Key and Joyce stuck in the dark ages on solar

John Key and Steven Joyce are stuck in the dark ages, making ridiculous arguments to try to defend the power of big electricity companies, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

The Greens launched the Solar Homes policy on Sunday, which will allow families to borrow from the government at the sovereign borrowing rate to install solar panels on their home and get a fair price when selling electricity into the power grid.

“The Greens are offering families the opportunity to produce their own clean, affordable power. National, unfortunately, is stuck in the dark ages when it comes to solar power,” said Dr Norman.

“John Key and Steven Joyce have simply got it wrong when they claim that Solar Homes is a subsidy. It’s not: the interest rate on the Solar Homes loan covers the cost to the government of borrowing the money. There is no net operating cost to the Crown.

“Either Mr Key and Mr Joyce have failed basic fiscal accounting or they are deliberately trying to mislead the public.

“If National wants an example of a subsidy, they should look at the $33m ‘buy now, pay later’ scheme that they provided to private investors in Meridian or the $46m a year that they give to the oil and gas industry.

“The truth of the matter is that Mr Key is just interested in defending the big electricity companies’ massive profits and their stranglehold on generation. Mr Key’s more interested in dividends for power company investors than he is in affordable, clean options for families to generate their own power.

“Solar Homes offers lower cost power and energy freedom for families. All Mr Key has to offer New Zealanders is higher power prices, and a ball and chain binding them to the power companies,” said Dr Norman.

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