New Zealand needs three times the amount of renewable energy it currently has in the next decade to allow for the transport fleet and big industry to be decarbonised. That’s a massive amount!

You’ve seen what happened recently when the lakes were low and that will happen many more times as our demand for energy grows.

Want to do something about it? And show the students you want to take action?

For the first time in New Zealand renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuels. You can read the Rewiring Aotearoa financial report here 

Your school rooftops and your connectivity to the grid could be a valuable location for solar, and you could receive not only the benefit of helping the area and NZ in a power crisis, but also a discount on your electricity or a revenue stream - your choice. We’ve been looking at solar and how to do it with the usual constraints of schools of having no money. You can if you choose to raise the money so you own it yourself, and there are a number of people who can help . There are also low interest rate loans. It lasts about 25 years and the inverter about 12 years. You get all the benefits but it all comes off your electricity costs . 

Or you can lease your rooftop to a solar provider.They check the structural strength, install, maintain and insure and will either 

1. Give you a discount on your electricity for 25 years or 

2. Give you a revenue stream equivalent to that that you can use for anything 

A number of schools did not necessarily want to reduce their electricity bill because it got paid by the MOE via the Heat, Light and Water Allowance. So the incentives in the school system are a bit perverse - you use less power you get less money. Many schools are keen to do something to help the supply of renewable energy but have no money 

That’s where the lease arrangement comes in. This is what Rangiora High has done with its large rooftop solar install which was completed last term. It's nothing and will produce a revenue stream that they can use (and is going towards STEM scholarships for graduating students).

Both Rangiora High and the Climate Action Campus are planning educational solar farms as well (agrivoltaics). That’s a whole lot more tricky than rooftop in terms of Ministry planning approval and the lease provisions , so you might want to start with rooftop solar. It’s way easier at present.

A few things: 

• Your roof needs to be facing the sun - usually north but sometimes east as well.

• It needs to be strong enough to hold the panels. 

• It needs to be new enough to be around for the next 25 years. 

• Theres a form from the MOE (but its a surprisingly easy one) 

• And apparently you can’t do it on PPP schools (sorry, no idea why) 

We’d love to see schools and community groups take a lead on this and get it done. The region and the country desperately needs more renewable energy and we know what schools do affects and influences their whole community. Canterbury spends $800 million per year on fossil fuels that we really don’t need to 

If we can help … just yell. But recognise that we are learning this by doing and neither of us is a professional in this field (or even paid to do this) - just really keen to see it happen. 

You can also join our CPPA ’Tricks and Tips’ session on the 21st November. 

Simon -Presiding Member of Rangiora High Board. simon.green@rangiorahigh.school.nz

Vicki - Climate Action Campus.  vicki.buck@xtra.co.nz