Future of energy

energy
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Proudly powering Kiwis, now and into the future.

Energy is changing, and Clarus is right behind the transition. You’re in the right place if you want to know how one of the country’s largest energy groups is innovating, investing in and implementing renewable gas and solar technology to help us move to a lower emission energy system.

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Closer to cooking with renewable gas

Thousands of kiwis love the benefits and overall efficiency gas provides; from instant heat and precision cooking, to endless hot water and a toasty warm home. To ensure this continues, Clarus company First Renewables has partnered with Ecogas on New Zealand’s first plant to be able to upgrade biogas into biomethane, a renewable gas.

The new facility has already started transforming food waste into biomethane. Our initial estimates show this facility alone can supply enough renewable gas to power up to 7,200 homes, while also reducing CO₂ emissions by 11,000 tonnes per year*, and because it’s chemically identical to natural gas, there are no changes required for gas users or their appliances.

*7,200 houses at an average residential gas demand of 22GJ p.a. = 160TJ p.a. (estimated annual biomethane injected at Broadlands).
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New Zealand’s largest solar farm is coming.

We’ve entered a partnership with global renewable energy infrastructure developer, Harmony Energy to develop and own Tauhei Solar Farm. Once developed, it will capture Te Aroha sunshine using ~330,000 solar panels over ~260 hectares of land - equivalent to the size of around 371 rugby fields! Once it starts operating, Tauhei will generate and feed into the national grid more than 270 GWh of electricity each year, which is enough renewable energy to power around 35,000 Kiwi homes and businesses. What’s even better is it’s not just the New Zealand energy system that will benefit. A vital part of the project will be restoring 7ha of wetlands and planting over 120,000 natives to increase biodiversity in the area.

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Hydrogen blending to be piloted.

Hydrogen is a cleaner alternative to natural gas. It can be produced by electrolysis, which is the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. If the electricity is generated using renewable resources like wind and solar, then the process creates no new carbon emissions, and the hydrogen produced is ‘green’ hydrogen. That’s why we’re working on a project to blend a small amount of hydrogen with natural gas in our Firstgas pipeline network.

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Energy is what we do, but it’s people we do it for.

This could not be more relevant given the extreme circumstances our Firstlight Network team has powered through over the past two years to keep their communities connected. As the lines company for Tairāwhiti and Wairoa, Firstlight Network’s Community Connectedness Programme is about not only keeping the power on and restoring it when the lights go out, but strengthening connectedness with people and the environment, and working with other regional stakeholders on energy initiatives that can help balance supply security, enable decarbonisation and maintain energy affordability now and into the future.

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