NZ's biggest solar farm to be built

[Wainuiguy]

The last dam considered would have seen 2nd gen Bush flooded in unusable gorges.  This solar farm would see 1000 hectares covered in panels and you know it wouldn't be like what you posted earlier.

The Agrivoltaics example I posted a link to earlier was a case of possibilities for those areas where horticultural land warrants dual productivity. I would argue that the horticultural intensity in NZ is not of a level that makes such development necessary and/or feasible.

Not familiar with which hydro scheme you are referring to as you provide no references to it but I would suggest that the carbon load of the concrete and construction required would be a consideration in its environmental viability. The construction and materials input of a solar farm would be very minor in comparison.

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the day is coming when our energy will not be generated on the planet itself, but from up there. *points to sky*

Virtually all of the energy sources we use here in NZ have a solar origin. Hydro is reliant on rainfall that results from sun driven weather, as is the case for wind and wave activity. Fossil fuels are the result of photosynthetic activity from Earth's prehistoric past which are compressed and concentrated by geological activity over the eons.  Tidal energy is more driven by lunar influences, but still cosmic in origin.

Nuclear is our replication of the sun's energy production mechanism but obviously not part of NZ's energy generation for the foreseeable future.

Can't recall the name but it was the one on the west coast.  1000 hectares buried under steel and glass - sounds like a pretty big environmental impact right there.