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The idea of sharing excess energy with your community has long been a dream of solar and battery enthusiasts and that idea is starting to blossom. Microgrids have been proven to work in remote Australian regions; some marae in New Zealand are helping to reduce bills for people in their communities; Kāinga Ora has successfully tested the concept of solar sharing in social housing; and Bright Spark Tama Toki is attempting to bring the idea to life on his home island of Aotea / Great Barrier.
Aotea has no power grid, but what it does have is a strong sense of community, a willingness to share resources and a need for self-sufficiency, so Toki has developed a small peer-to-peer network of homes with solar and batteries to test the concept. The cheapest electricity you can generate is on your own roof, and the second cheapest should be from your neighbour's roof. And when you add batteries into the equation, it makes that energy more useable when it's most needed.
Toki, who is also the founder of successful skincare brand Aotea, is showing how modern technology can improve energy security and reduce energy poverty. And just as New Zealand could be a demonstration project for the world to follow, Aotea could be a demonstration project for other off-grid islands to follow.
Fringe Benefit Tax changes make EVs better more appealing by up to $7k a year; NZ Post, Kaibosh and HEB Construction and many others aren't waiting for rule changes to go electric; the share of EVs keeps growing around the world; lots more marae are 'doing a Maui' and catching the sun; a native nursery near Nelson goes electric and heats things up in a very clever way; and is petrol or electric better when you're chopping down trees?
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Read moreDownloadNew Zealand-made energy running through electric machines is a vision more New Zealanders are getting behind because it saves us all money, reduces emissions and increases our national security. But this Budget certainly won’t get us there. It’s like everyone wants to play open running rugby, but the forwards keep knocking it on.
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