At the end of July, the Waiotahe Valley on New Zealand’s North Island, and with it the Te Herenga o Te Rā solar park, was flooded by heavy rainfall. As the installation company Lodestone Energy reported on Facebook, the plant nevertheless continued to supply electricity without interruption. »The farm remained fully operational until the last few millimetres of rain came down, when the operations team decided, out of caution, to disconnect from the grid and ride out the storm,” the report said.
Before installing the plant, Lodestone Energy had created scenarios based on historical weather records to determine how much water could be expected at the planned location. Fast water currents, the possibility of floating debris, and the risk of landslides were also taken into account. Ultimately, a special pile foundation with a depth of more than four meters and particularly high module tables was chosen. The inverter stations were also installed high above the ground so that the plant could continue to operate even when the water level exceeded one meter. Another decisive factor was that the modules could be moved into a horizontal position by remote control.
»When the sun rose again, the water receded nearly as quickly as it came,” reports Lodestone Energy. After an inspection of the plant, electricity production resumed.
© PHOTON
