Powering rural communities

A unique collaboration at the end of the electricity supply line in Tararua could change the way remote New Zealand communities get their power.

Three farming families living in the Totara Valley, about 20km from Woodville, are using a number of energy technologies installed by Massey University and Industrial Research Limited (IRL) to produce electricity that supplements the existing network supply.

The project is one of three showcased at Massey University’s stand at National Fieldays this week.

The idea was hatched when a Massey student struck up a conversation with a farmer’s wife at Tararua church, according to renewable energy lecturer Dr Jim Hargreaves.

Since then, he says the project has grown into a prototype for what may rural communities should consider.

“An increased emphasis has been placed on finding new ways for isolated communities to work with power companies to develop renewable energy sources,” Hargreaves says. “This project proves these partnerships can work.”

Called distributed generation, the project capitalises on the resources available in the farming environment – wind, sun and water. The project features a number of distributed energy technologies including solar hot water and photovoltaics, along with a bio-diesel generator and a micro-hydro system.

A particularly novel development uses hydrogen as an energy carrier and for energy storage. The production of hydrogen requires an energy supply and at Totara Valley this is provided by a wind turbine, located at a good wind site on a hill over 2km from the farm houses.

The wind energy powers a water electrolyser that produces hydrogen fuel gas which is pumped down the hill to a fuel cell and water heater at the farm house in the valley below.

As well as transporting the energy, the system stores hydrogen in the pipeline so that a supply of energy can be maintained even when the wind is not blowing.

Hargeaves says the project has buy-in from the electricity supply company, Scanpower. “The energy produced in the valley that’s not used by the residents is put back into the national grid, and Scanpower are now paying a good price for it,” he says. “That will hopefully provide further incentive to those thinking about this sort of project.”

Farmer Geoff Smith says it’s been fascinating working with the project team. “We’re benefiting from the wind turbine here while the neighbours have the hydro-system. I think this is the way of the future for isolated rural communities.”

The Massey University stand can be found in the premier feature at PA 3/4 at Mystery Creek.