Environment Canterbury has notified a resource consent application to build a 113ha "solar array" on Balmoral Station, about 12km from Lake Tekapo.
The solar farm, which would be built in two phases in Braemar Rd paddocks, could eventually comprise nearly 135,000 solar modules and generate up to 88 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
That could power up to 13,000 households.
University of Otago Centre for Sustainability senior research fellow Dr Jen Purdie said there had been an upsurge of applications for solar farms during the past two to three years.
"Over the past five years, solar [energy] made up 0.4% of New Zealand [electricity] load.
"That’s expected to rise to 13% by 2050, driven largely by the decarbonisation imperative," she said.
Dr Purdie said she was aware of about 40 applications for new solar farms since 2020.
Were it to go ahead, the Tekapo installation would sit in the "moderate" size range compared to others, she said.
"There’s one being built at Christchurch Airport at 150MW at present, a couple up north at 300-400MW, one in Naseby at 59MW, and several small projects under 10MW, so this is reasonably moderate."
If that were to be fed by solar alone, it would require about 90 additional solar farms to be built at average output, Dr Purdie said.
Another factor driving the rush to solar was financial, she said.
"The cost of solar generation has dropped by about 80% to $70 a MWh during recent years, making it competitive with wind and hydro.
"That’s partly why we’ve seen this proliferation of applications and new projects."
Submissions on the Tekapo project opened this week, and are being overseen by Mackenzie District Council and Environment Canterbury.
Documents indicate applicants Andrew and Karen Simpson, who lease Balmoral Station, are seeking a 35-year consent for the facility.
Mr Simpson said he did not wish to comment on the application at this stage, but expected to release a statement from project directors in the future.
Submissions close on April 21.
