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Introducing Bright Sparks, a new regular feature where we shine a light on some of the country's electrification heroes. First up, electric maritime innovator Fiona Bycroft.
There's a lot happening in New Zealand's electrification scene, whether it's homeowners investing in solar, batteries and EVs, volunteers setting up community groups in their region, innovators pushing the boundaries in their businesses, or decision makers doing what they can to try and speed up the inevitable transition to electric machines run on local electrons.
We want to celebrate these legends, so we're launching a new section called Bright Sparks where we share the stories of clever, committed New Zealanders who are doing their bit to make our country more electric.
Our inaugural Bright Spark is Fiona Bycroft from Naut, whose company produces systems that can be dropped into boats from 7m to more than 24m long. She and the team recently brought one down from Whangarei to show off at the three-day Electrify Queenstown conference and it was put to the test on Lake Wakatipu.
As she says in the video interview, electric vehicles are now becoming more mainstream, in part because of the early adopters who bought the vehicles and those who advocated for (and built) the infrastrucure: "I want boats to be the same. We're in those early days of tech and so really we're building the market at the moment but I'd hope in ten years time that this is what everyone is using."
We've got a long list of heroes on our list, but we're always looking for more suggestions so get in touch if you think there's someone who you think deserves a shout out.
How the sun led to higher salaries for teachers in the US and why this should be happening here, too; how "the once-rigid link between economic growth and carbon emissions is breaking across the vast majority of the world" as electrification gives more countries a productivity boost (and how that would allow New Zealand to keep embracing our long, languid summer break); solar continues to weather storms and provide 'free resilience'; Dunedin laundry company Preens goes electric and saves over 300 utes worth of emissions; the company that wants you to drink diesel exhaust; and a wonderful rundown of the Kill Bills tour - and the national electrification opportunity - from one of the tour sponsors.
Read moreDownloadAs gas supplies decline and prices rise, electrification is the best bet, but it's hard for big businesses without government support. Kirsty Johnston talks to Rainbow Nurseries about how it made the switch with help from a grant, and others who are unsure they will be able to keep getting gas. As one busines owner said: "We never considered the risk to the business of not actually having natural gas," one participant said. "We always expect that the price could fluctuate… But we never anticipated maybe having no gas coming from the pipeline." There are ways for the Government to help. And there is a huge amount of new renewable electricity coming on stream, so there won't be a shortage of electrons.
Read moreDownloadMarc Daalder reports on Vector's declining gas network and how it is responding to falling customer numbers. As he writes: "Gas in Auckland is formally past its peak in the latest forecasts from Vector, the city’s only gas distribution business, with new connections set to fall to zero in three years ... From 2029, there would be no new residential or commercial connections – with new industrial connections projected to have already ceased this year."
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