John MacDonald: We should be shouting from the rooftops about solar

Isn’t it amazing that, after all the time spent wringing our hands over the price of electricity, we still haven’t bitten the bullet and gone full boar with solar energy?

You might have heard Chris Hipkins hinting yesterday that, if Labour forms the next government, solar will be on the agenda.

He isn’t giving too much away but says, yes, ramping up the use of solar power will be one of Labour’s election policies.

There’ll be no details, though, until after the Budget in May. That’s because he wants to get a better idea of how much money he’s got to play with.

But, if last election is anything to go by, it looks like Labour might be resurrecting the policy it had back then of providing $4,000 grants to help people install solar panels.

In my mind, it is ridiculous that we don’t require new houses to be fitted out with solar panels. It would add to the cost of the build but, long-term, I think it would be a game changer.
  
I’m not the only one who thinks this. Sir Ian Taylor is saying today that electrification is the future and solar is how we get there.

Solar on homes. Solar on farms. Solar on commercial buildings. And I couldn’t agree more.

He says the cheapest electricity is the electricity you don’t have to move.

So his version of full-boar solar includes storage capacity - not just solar panels - at our houses, on our farms and on our commercial buildings.

He says: “Every kilowatt generated where it is used is one that does not need to be transmitted across the country. that reduces losses. it reduces strain on the grid. and it reduces the need for expensive new transmission infrastructure that ultimately pushes power prices higher.”

No argument from me.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Isn't it amazing? Isn't it amazing? After all the time
spent wringing our hands over the price of electricity, isn't
it amazing that we still haven't bitten the bullet and
gone full boar with solar solar energy? And I'll tell
you my version of full boar in a second. But
you might have heard Chris Hopkins hinting yesterday that if

(00:34):
Labor forms the next government will be on the agenda.
He's not giving too much away, but he says yes,
ramping up the use of solar power will be one
of Labour's election policies. There will be no details though
until after the budget in May. Why is that? Where
only says he wants to get a better idea of
how much money he's got to play with. You might
have also heard him say yesterday in his State of

(00:57):
the Nation's speech. Yeah, another one. He said in his
speech yesterday he doesn't intend to promise anything that the
country can't afford. But let some misbelief that when we
see it.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Ah.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
But if last election is anything to go by, it
looks like Labor might be resurrecting the policy it had
back then of providing four thousand dollar grants to help
people install solar panels. Now, I've never installed solar, but
looking around online it seems you might have more directed

(01:28):
intel than me. But it seems that a solar panel
set up can cost anywhere from less than ten thousand
dollars up to about thirty k. I'm sure you can
spend as much as your bloom will want. So Labor
might need to up the ANTI on the four thousand
dollar grant if it really wants people to think seriously
about switching to solar, if they haven't done it already,

(01:50):
and they would certainly need to up the ANTI. This
is Labor I'm talking about. They would certainly need to
up the ANTE if they were going to go full
bore like I think we need to. I mean, in
my mind, it is ridiculous that we don't require new
houses to be fitted out with solar panels as part
of the consenting process. You want to build a house,

(02:10):
you got panels on the roof. Yep, it would add
to the cost of the build, but long term, well,
there's no doubt it would be a game changer, wouldn't it.
And I'm not the only one who thinks this. Sir
En Taylor, who you'll know from his work with animation
research into need and he's all over the places as
regular columns in the paper and things. He is saying
today that electrification is the future and how do we

(02:35):
get there? Solar solar on homes, solar on farms, solar
on commercial buildings. That's what he says, and I could
not agree more. He says, also, the cheapest electricity is
the electricity that you don't have to move. So his
version of full ball solar includes storage capacity, so not

(02:57):
just solar panels, but capacity and our houses, on our farms,
on our commercial buildings, and sent Taylor says, quote, every
killer what generated is used, is one that doesn't need
to be transmitted across the country. That reduces losses, It
reduces strain on the grid, and it reduces the need

(03:17):
for expensive new transmission infrastructure that ultimately pushes power prices
higher end of quote. And no argument from me. But
if we're really going to go a whole hog on,
so I want to see the state get more involved
in solar power generation as well. Government owns solar farms,
not just solar panels on houses, commercial buildings and on farms.

(03:42):
Wish the government what the government might say it's kind
to do, and that a very roundabout way with this
buy up of two hundred million Genesis Energy shares, because
solar is one of the things Genesis involved in. But
I think that's to do with more to do with
tension around the coalition table, which we will get to
another day, because today I want to focus on this

(04:04):
idea of more solar and whether a government grant as
Labor seems to be talking about, would be enough to
make you switch. Would it will tell me? And if
you already use solar energy, would you recommend it after
your experience?

Speaker 1 (04:21):
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