22 | T T Virginia Wright Now building its sixth solar farm Rangitaiki Solar Farm (top). Pāmu Rā ki Whitianga_solar farm (below). Lodestone Energy is currently building its sixth solar farm. Five solar farms already generate renewable solar energy around the country from Kaitaia in the North to Clandeboye in South Canterbury. But whereas the energy being generated by those five solar farms is being sold to commercial customers, the model in Hawkes Bay is different. They call it ”The EASY plan” and it’s a retail electricity product for residential and small business customers throughout the Central Hawke’s Bay Region. With a combination of a fixed daily price for a bundle of electricity arrived at through customer specific data, and a ‘Carry Over Account’ system for any under or overs, the EASY plan is designed to reward people who avoid usage at peak times while offering cheaper power to local customers, explains General Manager of Customer and Brand, Sarah McHardy, who’s been in the energy industry for 20 years. “The Hawkes Bay solar farm is forecast to generate 49,000 MegaWatt hours (MWh) annually, and the average house uses about 7,200 KiloWatt hours (KWh), so 7 MWh, which means the farm is generating enough power to supply approximately 7,000 homes. So we can back 7,000 residential and small business customers with this new renewable energy that’s going into the local grid, and because solar is one of the cheapest forms of energy it means that Lodestone is offering customers a cheaper product than they might get from other suppliers.” The Hawkes Bay solar farm is a Joint Venture (JV) with local lines distribution company Centralines which is responsible for maintaining the physical poles and wires that deliver electricity to customers on their network. First power is expected by the middle of next year but they’ve already introduced their EASY plan and are inviting local customers to enjoy the benefits of solar power without having to install panels on the roof. The electricity or power accounts for approximately 40%-50% of our power bill with the other 50%-60% being made up of transmission, network and metering costs, energy levies and so on. The EASY plan comes with a pricing system designed to keep things simple while providing the power, the 50% of the bill they can control, at a cheaper rate for their 7,000 customers. “For every unit of electricity that a customer that signs on in central Hawkes Bay uses, they can know that there’s a forecasted unit of renewable energy being generated in their local area, not necessarily at the same time but over the year,” explains Sarah. ENERGY Lodestone Energy • Civil Earthworks • Forestry Roading • Quarries • Metal Cartage • Crushing & Screening • Transport • Subdivisions • Drainage & Dams • Farm EarthWorks PH Hayden: (06) 928 0946 or 0274 500 466 Email: office@hesearthmoving.co.nz | 248 Station Road, RD1,Waipukurau “Lodestone has a vision of having a solar farm in every community with the ability to give directly back to those communities by being able to offer competitive energy pricing for the locals. I love that we can build a lasting legacy that the local community can benefit from.” It’s not just the community that benefits. On a broader environmental level using solar power reduces the overall carbon impact of energy generation in the country, explains Sarah. “The water for hydro power can be stored as a battery which means we’re relying less on the coal from Huntly when demand peaks in winter. Ultimately it’s cheaper because no fuel is being burned and there are no carbon emissions either.” Lodestone’s solar farms lower cost energy can make a difference to what someone is paying across a year for electricity. It increases energy resilience while reducing carbon emissions. It’s a win for the consumer, the community, the environment and the country alike.
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