Solar power initiative for Maori households

Solar panels and other renewable technology will support more than 200 homes of kaumatua, papakainga and Maori-owned rentals.

It’s part of the Government’s focus on creating targeted renewable energy solutions for Maori and public housing and is designed to provide cheaper power, warmer, and drier homes, and valuable data.

Whether any of this will help charge up EVs isn’t known at this stage.

“These small-scale projects will generate about 700kW of solar electricity and provide cheaper power to more than 200 households, with many using innovative micro-grid solutions,” energy and resources minister Megan Woods says.

“Just as importantly, these projects will also provide us with valuable insights and data on how to best deploy renewable energy technologies to achieve the twin aims of combating energy hardship and increasing renewables generation in future.”

Fifteen initiatives will receive funding for renewable energy projects in the Maori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund’s first round ($2.8 million).

A total $14m will go to renewable energy projects for Maori housing during the next four years.

“Some of the projects will go even further by installing household batteries to store surplus electricity, replacing the use of diesel generators to build community resilience, and to trial innovative solutions to share power with others,” Woods says.

It comes on the back of a major boost for Maori Housing in Budget 2021 that will invest $380m into Maori housing across Aotearoa New Zealand,” Maori Housing associate minister Peeni Henare says.

“By taking advantage of technologies like solar power, they will see significant savings on their energy bills, and it will be easier to keep warm over winter.”

One project in Manawatu will install solar generation and large-scale batteries on four marae to power nearby houses through an innovative energy-sharing platform, targeting vulnerable households.

Another project will install solar generation on homes tenanted by kaumatua and whanau with tamariki at risk of energy hardship in the Ngai Tahu takiwa.

One of the goals of the fund is to build knowledge about the benefits of different renewable energy solutions.

“By focusing on projects that benefit multiple households – many using innovative distribution and retail solutions – we’re gaining valuable insight into the operational, economic, environmental and wellbeing impacts of renewable energy systems,” Woods says.

“This insight can help inform larger-scale projects in the future.”

About $14m has also been committed to fund renewable energy projects on public housing.

This fund is being managed separately and funding announcements will be made in coming months.

Click here for more information.