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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.
A very cool 'floatovoltaics' project makes use of unproductive pond space and also helps those struggling with their energy bills; renewables push down the price of electricity to nothing (or less than nothing) in Scandinavia and South Australia and New Zealand has an opportunity to follow suit; France goes hard on electrification, while the UK builds better; Aussie truckies reckon electrification will take decades but much bigger electric machines are here now, including some from Volvo; hydrogen generators are an innovation we do not need; the Speight's brewery gets off the gas with a $7.2 million electric boiler; and a bit of 'solarcasm' demonstrates how going off-grid is now an option for some.
Read moreDownloadA big part of our New Zealand-made energy plan is helping gas users get off the pipes and onto the electrons. Now Business NZ has added its voice to the debate, suggesting that the $200 million set aside to help the oil and gas industry is instead used as loans to help businesses electrify. The rare call for support came after it released a report showing that the businesses reliant on gas were struggling with increasing prices and their closure would have a massive impact on jobs and the economy.
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