Sun Power: Pāmu Rā ki Whitianga Now Generating in Whitianga

Here in the sunny Coromandel, Pāmu Rā ki Whitianga is now up and running. It quietly turns all that sunshine into clean electricity for the local area and beyond.

Lodestone Energy built the solar farm on the edge of Whitianga, right beside the Whangamaroro River. The land used to be a dairy farm that often got boggy and flooded. Now it has about 53,400 bifacial solar panels that turns sunshine into electricity, on single-axis trackers spread over roughly 80 hectares.

Bifacial panels are a bit special — unlike regular solar panels that only catch sunlight on the front side, these have solar cells on both the front and the back. That means they pick up direct sun from above plus extra light that bounces off the ground below. With the panels raised about two metres off the ground, light reflects nicely off the grass and grazing sheep, helping squeeze out more power from the same space.

The panels sit high enough so sheep can graze underneath without any trouble. This simple setup lets farming and solar power share the same land easily.

Construction started in late 2024 after a ground-breaking blessing. Ngāti Hei gave the name: “Pāmu” means farm, “Rā” means sun — so it’s the Solar Farm of Whitianga. The 12-month build finished on time. The farm started producing power in November 2025, and by early December it was fully connected to Powerco’s network.

It has a capacity of 33 megawatts peak (MWp) and generates around 49 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of certified renewable energy each year. That’s enough to supply electricity for more than 6,800 homes annually. It produces the most power in summer, which matches the extra demand from holiday visitors, homes, and irrigation when the peninsula is busy.

The site was chosen because it gets lots of sun, it’s close to where people use electricity, and it connects easily to the local grid. The farm has very little impact on the environment with no significant emissions or water use. There are also plans to plant native trees and plants. It created jobs for locals during construction and worked closely with the community from the beginning.

As Lodestone’s fourth finished solar farm, Pāmu Rā  helps improve power supply for the upper Coromandel, cuts reliance on the need for power from far away, and supports New Zealand’s move to more renewable energy. In a place known for its clear blue skies, it’s great to see the sun helping power homes and businesses right here on the Coromandel Peninsula.