we need to get a move on Whakatane . Harvesting the Sun January 13, 2015 - Keith Newman If Germany has the world’s highest uptake of solar energy, with sunshine hours equal only to Invercargill, then Hawke’s Bay should be in pole position to leverage the latest innovations in solar energy.The 60-year-old solar business, previously plagued by inefficiency, high cost and poor performance, appears to be nearing a tipping point that will shift the demand from early adopters to mainstream use. The cost of photovoltaic (PV) cells has plummeted by around 80%, battery storage is undergoing a metamorphosis, smart energy management is improving, and researchers have come up with jaw-dropping breakthroughs in materials and processes. Aerial view of a 4kw solar installation on Unison show home at Fitzroy on the Park, with Unison’s Ken Sutherland and Daniel Stettner Aerial view of a 4kw solar installation on Unison show home at Fitzroy on the Park, with Unison’s Ken Sutherland and Daniel Stettner Then there’s an invitation for the region to partner with China’s ‘solar capital’ to showcase and import leading edge systems. Sun city synergies If an offer by the mayor of Dezhou City stacks up, Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule believes Hawke’s Bay could become the solar capital of New Zealand, showcasing the latest Chinese technology. Yule was part of a Hawke’s Bay trade mission to Shandong Province last year when he was shown streets, hotels and office buildings in Dezhou City powered by locally developed solar systems. He’s now bringing himself up to speed with what that technology might offer for the region before putting proposals to his council, Napier City, HBRC and potential business partners and formalising a science and technology memorandum of understanding (MOU) in China in May 2015. He’s prepared to arrange for land and buildings and sort out consenting issues in the hope the solar alliance might be operating within two to three years. Yule’s hopeful the right mix of technology might even attract government funding. “It’ll be a Hawke’s Bay relationship, but I want to start it … this is a technology of the future. The Chinese have offered to set it up so why wouldn’t you?” Yule wants to work closely with local power company Unison to avoid any conflict that might undermine its customer base or place undue pressure on its network. “If the world is going to move this way the more we understand the opportunities the better … We don’t want a rear-guard action against this.” He suggests Unison’s smart metering system, able to control demand management and variable pricing, makes it a good - See more at: baybuzz.co.nz/archives/7673/#sthash.zHML4OSw.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 03:55:35 +0000
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