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Forest Lodge Orchard has taken out the Norwood Farming Efficiency Award and the NZFET Innovation Award at the Otago Farm Environment Awards. "Technology and sustainability are the hallmarks of this Cromwell orchard that has grown its harvest exponentially since being developed from bare ground in 2019 ... Right from the start, owners Mike and Rebecca Casey, and Euan and Rachel White have been striving to electrify all orchard methods and equipment – a goal they have achieved. They have an electric tractor, have electrified the orchard’s irrigation pump, installed New Zealand’s first electric frost–fighting fans and are developing an electric foliage sprayer. In 2022, they set themselves a challenge of going completely fossil-fuel-free in the orchard. This will potentially save about $50k per year in energy bills and continues to drive greater creativity in finding or developing alternative approaches."
Read moreDownload the document hereWe've been wanting to get Transport Minister Chris Bishop on our Political Power series for a while now and Mike Casey had a chance to chat with him about his electric life (and his potential anointment as the Archbishop of Electrification) in Queenstown recently.
Read moreDownloadYes, and it's called the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme: As researcher Kimberley O'Sullivan writes: "Rather than being viewed as a luxury policy, supporting low-income households to install solar could make for a practical investment that eases energy hardship and strengthens energy resilience. The Winter Energy Payment will still be needed for many households in the years ahead. But, as global instability increasingly feeds into local energy costs, there is a case for policies that reduce reliance on annual bill support and bring household electricity costs down."
Read moreDownloadGovernment-backed bank loans for businesses hoping to transition from gas to electricity have been announced as part of the Budget and Rewiring Aotearoa believes it’s a positive move that will help more of them get past the upfront cost barrier of electrification. Now it's time to match that with a loan scheme for households.
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