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It's not just homes that are getting off the gas. A number of big new facilities are going all-electric, too, including the new Te Kaha / One NZ Stadium in Christchurch. As project director Kent Summerfield says, the covered 25,000 seat stadium (30,000 with the temporary seats) will run entirely on electrons, from the cooking to the heating to the ice baths to the machines required for maintenance and operation.
This makes obvious sense from an emissions reduction perspective. Christchurch City Council pushed hard for this with the stadium, but it also makes economic sense over the long-term given and it's great to see more councils making this is a requirement of any new public buildings.
The design allows for solar panels to be added in the future and there will also be charging stations for electric vehicles.
While the stadium had initially looked at buying a fossil fuel tractor to haul stuff out onto the field, in the time it's taken to be built, the technology has continued to improve and the costs have continued to fall, so it is now looking at buying an electric equivalent.
The atmosphere is going to be electric inside the stadium - and in central Christchurch - when the first game kicks off in April. And it's good to know the energy it needs will be coming from the right place.
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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