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While last month’s storm left hundreds of southern farmers dumping milk or hunting generators, Fairbank Farms kept milking — thanks to a new solar and battery system. “That storm was a major wake-up call for a lot of people,” says Chris Stewart, who co-owns Southland’s Fairbank Farms with Michael Farmer. “With the climate shifting and reliable back-up technology now readily available, you’d be mad not to at least explore your options. The grid is absolutely stressed, especially at the end of the lines where so many farms are located.”
Read moreDownload the document hereWhen 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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