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More farmers are getting in behind solar, batteries and electric machines. For Blair and Jodi Drysdale, who run Hopefield Farm in Southland, the decision to invest was mostly about reducing energy costs over the long term, but it's also come with a number of other benefits.
Last year, when massive winds knocked out power in the area for five days, their solar and battery set-up kicked into gear.
"Nothing stopped for us," he says. And they were also able to offer neighbours, family and friends hot showers.
Most days, the 21kW solar array fills up the 52kWh battery system and, to those who question how much sun they get in Southland, he says "it's never let us down yet".
The whole set-up was around $80k - including a line upgrade - and he's hopeful the investment will be paid off in around five years.
When you're generating your own cheap energy, it makes sense to use as much of it as possible. All the siloes have electric fans, they use electric tools and they've even bought an electric ATV. And the beauty of the modular solar system is that more can easily be added if electricity usage increases.
Drysdale says he was initially pretty sceptical of the electric farms pitch but, after being presented with all the facts and figures, he says it was a no brainer. And while the environmental benefits were not the main motivation, reducing emissions is another added bonus.
Farmers tend to listen to farmers and, with plenty of Fonterra dairy farmers set to get a significant payout soon, we hope some of them can see the potential of putting it towards a system like the one of Hopefield farm and a growing number of other farms around the country.
Political Power has gone local! Dr Nick Smith, mayor of Nelson and ex-National Party minister, is an early adopter when it comes to electric machines but, through his efforts with the council and his close involvement with the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme, he's also embracing one of Rewiring's core mantras: once you've electrified your own life, electrify someone else's life, too.
Read moreDownloadWhether it's the growing number of electric buses, new electric trains for the lower North Island and City Rail Link, or new electric ferries, we love seeing more electric transport options in our big cities. It's also good to see some of our smaller cities like Palmerston North, Timaru and Nelson going electric and, as is almost always the case, the drivers reckon it's better on electrons. At the Electrify Nelson expo, we spoke with one driver Lee about the city's electric buses. And he definitely wouldn't go back to diesel.
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