The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey is intereviewed by Checkpoint's Lisa Owen about the SolarZero saga and says solar remains the future, but owning your panels rather than renting them is the way to deliver the biggest savings.
Casey told Checkpoint the technology itself is "100 percent the future" and was the cheapest energy available to New Zealand households.
Business models "come and go" and it was about getting the most affordable energy in human history to Kiwi households.
Casey said SolarZero "put solar on the map" and accelerated installations in New Zealand, but a changing market and a decrease in prices meant its business model did not have a long-term future.
These days, Casey said it was cheaper for households to own the panels and batteries, financing them on their mortgages rather than leasing them.
But New Zealand was still far behind Australia in the update of solar panels.
Where 35 percent of households in Australia had rooftop solar panels, just 3 percent of Kiwi homes had them.
The average install in New Zealand was about five kilowatts, costing $10,000.
In Australia, the average was 10kW, and about $20,000.
Casey said New Zealand needed to fix the rules and regulations to inherit the "well oiled machine" that was the Australian solar industry.
It was "unfortunate" the customer had lost the option of SolarZero but the right business model "will prevail in this country".
'Twas the night before Chris-mas, and all through the house, all the voters were stirring, the pundits showing their nous … the election will soon be over, but the energy crisis won't, so we'll be there to pester whoever is in power about the need to run more of the economy on New Zealand-made energy; can Ethiopia's aggressive push for EVs work and how does New Zealand compare in terms of adoption rates?; a two-way charging trial from Genesis shows promise in Auckland, but there's still a way to go before it's mainstream; small electric vehicles are often overlooked when it comes to electrifying transport, but it's hard to miss this weird French one; a solar-powered cafe (and some electric coffee); and we endorse the political vandalism of Keith of All Trades.
Read moreDownloadPoliticians are being urged to adopt stronger electric vehicle incentives ahead of the election. Climate and energy advocacy group Rewiring Aotearoa is arguing that EVs are one of the most effective long-term solutions for rising transport and energy costs. They're promoting an EV Salary Boost proposal, which would allow workers to access EVs through pre-tax salary arrangements – similarly to already existing schemes in the UK and Australia. Policy and Government Relations Spokesperson Ngaio Neumegen told Kerre Woodham that even with the rising cost of power, it's still cheaper to run an EV than a car running on imported fuel.
A proposal that would let New Zealanders lease an electric car using their before-tax pay has not won a commitment from either National or Labour, with the 7 November election days away. Under the EV Salary Boost, put forward by Rewiring Aotearoa and Drive Electric, an employee would lease a new or used EV for three to five years. The payments would come out of their pay before tax, lowering the cost of running the car. The idea is based on Australia’s novated leasing system, though the groups say they are not proposing a direct copy.
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