New Zealand: Commercial Solar Boom Underway
May 1st, 2014The crooked power companies have gone too far. With electricity demand flat and prices nearly doubling since 2000, people are fighting back.
This is just the beginning.
What we’re dealing with in New Zealand is sort of mini, South Pacific version of Enron.
I’ll have a lot more to write about this, but I want to wait until I have the pictures to go with it. *hint*
Via: New Zealand Herald:
The rapid growth of solar in New Zealand’s commercial market has begun with economic viability proven and systems put to a myriad of uses throughout the country.
One complaint I saw recently about US solar, was that those who feed back into the grid do at the expense of those who don’t have solar. I wonder how that applies to us here in NZ? I seem to recall some mention that it was becoming less economical to feed back into the grid here.
I see Ecostore mentioned in the article. I’ve bought their greenwashed products one too many times. Useless and targeted to be bought by those who want to feel good about themselves.
The article is all well and good, but it’s also all well to do businesses. Looking at it positively, if businesses start deploying on a wide scale here in NZ, maybe it will lower the costs.
It’s not just booming with business customers.
As for lame excuses made by power companies, see:
Shocker: Solar Panels Could Destroy U.S. Utilities, According to U.S. Utilities
Solar power peaks at midday, which means it is strongest close to the point of highest electricity use — “peak load.” Problem is, providing power to meet peak load is where utilities make a huge chunk of their money. Peak power is the most expensive power. So when solar panels provide peak power, they aren’t just reducing demand, they’re reducing demand for the utilities’ most valuable product.
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Also, direct wimpering corporate fascists to look at the example of Germany:
https://www.cryptogon.com/?p=29401
Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry (IWR) in Muenster, said the 22 gigawatts of solar power per hour fed into the national grid on Saturday met nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity needs.
“Never before anywhere has a country produced as much photovoltaic electricity,” Allnoch told Reuters. “Germany came close to the 20 gigawatt (GW) mark a few times in recent weeks. But this was the first time we made it over.”