Tauhei Solar Farm

Harnessing the sun for a brighter energy future

energy
Solar panels with sheep in Belgium

Source: iStock image used for illustrative purposes only. Not an actual representation of a Clarus business.

Harnessing the sun for a brighter energy future

The Tauhei solar farm project is a joint venture between Harmony Energy New Zealand and Clarus company, First Renewables. At the time of commissioning in late 2026, it will become New Zealand’s largest solar farm. At an impressive capacity of 202 MWp*, it will stretch across 182 hectares near Te Aroha in the sunny Waikato region. 

Imagine the impact: 280 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity generated every year, enough to power approximately 35,000 New Zealand homes!** This project is a significant step towards a sustainable energy future, harnessing the sun.

*Solar PV plants generate ‘direct current’ (DC) electricity, which is then converted to ‘alternating current’ electricity by on-site equipment called inverters so it can be injected into the grid. The peak amount of DC power the plant generates is measured in MWp. It is common to refer to a solar plant size by MWp (i.e. DC) capacity. Tauhei Solar Farm has been designed as a 202MWp plant, meaning under optimal conditions (such as midday on a sunny day), the solar panels could collectively generate up to 202MW of DC power before conversion losses and will reduce slightly with plant age (solar modules degrade with time).

** This is based on the total number of 500,000+ Kiwi homes and businesses using LPG or natural gas multiplied by the average number of residents in a home of 2.7 (StatsNZ).

** Data sourced from: Natural Gas Switching active ICPs in June 2024 combined with LPG numbers from GAS NZ 2023 45kg Customer Numbers customers.

**This estimate is based on an assumed average household electricity consumption of 8,000 kWh per year, as referenced in MBIE's Key Assumptions for Domestic Electricity Prices.

 

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Source: iStock image used for illustrative purposes only. Not an actual representation of a Clarus business.

Limitless clean energy with lasting community benefits

The biggest advantage of solar power is that it provides free, abundant, and clean energy. Sunshine is available everywhere and once the solar photovoltaic panels are in place, the farm will generate energy without producing any greenhouse gas emissions.  

The project will create jobs and business opportunities, during its two-year construction phase, the project will also create around 350 full-time equivalent jobs at the peak of construction, and some permanent full-time jobs once completed.  

Karakai mountain people web

Recognising the power of community support

We are truly grateful to the Te Aroha West community for their support. Their engagement makes this project possible, and we remain committed to being a respectful and responsible neighbour—both throughout construction and once the solar farm becomes operational in late 2026.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Ngāti Hauā and Ngāti Tumutumu for their partnership. We greatly value the knowledge, traditions, and enduring connection to the land that they have shared with us.

Karakia Mt Te Aroha 3m

Caring for the local environment

We are committed to protecting the local environment by:
  • The development of ecological and biodiversity enhancements. 
  • The planting of 100,000 native plants – which provides screen planting, riparian margins, bio-diversity corridors. Already, approximately 25,000 native plants have been planted on the boundary of the solar farm to ensure screen planting is established as early as possible. 
  • The establishment of a 7 hectare wetland – that can help improve local water quality and foster biodiversity. 

By prioritising care for the local environment, we hope to see an increasing number of native species thriving at the solar farm. Parts of the site provide habitat for the critically endangered New Zealand long-tailed bat, or pekapeka-tou-roa, and the trees they roost in will be protected. 

The majority of the site will remain in productive farming, transitioning from dairy farming to sheep farming. The photovoltaic panels will not only generate clean energy but also provide shelter and shade for the sheep, helping to retain moisture in the ground during the hottest months of the year. 

The ability to graze sheep is one of the many advantages of solar energy – it not only supplies clean power, but it can also make farms more productive overall. 

Clarus Logos for Tauhei 01

It's a team effort

Elecnor, a leading global renewable energy engineering procurement and construction contractor, is the lead construction partner to build the solar farm.   

The solar farm project is supported by a power purchase arrangement with Meridian Energy, who will purchase 100% of the output for the first 10 years of operation  

The funding requirements are supported by a syndicated debt facility provided by ANZ, ASB, BNZ and MUFG Bank with MUFG acting as financial advisor on the transaction.  

Contact & Feedback

If you have any questions or feedback please email tauhei@clarus.co.nz.  

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