John MacDonald: We should be shouting from the rooftops about solar

Isn’t it amazing that, after all the time spent wringing our hands over the price of electricity, we still haven’t bitten the bullet and gone full boar with solar energy? You might have heard Chris Hipkins hinting yesterday that, if Labour forms the next government, solar will be on the agenda. He isn’t giving too much away but says, yes, ramping up the use of solar power will be one of Labour’s election policies. There’ll be no details, though, until after the Budget in May. That’s because he wants to get a better idea of how much money he’s got to play with. But, if last election is anything to go by, it looks like Labour might be resurrecting the policy it had back then of providing $4,000 grants to help people install solar panels. In my mind, it is ridiculous that we don’t require new houses to be fitted out with solar panels. It would add to the cost of the build but, long-term, I think it would be a game changer.  I’m not the only one who thinks this. Sir Ian Taylor is saying today that electrification is the future and solar is how we get there. Solar on homes. Solar on farms. Solar on commercial buildings. And I couldn’t agree more. He says the cheapest electricity is the electricity you don’t have to move. So his version of full-boar solar includes storage capacity - not just solar panels - at our houses, on our farms and on our commercial buildings. He says: “Every kilowatt generated where it is used is one that does not need to be transmitted across the country. that reduces losses. it reduces strain on the grid. and it reduces the need for expensive new transmission infrastructure that ultimately pushes power prices higher.” No argument from me. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.