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Mike Casey talks to Ben Chapman-Smith about how Kiwi farmers can get started on their electric journey and move away from diesel-driven machinery, while also outlining a few requests for Minister of Agriculture Todd McClay that would make on-farm solar even more beneficial.
Our guest in this episode is Mike Casey, CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, who’s here to talk about the huge opportunities for New Zealand farmers to save money and reduce emissions by electrifying their farms.
Mike's seen these opportunities first-hand. He’s the founder of Forest Lodge Orchard, growing cherries with only renewable electricity. He’s installed solar panels and batteries, and electrified all the machines on his farm, showing how the move away from diesel can save tens of thousands each year and significantly lower emissions.
He’s now on a mission to show that what he’s done on his property is possible for other farmers too.
Hear Mike explain how Kiwi farmers can get started on their electric journey, with practical advice for how to install solar and move away from diesel-driven machinery.
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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