Solar and wood-fired energy systems on a grand scale are being investigated for the Frankton Flats area of Queenstown.
Porter Group developer Alistair Porter told the Otago Daily Times this week he would like to see the thousands of residential and commercial units planned for his 150ha Remarkables Park subdivision heated by hot water piped from a centralised woodchip-fuelled boiler, and a 2ha photovoltaic park built to provide them with electricity.
Mr Porter has employed Ahika Consulting, of Dunedin, to investigate the hot-water system and produce a report on its feasibility by the end of the year.
Ahika director Lloyd McGinty said his company was ''scoping'' a design for the plant and infrastructure.
Such ''district heating'' systems, with as much as 500km of underground piping, were quite common in Europe, he said.
There were no district heating systems in New Zealand at this stage, although one serving businesses in part of Christchurch was about to proceed.
About 90% of the Remarkables Park development has still to be built, and Mr McGinty said there was a ''great opportunity'' to install a hot-water system while other infrastructure was being put in place.
''When you are putting in the new roads and all the new services, you are already digging the ground up and this is the best time to lay the pipework.''
Mr Porter said Remarkables Park was planning to have as many as 3500 medium- and high-density residential units.
''But the residential is only part of it. There are all the commercial users and the other major users that are surrounding Remarkables Park.''
Mr Porter noted a new school was planned for the area and said his 15ha Shotover Industrial Park could also join the system, as might other Frankton commercial businesses beyond Remarkables Park.
Mr Porter has identified a 2ha site in the northwest corner of Remarkables Park for a photovoltaic park and Mr McGinty said his company was investigating sites for a central boiler, and looking at costs.
Each building could have radiators or floors heated by hot water and a heat meter to measure how much hot water was being used.
''And just like your other services, you would be invoiced for energy use.''
He said the boilers were highly efficient [about 90%] and had low emissions.
''They're not zero, but they're low.''
He believed heating bills could also be lowered and whole buildings would be heated rather than just individual rooms.
Mr Porter said while the feasibility of the scheme had yet to be proven, ''the figures overseas would seem to indicate that it's potentially viable''.
''It's about providing a sustainable and resilient environment for your customers.
''There are many people in Queenstown, in this district, I understand who are paying winter electricity bills that are $1000 plus per month.
''That's definitely not sustainable for most households.''
While it was not under investigation as yet, Mr McGinty suggested the sludge from Queenstown's waste treatment plant might be a potential fuel for the centralised boiler in future.
''So what a great story: using people's waste to heat people's houses.''
