New Plymouth Airport solar farm due to start

New Plymouth Airport’s solar power project will see the first phase begin next week which involves the installation of 14,000 solar panels on 15 hectares of farmland leased by the airport from the New Plymouth District Council.

Up to 14,700 MW/h will be generated, enough to power 2000 homes for a year, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reports.

Solar power will help make New Plymouth Airport self-sufficient in sustainable energy, help provide power for EV fast charging and provide additional income from surplus power sales, says airport chief executive David Scott.

He says more than 1500 tonnes of CO2 will be removed from the atmosphere annually as a result.

The airport included solar farm development, a rapid charging station and  fast charging for rentals in a recently released a “statement of intent” for July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027.

It put provisional costs for solar farm development at nearly $14.5 million for the 2025 financial year (FY2025), about $2 million for FY2026 and about $1 million for FY2027.

Fast charging for rentals is put at about $307,000 in FY2025 and the rapid charging station around $340,000 in FY2025.

EVs and Beyond reported on the New Plymouth Airport solar farm in April this year.

It can be adapted to future solar energy developments.

Papa Rererangi i Puketapu (PRIP), the organisation that runs the airport on the council’s behalf, would have an initial 10-year lease on the land once the solar farm is completed, with a right of renewal for a further 20 years.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom reportedly says the project brings to life a commitment for the district and the region to transition towards a low-emission future.

The solar farm is being built by Infratec New Zealand.