New Zealand to hold Smart Energy Expo tomorrow

Expo will push solar power.

The Smart Energy Expo will be held at Te Papa in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. It will feature exhibits from New Zealand, Australia and Europe on solar energy, wind and hydro and electric transport systems and insulation.

Chairman of the Sustainable Electricity Association of New Zealand, Brendan Winitana, said it's cheaper than ever to get solar power installed. He noted that in the last three years, solar energy prices have dropped dramatically.

“We're talking around a drop around about the 60 to 65 percent mark, and obviously that makes it far more attractive,” he said.

The plummeting cost of solar energy and increasing retail prices have seen installations rise to around 40 homes a month, he said.
He said that in the last couple of years the uptake of solar in New Zealand has been absolutely astronomical.

"We measure it in kilowatts or megawatts, and right now it sits up around 6.5 megawatt capacity. If we translate that into homes, around about 35 to 40 homes a month are installing solar."

Within about six-and-a-half years of installation, the average household would have saved enough on their power bills to cover the cost of installation.