Operation Laser Kiwi: help us take New Zealand-made energy on the road
Instead of squabbling about golf courses and gravel, Sir Ian Taylor says politicians need to focus on the solutions being developed in New Zealand right now that can reduce emissions and grow the economy. He points to Mike Casey's all-electric orchard to show that going electric is "cheaper. It’s cleaner. And it’s proof that the transition from fossil fuels to electric isn’t theoretical" and Rewiring Aotearoa's research showing that electric machines and solar makes financial sense.
As he wrote:
As we did in geothermal energy, New Zealand also once led the world in electrification.
We built the world’s first fully electric house, powered by renewable hydropower [picture above]. Reefton, on the West Coast, was the second town in the world with electric street lighting, just weeks after Paris became the first. We also built the first transmission line in the Southern Hemisphere.
But today, more than 70% of our energy supply comes from imported fossil fuels, costing New Zealand consumers $55 million a day. Most of which goes offshore.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Mike Casey and Rewiring Aotearoa have put together a powerful case for the electrification of Aotearoa. It began with the world’s first fully electric cherry orchard, which runs on 21 electric machines powered by solar energy. It’s cheaper. It’s cleaner. And it’s proof that the transition from fossil fuels to electric isn’t theoretical. It works now!
His research team has shown how solar energy, scaled nationally on our houses, businesses and farms, would significantly lower the energy costs of the country, whilst at the same time saving billions in overseas spending on fossil fuels.
Combined with the potential from supercritical geothermal, New Zealand could, once again, be a world leader. Embracing the opportunities around climate change and sustainability.
All we need is political vision and courage.
Australia reaches a milestone in August, with more new electric cars sold than petrol cars; another new study shows EV batteries last longer than the myths have made out; Heart Aerospace sends the world's heaviest electric plane skywards; China's massive mining machine hits the dirt; and we've fully embraced heat pumps to warm the air, now they're coming for our water.
Read moreDownloadNew Zealand spends about as much on petrol and diesel as it earns exporting concentrated milk. Mike Casey says that money leaves the country, and most of it does not have to. He runs a cherry orchard in Central Otago on 21 electric machines, and a $50,000 diesel bill became a $25,000 revenue stream before financing costs. What I Asked Mike👉 How much money does New Zealand lose every year buying fuel from offshore?👉 What did it actually cost to electrify 21 machines?👉 What is the real payback period, machine by machine?👉 What can you do if you lease your building and cannot touch the roof?👉 Who should not do this?
Read moreDownloadA pinch and a punch (and a big bunch of new EVs) for the first of the month. The Rewiring gang is always pretty jazzed about the release of the new car sales numbers each month and, while the short-term stats tend to bounce around a bit, the long-term trend is clear: sales of new EVs are up by 150% year to date and sales of new petrol vehicles are down by 15% in the same period.
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