We have had a few questions today so SEANZ would like to publicly clarify - the solar installation company that appeared on Fair Go last night is not, and never has been a SEANZ Member.

SEANZ has advised its members to be aware of this company given previous complaints against it by consumers and the wider industry.

For anyone thinking of installing solar panels or other home energy technologies, our message is simple – for your safety and security always use a SEANZ Member. Our members have been vetted and work to a strict code of conduct. Any complaints can be resolved through the SEANZ disputes resolution process.

SEANZ members are trusted professionals in the industry and include suppliers, installers, energy consultants across the country in all areas, cities and regions. You can find a SEANZ member here: https://www.seanz.org.nz/directory

The industry is in growth mode across the markets (residential, commercial and industrial) but that growth could be significantly better with adjustments in a few spaces. A clue to growth is the long-held SEANZ view. It’s not subsidies or feed in tariffs, as we don’t want them given the damage they do long term. It is far closer. It’s the by-product of a huge, multi-levelled system that portrays all the symptoms of such, resulting in a slow turning structure - from regulation to doing. That’s not a criticism but a statement of fact, as the electricity grid has been described many times as the biggest and most complex infrastructure machine ever built by man. Yes the claim surprised me too!

SEANZ welcomes the Government’s decision to phase out the Low Fixed User Charge (LFUC) as it has created unfair pricing for electricity, where one group subsidises another.

As the finger-pointing and politics unravel in the wake of Monday night's Grid Emergency, one truth has slowly been gaining currency - that leaving generation to the big gentailers doesn't serve the country well. 

Media Release - For immediate release

The Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand urges Kiwis to take up solar and batteries as a path to energy independence and reducing carbon emissions

The Australian Energy Regulator has reminded the country’s electricity networks that they should factor in the multiple benefits of rooftop solar to the grid when looking to determine the cost of investments needed to increase the ability to absorb Australia’s booming rooftop solar uptake.

SEANZ was delighted to announce this year’s Fronius Energy Award winners at the organisation’s Tomorrow's Energy Today conference on the 2nd of July in association with Taspac Energy. 

The awards recognise and celebrate the businesses pushing the boundaries within the solar industry to provide cutting edge technologies, deliver outstanding products and service, and create a positive impact on our communities and the environment.  

SEANZ Chairman Brendan Winitana says every year he’s impressed by the industry’s drive to raise the bar and continually strive to develop the country’s Distributed Energy Resource capability. 

“From an off-grid installation on the Kayangel Atoll in Palau, providing the remote community with a clean, affordable energy solution to a largescale floating solar plant installed on previously unusable land, this year’s winners have been standout, says Winitana. 

He adds, We’ve also seen outstanding innovation with an energy management and billing solution that lets multi-tenancy developments utilise shared central services, reducing the capital and operational cost of services.” 

The award winners were announced at the industry dinner that took place at the SEANZ annual conference, which brought together the key players across sectors who can lead the drive toward a resilient and 100% renewable energy system. This year’s event featured a two day program encompassing educational and best practice technical workshops, new technology and product showcases, innovative case studies and a session with the Minister of Energy and Resources, Hon Dr Megan Woods. 

Images of the awards ceremony can be downloaded here.

SEANZ congratulates Sunergise and Taranaki hapū Ngāti Manuhiakai and Ngāti Tu as largest solar farm in the country opens

The massive network outages across Queensland on Tuesday afternoon triggered by an explosion and fire at the Callide coal plant have raised the question of whether more grid-scale big battery storage on the National Electricity Market could have changed the outcome.