe in working alongside nature to benefit both the whenua and the people who live on it. It’s about working to find the perfect balance of meeting our energy needs while preserving the landscape we’re lucky to have. This is just the beginning.
Lodestone Energy is not the first to harness the power of the sun. We recognise Maui and his four brothers were the first to slow the sun. So, while Lodestone is using modern technology to utilise the sun’s energy, Aotearoa actually has a long history of making best use of the sun.
Maintaining transparency about our planning, processes and environmental impact is important to us. So, here are the answers to some common questions we receive.
Our kaupapa is to be dedicated partners and collaborators with iwi in the areas we have farms. We are a company that aims to be part of the community we operate in and establishing good working partnerships with iwi is fundamental. Local people are employed on our construction projects with development and training provided. From the very beginning of our projects local iwi are consulted with including naming our farms and Kaumatua leading the blessings of our sites and projects.
Local communities will benefit from easier access to solar energy. Often, solar farm locations are near the end of a transmission system, making delivery costs and electricity prices high. New generation at the end of these lines will help provide a cheaper solution.
We’ve created a way for those who can’t otherwise harness the sun, to do so. For people without a roof, enough roof, or those under someone else’s roof, Lodestone can provide virtual rooftop solar power.
There will also be a range of employment opportunities available to local community members. For example, 40% of Lodestone’s Kaitaia site workforce is made up of locals during construction.
Lodestone Energy has big aspirations to keep harnessing the sun’s energy to power Aotearoa’s zero carbon future.
Our first projects cover five farms across the North Island, generating enough energy to power a city the size of Hamilton. But this is just the beginning. We’re always looking for flat or gently rolling land in rural areas to expand our solar farm network.
Solar farms distributed across regions will help to smooth intermittent generation and ensure a consistent portfolio of production. If you think you might have a suitable site for Lodestone Energy’s next solar farm, please get in touch with us to find out more.
Lodestone Energy uses bi-facial panels and single axis trackers so our panels can follow the sun’s movement. This means we are 30% – 40% more productive than rooftop solar, resulting in significantly lower costs, higher efficiency, better utilisation of embedded carbon, and more energy generation. Because our farms are planned and constructed meticulously, they require about half the capital to build per megawatt than rooftop solar.
Our solar farms are very low impact construction projects, requiring minimal, concrete, water, earthworks, and heavy machinery for building. Manufacturing solar PV panels creates minimal emissions, as the manufacturing process is highly efficient. The carbon footprint of farm construction is minimal and similar to other forms of electricity generation.
Once operational, the farms will be emission free, helping to displace fossil fuel electricity generation across Aotearoa. Check out our Environmental Footprint section above for more detail.
Solar farms are best located in sunny rural areas with dry, flat, or gently rolling land. Extensive research identified our first five sites, located across Aotearoa’s sun belt, as the best combination of solar resource and electricity network connectivity, with low community disturbance. We are continually looking for new farms with dry, flat or gently rolling land with lots of sun and good electricity network connectivity.
The benefit of Lodestone’s solar farms is in their design. We are the first company in Aotearoa to adopt agri-voltaic technology, meaning our farms are built to ensure land remains multi-use once solar panels are installed. Our design allows machinery to work and livestock to live happily around the solar arrays, meaning agriculture, horticulture, and grazing can continue at high productivity.
At Lodestone Energy, we’re always looking for new sites for our farms. We’re open to buying or leasing land from third parties and exploring new partnerships. If you think you have a suitable site for Lodestone’s next solar farm, get in touch with us to find out more.
Our farms are located on flat land surrounded by native planting. Our aim is to reduce any visual impact and boost biodiversity by planting native tree belts around our farms.
Solar farms make next to no noise, meaning little impact on neighbours, they release zero emissions, create no pollution, and use minimal water for cleaning. The farms have no negative impact on the land, a win-win for the environment and renewable energy generation.
Our bi-facial solar panels are sourced from the world’s premium suppliers. The dual-facing panels are largely powered by the sun facing surface, but they absorb light reflected from the ground too.
Our farms are designed to last a minimum of 35 years and remain operating at almost 80% of their original efficiency even at the end of that period. After that our solar panels will either find a second life somewhere new or be sold for recycling. There are already Australian companies that repurpose, recycle, or upcycle 97% of their panels.
Where possible, Lodestone will focus on repackaging panels for energy poor regions which can benefit from increased solar generation.
Our solar panels degrade very slowly – they’re made to soak up the sun all day. In just the last decade, innovative technology has significantly reduced efficiency loss. By year 10, we anticipate our farms to retain more than 95% of their year one power capabilities and 80% after 35 years.
China holds more than 80% of the global polysilicon market, 94% of the solar panel market and nearly 100% of the utility-grade solar market, so it is natural that New Zealand’s utility scale solar systems are supplied from China.
Social responsibility is a key criterion in our vendor selection process. We have carefully selected Trina Solar as our solar panel provider for the Phase 1 projects.
Trina is a tier 1 solar company, a major player in utility-grade solar systems manufacturing (including tracking mechanisms and battery systems) and is ranked amongst the top seven largest producers of solar panels in the world. In 2022, it shipped the equivalent of 14.5 GW of solar farm capacity worldwide.
Trina has regional headquarters in Zurich, Fremont (USA Silicon Valley), Miami, Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai, supported by branch offices in Madrid, Mexico, Sydney, and Rome. They operate manufacturing facilities in China, USA, Thailand and Vietnam, with operating solar facilities in more than 160 countries.
Trina is a world leader in solar energy innovation and reliability and is committed to ensuring an ethical and sustainable supply chain.
At Lodestone, we build enduring relationships with suppliers who do things the right way.
Our due diligence of suppliers, including our solar panel suppliers, is meticulous and on-going and we explicitly contract for rights to terminate for any deviations to our principles.
We have enshrined these approaches in our Modern Slavery Policy which commits us to acting with integrity in all business dealings and to diligently avoid unethical sourcing in our supply chain. We are dedicated to acting expeditiously whenever we become aware of any violations to this policy framework. In addition, our Supplier Guiding Principles sets out our expectations of all our suppliers across social and environmental responsibility, supply chain, business integrity and disclosure.
We’re committed to respecting and supporting the dignity, well-being and human rights of our employees and all those who we engage with, or whose lives are impacted through our supply chain.
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