Electricity Asset Management Plan 2019-2029
28 Vector Limited://
CASE STUDY TAPORA MICROGRID – A NEW ENERGY SOLUTION
CASE STUDY BETHELLS BEACH UNDERGROUNDING – A TRADITIONAL ENERGY SOLUTION Popular with locals, tourists and adventurers from all over, Bethells Beach is a much-loved seaside community on the West Coast of Auckland. Vector’s network has served the area for many decades. Unfortunately, a recent copper conductor failure on a section of network intersecting with the Hilary Track made it very clear that certain parts of the network needed to be upgraded. Compounding matters were a cluster of unstable power poles that were at risk of failing because a river flowing through the land had eroded the riverbank, thus affecting the integrity of the assets. Vector’s network team considered a range of potential network solutions before engaging with the community to understand their options. A new energy solution (such as a battery or microgrid) was considered, but soon ruled out because traditional assets like the poles and conductors would still need to be replaced to achieve the desired outcome. Instead, landowners backed Vector’s more cost-effective recommendation – which was to underground a section of network and remove the problematic equipment completely. As part of the solution, landowners granted easements over their properties to protect Vector’s assets and entry rights in future. Today, this part of the network has been successfully placed underground, improving reliability, public safety and visual impact in the area.
Increasing extreme weather events are exposing the northern Auckland rural community on the Tapora Peninsula to more weather-related outages, making the connection to the electricity grid more vulnerable. Tapora is also a growing region and land use is changing. New horticulture industries that have a strong dependency on reliable electricity supply, for irrigation and frost protection, are springing up. In consultation with the community, a micro-grid solution has been developed, to improve reliability, as an alternative to traditional network reinforcement or replacement solutions. It will provide continuity of supply for domestic loads during network outages.
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