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There are an increasing number of Bright Sparks in the rural sector who have figured out that there is money to be saved and emissions to be reduced by embracing solar. Aidan Bichan from Kaiwaiwai Dairies in South Wairarapa realised that earlier than most.
In 2021, the team installed a 54 kW ground-mounted solar PV system. That's 144 panels and it saves them about $15,000 per year on energy.
There's room for more, but he's also looking at putting panels on waterways, rather than covering pasture. That's better for the environment and better for the farm's books.
When Mike Casey bought his house near Cromwell, it came with gas bottles on the side of the home for water and an expensive diesel system for the underfloor heating. He replaced both of them with a Steibel Eltron system and it's been saving him money ever since. As technical manager Bhawesh Singh told him at the Electrify Queenstown conference, there has been a big influx in enquiries from homes looking to get off the molecules and onto electrons.
Read moreDownloadConfidence that cutting regulations to make solar power more accessible - won't jeopardise people's safety. A new Regulation Ministry reports laid out a potential blueprint to legalise plug-in solar and reduce the time and cost of panel installation. Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey shares his thoughts with Andrew Dickens.
The burgeoning demand for solar was also a chance to address a mismatch between the numbers of training opportunities available and young people searching for work, Casey said. "The mums of New Zealand are telling me that there's not enough apprenticeships for their kids and the solar installers of New Zealand are telling me there's not enough trained people."
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