Client Lightyears Solar Farm

Location Ashburton, Canterbury

Start / End Date Jan 2024 – Dec 2024

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Lightyears Solar Farm

The Project

McKay worked alongside Lightyears Solar again on their second solar farm in Aotearoa New Zealand,  a testament to the strong working relationship built on their first project together. McKay’s dedicated Renewables division is leading the design and delivery of the 7 MW Lightyears Ashburton Solar Farm, located at Gartartan Road, Ashburton. Unlike a traditional subcontractor role, McKay’s engagement here spans the full project lifecycle, from detailed electrical and PV design through to construction, testing, and commissioning, making this one of the more comprehensive scopes McKay’s Renewables team has delivered.

Project Deliverables

McKay’s scope covers the complete electrical package for the Ashburton Solar Farm, from initial design through to commissioned systems.

  • PV String Optimisation & Cable Selection: McKay designed the PV string layouts and selected AC and DC cables to ensure optimal system performance across the array.
  • Single Line Diagrams (SLDs): Architectural-level SLDs were produced for both AC and DC systems, providing the engineering foundation for all downstream installation works.
  • Cable Trenching & Routing Design: Detailed trenching and routing plans were developed to ensure efficient, safe, and compliant cable installation across the site.
  • Earthing & Protection Design: McKay delivered comprehensive earthing system design, lightning protection reports, protection studies, and fault analysis for the site.
  • SCADA System Design & Installation: The SCADA system was designed to include site-wide architecture, functional descriptions, control panel drawings, and equipment selection, with seamless integration with Huawei inverters and the tracking system. McKay also completed the full installation of the SCADA system on site.
  • Site Earth Grid: A complete site earth grid was installed to ensure proper earthing across all electrical components.
  • LV AC & DC Cabling: All LV cabling was installed across the site, including associated trenching works for cable routing.
  • Containerised Main Switch Room & Switchboard: McKay supplied and installed a containerised switch room and switchboard for the Lightyears Solar portion of the farm.
  • Sungrow MVPS Termination: LV cable terminations were completed for the Sungrow Medium Voltage Power Station.
  • Testing & Commissioning: McKay carried out full testing and commissioning of all supplied systems, including IV curve testing of the photovoltaic arrays and inverter pre-commissioning to verify performance and readiness for operation.

Our Approach

What sets this project apart is the depth of McKay’s involvement from the outset. Rather than stepping in at the construction phase, McKay’s Renewables division led the detailed engineering design, meaning the team had full ownership and understanding of the system before a cable was pulled. This end-to-end approach, from PV string optimisation and protection studies through to IV curve testing and commissioning, reduces risk, improves quality, and ensures nothing is lost in the handover between design and construction. The repeat engagement from Lightyears Solar reflects the confidence they have in McKay to deliver a technically complex project to a high standard.