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RNZ reports on the changes announced by Ministers SImon Watts and Chris Penk that aim to increase the uptake of residential rooftop solar. Rewiring Aotearoa's Mike Casey said the changes to voltage limit would mean more generation, "which is exactly what New Zealand needs… for households in Australia, the average size for solar systems is about 10kWh. In New Zealand it's 5 or 6kWh because solar installations are being built to the size people are allowed to export. This allows for higher levels of solar panels to be on homes. It makes larger systems more economical. When you finance solar panels on your mortgage it probably costs you 13c per kWh - there are many retailers out there buying power off you at more than 13 per kWh. So every piece of power that you don't use in your home that goes back to the grid is actually still in the economic best interest of the household."
He said the more solar that was generated on the rooftops of New Zealand, the more it backed up the hydro system and meant it could be used more as a battery.
"It's a massive win for energy security."
The Government has announced that it is continuing with the process to contract an LNG import terminal, but it seems they might have left the door open for gentailers to prove LNG isn’t needed and, crucially, it has decided not to charge electricity users directly to fund it.
Read moreDownloadFTN Motion is on a mission to create "the ultimate urban machine" and co-founder Luke Sinclair says the Hamilton-based company is doing pretty well so far, with around 300 bikes on the road after five years in business and record sales over the past few months as fuel prices spiked.
Read moreDownloadThe list of those who think we need an LNG import terminal is very small. And the list of those who think we don't is long and growing. Consultants, industry players, energy experts, consumer advocates and climate orgs all agree LNG is bad for New Zealand. So why is it still on the table when better alternatives exist? See ours at nzmadeenergy.nz
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