Research and reports

Independent developer and generator Energy3 looked at the viability of a small wind farm that used four second-hand and reconditioned Nordtank 500 turbines, giving a total installed capacity of 2MW. Haycock Station in Southland is owned by Landcorp Farming.

Renewable Power Ltd investigated the viability of redeveloping the Maruia Falls Power Station, near Murchison in the Tasman district. The scheme originally generated electricity from the 1950s until the 1980s when it was decommissioned. This study evaluated the possibility of using the original structure and re-commissioning the station as a run of river scheme able to generate around 3GWh p.a.

Maungapohatu is a very remote Maori community Te Urerewa National Park. There is no reticulated electricity supply and the distance to the grid is too far for grid connection to be feasible. In this report the Te Mapoupa Papakainga Trust considers the use of hydro electric power to lower electricity costs to the community by reducing diesel consumption for electricity generation.

This project, undertaken by the Balfour Partnership, investigated the practical and commercial feasibility of a small wind project in the Marlborough region. A partnership of landowners has been established to help develop the project that could have an output of up to 10MW.