SEANZ is proud to be at the forefront of this revolution, developing solutions that will benefit all consumers and which will provide a net benefit to the whole country.
An article this week published by New Zealand Listener magazine interviews some of the key players engaged in shaping our electricity future.
As the organisation pressing hardest for change which will benefit all consumers, SEANZ features prominently, with SEANZ Chairman Brendan Winitana articulating the SEANZ vision of a grid which allows consumers of all sizes to choose from a menu of options to produce their own energy, to store their excess power, to sell their energy on a platform model as well as reduce their usage.
SEANZ members also feature prominently. Andy Booth from solarcity says it is "unquestionable" that solar and storage will drive change in the electricity market, and Simon McKenzie, Vector CEO, talks about how they are leading the pack in battery storage integration into their network and providing consumers with more choice and allowing them to take control.
SEANZ is proud to be at the forefront of this revolution, developing solutions that will benefit all consumers and which will provide a net benefit to the whole country.
Among the technologies most likely to be economically disruptive by 2025, energy storage ranks eighth and wind and solar energy 12th, according to McKinsey’s global in-house think tank.
US clean-tech guru Tony Seba predicts that fossil fuels and nuclear power will be rendered obsolete by 2030 as a result of four fast-growing technologies: solar photovoltaics (roof-top solar electricity generation, solar PV), energy storage (batteries), electric vehicles (replacing fossil fuels and acting as home batteries) and self-driving cars (dramatically increasing the productivity of existing roading infrastructure).
The tipping point globally, says Seba, will be when solar PV becomes cheaper than the cost of transmission; he predicts that by 2022 solar will be showing the technology S-curve of uptake rather than the slower, more traditional linear rise it’s shown to date.
What does this mean for New Zealand’s $6 billion electricity industry? Industry participants agree there will be disruption – the debate centres on how much and by when.
Simon Mackenzie, chief executive of Vector, which has been at the forefront of exploring new technologies, says he’s determined to ensure the Auckland lines company doesn’t become another Kodak, which was caught out by the rapid shift to digital photography.
“People start talking about the competitive retail market in New Zealand – it’s the same people on the same dance floor just shuffling chairs,” says Mackenzie, whose company is a regulated monopoly, hamstrung from growing by its ownership of electricity and gas wires and pipes, and straining to break free. “That’s probably much like what happened with the taxi industry or hotel chains – you had Uber and Airbnb coming in and suddenly the whole dance is upset.”
You can read the full article by Fiona Rotherham in New Zealand Listener here.