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There's more scepticism about who'll end up paying for a new LNG terminal. The Government's pressing on with plans but scrapping a proposed levy on power bills, intended to pay for the facility. It's also announced stronger dry year supply requirements and penalties for gentailers. Rewiring Aotearoa Chief Executive Mike Casey told Francesca Rudkin he hopes the facility doesn't get built – especially if the cost falls on gentailers. He says it'll be a great outcome for consumers if gentailers are not forced to pay for it, but then the question of where the money comes from remains.
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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