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"Do you reckon yours were 32s or 34s, Ginny?"
Parliament grounds were buzzing yesterday as The Great Electric Cherry Migration reached its final destination. The 100% electric cherries travelled north from Cromwell on a 100% electric truck and all our MPs had a box delivered to their office along with a personalised letter talking up the massive electric opportunity for New Zealand.
It was a tangible demonstration of what's possible when we embrace homegrown energy rather than foreign molecules - something that was thrown into sharp relief after the announcement of the LNG terminal the day before - and we had over 30 MPs and hundreds of passersby stop by for a chat, a look at the truck and a free cherry (or ten).
Mike Hosking received a load of cherries from his own adopted tree and spoke to Rewiring CEO Mike Casey about the season last week and he obviously got the memo about the campaign because he asked MPs Ginny Andersen and Mark Mitchell if they'd received their box on the show this morning.
It's clear Hosking has become a bit of an enthusiast and he's keen on those big 34mm cherries, but Andersen was slightly perplexed about what she thought was a rather personal question.
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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