A new solar farm in Morrinsville is set to double as pasture for grazing sheep, a dual-use model agriculture experts say is promising but largely untested in New Zealand.
By Jordan Smith of Local Democracy Reporting
Energy giant Meridian has consent to build 230,000 solar panels in Morrinsville, and sheep will be grazing under and between panels to maximise land productivity.
Agricultural experts say the model hasn’t yet been explored much in NZ — and most of the best evidence is from drier places — but shouldn’t be discounted.
The opportunity for a dual income is enticing, Massey University lecturer Sam Wilson says.
"You're essentially creating the power and still able to get grazing in."
A Matamata-Piako District Council spokesperson said the consent process for the Morrinsville farm hit a speed-bump when Meridian "did not obtain the written approval of all affected parties", so "the application was notified to those parties".
There were several submissions in opposition, though many were withdrawn after Meridian worked through some issues raised "and the application was decided without a hearing".
Massey University’s professor of dairy production systems Danny Donaghy said while the panels and grazing model is relatively unexplored in NZ, he had studied the concept in Taranaki, looking at pasture growth and quality.
The model is much more common in drier conditions overseas such as Australia, where much of the positive research lies, Donaghy said.
Back home, his study saw an 84% decrease in pasture growth directly under the panels.
“We've found when you look at international research that's mostly positive [it's] because you're talking about hotter, drier regions where panels provide a protective effect,” Donaghy said.
"Here [NZ] where we've got higher rainfall regions, the panels are probably providing a negative effect other than in between the panels."
Massey University grassland science lecturer Sam Wilson said pasture in-between can "grow more than they would have otherwise", boasting a 38% gain.
Result-altering weather systems changing results is emphasised by Wilson’s own study in Manawatū, where wetter conditions returned a 70% decrease in under-panel growth and a 5% decrease in-between.
The statistics shouldn’t deter farmers, Wilson says, as the dual-income caveat creates an enticing proposal that looks to be a win-win.
Donaghy added: "It's that extra revenue stream that farmers are looking at and going 'OK I can make more money and I can still run some sheep like I did before'."
The biggest barrier for the model to grow is the weigh-up of land use, Donaghy says.
High-quality land may be more economically suited for horticulture or dairy, especially in the Waikato where the latter is king.
Wilson said animal welfare could be another benefit, with operations in Australia seeing a noticeable uptick in health and happiness in livestock during the hot dry season.
“Even here anecdotally, just seeing animals in the wintertime with their young lambs leaving them under the panels when it's drier and warmer while they go off and do the grazing.”
The Morrinsville project is still dependent on a final investment decision by Meridian’s board.
If approved, construction could begin in 2028 and is expected to take two years.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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