Political parties are pledging lots of money to sustainable energy solutions like solar power, but few meaningful solutions, particularly when grants and subsidies are open to exploitation as we experienced with the Healthy Homes initiative—one solar industry insider is warning.
Cameron Dick, Managing Director of Vital Solar, said parties like the Green Party have pledged a $6,000 Clean Power Payment to households, and the Labour Party is promising households a $4,000 grant to install solar power. While these are good and worthy intentions, they’re not practical until the solar installation industry is better regulated, and the public is protected from cowboy companies that want to cash in
“As it is, we simply don’t have enough skilled tradesmen to do the installations, and currently anybody can install a solar power system in a home, but that’s not good. Basically, if any form of clean energy grants from any political party goes ahead, we should brace for a ‘gold rush’ that leaves homeowners out of pocket and lumped with systems that are problematic, dangerous, low quality and with shorter lifespans.
“Politicians are grabbing headlines that show solar power as a good option, but the grants, subsidies and rebates need to be better thought out. Throwing money at a problem never solves anything; it just exposes homeowners to dodgy workmanship and poor-quality products so that somebody else can make money. That is what happened in Australia with solar power, and here in New Zealand with the Healthy Home insulation installs.
“While clean energy supply from the power industry is important, solar energy can go a long way towards reducing household power costs, which are not getting any cheaper. We will also have the additional problem of keeping our electrical vehicles (EVs) charged when our power grid is already under strain,” Dick said.
Not all subsidies are created equal, but none are worthwhile without regulation and accreditation within the solar power supply and installation industry.
Dick offers the following observations on how Government can implement better clean energy policies, particularly solar power.
1. Include industry
Pledges of money for households don’t go far enough.
“The same solar power benefits should be offered to businesses because how greenhouse gases impact the planet is not about the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ but about everybody, including businesses, doing their bit to become self-sufficient and contribute to reducing their carbon footprint.
2. Regulation and accreditation
Before any money is spent, the Government should ensure that installers are registered and accredited and that the industry standards are cited.
“Anything else exposes consumers to exploitation.”
3. Emphasise self-sufficiency
Dick says the National Party is promising to upgrade New Zealand’s clean energy power supply, which is good, but real savings and gains are better achieved through self-sufficient initiatives like solar power because consumers are already under pressure from the cost of living and the power grid is overburdened.
“Upgrading the power grid will likely be just enough to meet current demand. Self-sufficiency can take us beyond that.”
For more information, see https://vitalsolar.co.nz/
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