Up the Kilowahs! Checkout the EDB Scoreboard
New Zealand is going to need a lot more electricity as homes and businesses swap out fossil fuel machines for much more efficient electric versions. MBIE has just released a report showing a range of different scenarios and under favourable economic conditions the demand for electricity could rise by 81 percent by 2050. Where we get all that extra electricity from is an important strategic question for New Zealand and the report says wind and solar will be the "least cost" way to meet this demand. At Rewiring Aotearoa, we believe a lot of the extra electricity we need could come from rooftop solar and because it is produced where it is used it is the cheapest form of delivered electricity New Zealanders can get. Batteries are also dropping in price and rooftop solar and battery combinations can reduce peak loads while saving on energy bills. This is vital context for how we choose to build out the energy system to be low cost and highly resilient.
Read moreDownload the document hereWe're throwing a price parity party as BYD announces compelling deals for new electric cars (no need to add wings to save money); another impressive New Zealand marine business E-Stroke looks to retrofit recreational boats and shows the economics stack up; Australia gets creative with its excess solar and batteries that have been installed in a few months as part of the subsidy programme now rival our third biggest power station; New Plymouth District Council gets set to benefit from a big airport solar farm; how thousands of panels are being installed and cleaned with the help of robots; and Norwegian smart charging provider Zaptec tells the inspiring tale of a man on a home petrol pump mission.
Read moreDownloadWhen many of the poles and wires went down in Southland after the recent storms, a number of homes, farms and businesses with solar and batteries were able to keep running. And TVNZ's Jared McCulloch spoke to the owners of Fairbank Farms about their experience.
Read moreDownloadThere’s plenty of energy emanating from the ground at Te Puia in Rotorua. And there’s plenty of creative energy emanating from those studying at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute. Now there’s also plenty of electric energy, because the business has upgraded its fossil fuel vehicles and added a big solar system so they can run on the sun.
Read moreDownload