AWARDS FINALIST: Kāinga Ora – Renewable Energy Programme and Multiple Trading Trial
Kāinga Ora, New Zealand's largest social housing provider, introduced new technology and trading systems as part of its programme to generate more solar electricity for its tenants.
Backed by the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund, the organisation aimed to install rooftop solar panels on more than 630 of its properties nationwide.
This large-scale deployment seeks to harness the under-used potential of social housing rooftops to generate renewable energy, reduce electricity bills for tenants and contribute to the nation's renewable energy goals.
Savings
Depending on a customer’s retail plan, energy consumption and installation size, annual savings of $350 to $1000 are being achieved.
A standout of the programme was the introduction of the Allume SolShare technology to New Zealand.
This product optimises the distribution of solar electricity generated from a single rooftop array on an apartment building, directing it to where the demand is while ensuring an even distribution to all units within the building.
This makes maximum use of the solar electricity and can increase solar consumption within buildings to around 50 per cent.
Importantly for Kāinga Ora, this behind-the-meter arrangement means tenants retain the right to choose their electricity retailer.
The system has been installed on Kāinga Ora apartments in Whangārei, Christchurch, and Hamilton, and will also be delivered in South Auckland.
Feeding to the grid
Despite the success in generating solar energy, the mismatch between the daily generation profile of solar and typical residential electricity usage means most tenants are consuming only about a third of the energy produced.
Consequently, a significant portion of the generated energy is being fed back into the grid at lower rates, offering minimal financial return to the tenants.
To address that challenge and further enhance the benefits of the solar installations, Kāinga Ora partnered with Ara Ake to launch a multiple trading trial in Wellington.
The first of its kind in New Zealand, it involves a regulatory exemption to allow revenue generated from surplus solar electricity to be reinvested to support other Kāinga Ora tenants facing energy hardship.
Trading
The 200-home trial involves various stakeholders, including Wellington Electricity, Intellihub, Bluecurrent and Paua to the People.
This collaborative approach not only enables the practical implementation of the trial but also provides a valuable opportunity to explore and refine the Multiple Trading model within the New Zealand electricity market.
Alex Baker, director of sustainability at Kāinga Ora, says the Wellington multiple trading trial is likely to provide around $150,000 per year to spend elsewhere, depending on spot power prices, how much the panels generate and how much of that output the participating tenants use themselves.
The Energy Project of the Year category is sponsored by Energy News.