\u201cThat means warmer Kiwi homes, community-owned power, solar on rooftops and a new generation company, designed to solve our dry-year problem, owned by New Zealanders: Kiwipower.\u201d<\/p>\n
The policy includes zero-interest clean energy loans for households installing solar panels and batteries, a \u201crenters\u2019 right to solar\u201d and plans to legalise plug-in solar systems.<\/p>\n
The Green Party has unveiled plans for a new publicly owned electricity company. Photo \/ Ben Tomsett<\/p>\n
The Greens say a fully electric home with solar panels could save up to $1000 a year on power bills, including the cost of paying off the solar system.<\/p>\n
The party says plug-in solar systems could save renters up to $350 a year.<\/p>\n
The party is also promising $200m for community-owned renewable energy projects and says solar panels would be installed on more than half of public homes within four years.<\/p>\n
The policy says that would include around 40,000 public homes, with solar also rolled out across hundreds of M\u0101ori housing projects through an $80m renewable energy fund.<\/p>\n
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the plan would allow communities to share in the benefits of renewable energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will invest $200 million in community-owned renewable energy, solar on your local school, marae, papak\u0101inga or library, with the benefits flowing back to your community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Greens also announced an $80m investment in renewable energy for M\u0101ori housing, saying tangata whenua (M\u0101ori) were more likely to experience energy hardship.<\/p>\n
Swarbrick said the current electricity market was failing households, with four major electricity companies controlling most of the retail market.<\/p>\n
\u201c200,000 households are unable to afford to heat their homes, while four big power companies control over 85% of the market and rake in massive profits,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The party identifies Meridian, Genesis, Mercury and Contact as the four major electricity companies and says they control more than 85% of both the generation and retail markets.<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s announcement comes as the Government considers options for securing electricity supply during dry years, including the potential use of imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).<\/p>\n
Swarbrick criticised that approach, saying it would lock New Zealand into fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
\u201cGas belongs in a museum,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut [Prime Minister Christopher] Luxon\u2019s Government wants to lock us into 15 more years of imported fossil fuels and higher prices with their expensive LNG terminal. That is a choice \u2013 and it is the wrong one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Green Party says Kiwipower would focus on renewable \u201cfirming\u201d capacity, including geothermal, batteries, demand response, biomass and pumped hydro, to provide back-up when hydro lakes are low or wind generation drops.<\/p>\n
The policy proposes Kiwipower would also contract existing back-up capacity from electricity companies and make it available to independent generators, retailers and energy users at \u201cfair, affordable and transparent prices\u201d.<\/p>\n