GameChange Energy commissions first New Zealand solar tracker project
GameChange Energy has commissioned its tracker system at Bright Fern Energy’s 23 MWp Dannevirke Solar Farm in New Zealand, marking the company’s first completed project in the country and expanding its presence across Oceania.
The solar farm is located in the Manawatu-Whanganui region and was developed with site conditions including seismic activity, undulated terrain, high wind exposure and complex logistics taken into consideration.
The project uses GameChange Energy’s Genius Tracker™ 1P 4 String system. The site-specific design includes TopoSmart™ to adapt the tracker system to the terrain, while pre-assembled components were used to streamline installation.
Project milestone
Dannevirke is the first of Bright Fern Energy’s fully consented utility-scale solar projects planned for construction in New Zealand. The project is part of the company’s development pipeline and reflects the growing deployment of large-scale renewable energy projects in the country.
“The Dannevirke was an important milestone for us, as it represented the first project to be delivered from Bright Fern Energy’s significant development pipeline in New Zealand,” said Cassidy Prent, Chief Executive, Bright Fern Energy. “GameChange Energy worked closely with our team throughout the project and brought strong engineering support, responsiveness, and practical solutions during both the design and construction phases. The successful commissioning of the project gives us confidence as we continue advancing our development pipeline.”
The project also highlights the focus on resilient solar infrastructure in the region, with developers assessing long-term reliability, constructability and performance under site-specific conditions.
“The successful commissioning of Dannevirke is a major milestone for GameChange Energy in New Zealand and across Oceania. This project involved complex site and environmental considerations, from seismic requirements and terrain variability to weather-related construction challenges. Working closely with Bright Fern Energy, we were able to deliver a solution that met the project’s technical and execution requirements while staying on schedule. As utility-scale solar continues to grow in New Zealand, projects like Dannevirke highlight the importance of engineering-led system design and long-term operational reliability,” said Vaibhav Joshi, Managing Director – Oceania and Southeast Asia, GameChange Energy.
The featured photograph is for representation only.
