Vector and Watercare to build first floating solar array in New Zealand

Vector and Watercare has announced to build a megawatt-scale floating solar array located in Auckland’s North Shore, by floating it on top of the Rosedale wastewater treatment pond near the Northern Motorway. The system is funded and hosted by Watercare and delivered by Vector PowerSmart.
 
The project will consist of more than 2,700 solar panels and 3,000 floating pontoons. It can generate enough power to over 200 average New Zealand homes for a year and reducing about 145 tonnes of CO2e each year. 
  
The array will be used to supplement electricity from the grid as well as cogeneration from biogas, which is already generated on-site from wastewater treatment.  The electricity is used for pumping and aeration for natural bacteria that help break down the waste as part of the treatment process.