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What if you could arrange a half-day in the debating chamber when I could bring a group we’re calling the “Coalition of the Willing” to share constructive, economic solutions around the opportunities climate change and sustainability offer to Aotearoa New Zealand? Opportunities that could significantly lift our GDP, reduce billion-dollar infrastructure costs, create high-value jobs and maximise returns from our forestry and geothermal assets. 1. ReWiring Aotearoa (Mike Casey and team): Current strategy involves spending billions on infrastructure to move electricity from fast-tracked wind and solar farms, potentially doubling household costs. Casey’s fossil-fuel free, fully electric orchard in Central Otago shows how rooftop solar panels and batteries can deliver power directly to homes and businesses at a fraction of the cost, building energy resilience. The importance of this was highlighted this month. As we faced those potential power cuts, Casey’s farm actually delivered excess electricity back to the grid. While the farm uses 900 per cent more electricity than before it was electrified, most of that is self-generated or stored off the grid during off-peak times. Electricity is sold back during peak times. The annual saving on diesel is $40,000 a year. Imagine every farm in the country working like that.
Read moreDownload the document hereFinancial commentator Frances Cook uses her own story to show that that an investment in solar and an EV significantly outperforms the stock market and fellow number cruncher Nadine Higgins says that if you do it right, EVs are cheaper to run and own; EV sales have climbed to their highest level since 2022 and are closing in on 2023's numbers and Go Rentals has just invested $2.3 million in some new Tesla Model Y Premiums; the gap between energy costs of diesel vans and utes and electric vans and utes is absolutely massive; solar is also going off right now, with one installer in Otago 448% above their sales target in March; Lightforce has gone back to the Barretts with a new TV ad; Wellington mayor Andrew Little explains its electrification strategy and Hutt City Council shares data showing how its fleet has gone from dirty Toyotas to cleaner EVs; Shenzen in China has electrified its public transport and taxis and that's come with big benefits - and some challenges; and a very simple illustration of the LNG terminal.
Read moreDownloadAs Minister of energy, climate and local government, Simon Watts had a great opportunity to push the country towards cheaper, cleaner and more reliable New Zealand-made energy. And that’s why we laid down a challenge and gave him the ‘MegaWatts’ moniker last year. Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey says he did some good things, like enabling more solar on farms, removing tax on solar exports, fixing onerous solar consenting requirements, putting pressure on the lines companies to pull up their socks, and getting the ball rolling on the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme. "But the LNG import terminal appears to have been a defining issue."
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