30 May, 2017

We’re on an e-mission: reducing emissions

New Zealand is going to spend a billion dollars a year so other countries can cut their emissions to meet the goals we’ve agreed to. And if that’s not strange enough, carbon emissions in New Zealand are a staggering 24% higher than they were in 1990 despite our promise to reduce them.

The two biggest sectors for causing greenhouse gases are agriculture and energy use.

Why on earth is New Zealand’s energy consumption creating so many noxious gasses?

The answer is simple: despite having 80% of our energy come from renewable resources, New Zealand is still wedded to the coal and oil industries and burning coal and oil produce carbon.

The energy sector has increased its emissions nearly 37% between 1990 and 2015 and a lot of that is down to transport. Yup, cars on the road burning fossil fuels.

But if we know what’s causing it, why aren’t we doing anything about it? The good news is the solution is just as simple - it’s there every day shining in our eyes.

The sun is a totally renewable source of energy, causes minimal impact on the environment (so long as we remember to slip, slop and slap) and best of all creates no carbon emissions.

New Zealand gets a lot of sun each year. We typically get around 2000 hours of sunshine each year in New Zealand (it depends where you are of course) and that gives us a lot of time to capture that sunlight and convert it into electricity.

So we’re on a mission. An e-mission. We want to convert all of New Zealand to solar power and we want to see 100% of our energy use coming from renewable resources by the year 2030.

And we think you do too, so we’ve put together a petition to ask the Minister to make this a government-level goal.

We’d like to see the government commit to a 100% renewable energy target by 2030. That’s 13 years away and gives us plenty of time to help agriculture and energy sectors move from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy.

It’s a big ask but the good news is that technology is on our side. The US and EU are both working on improving solar cells, on designing new ways to store solar power in better batteries and on large scale solar plants that provide the economies of scale to help reduce the cost of solar units.

We’ve all seen Tesla shake up the transport world, and even Apple is now getting a large percentage of the power it needs from the sun with football-field sized solar arrays out in the desert.

We don’t need to build such vast arrays, however. We’ve got 1.7 million residential roofs to use and that’s before we get into commercial and industrial buildings. Plus we’ve got a clean green image to maintain and thankfully switching to solar means you’ve also got cost savings coming your way. The average household can save hundreds of dollars per year and that’s before you even go out and buy an electric car. Think of the savings on your fuel bill while you’re saving the world.

So come with us on this solar journey. New Zealand has a clean, green image and we love it and want to restore our reputation as a beautiful place to live and play. Click the link below and join us on our e-mission, to end harmful emissions.

ENDS

The online petition can be signed here:

https://www.change.org/p/judith-collins-100-renewable-energy-by-2030

About iGenerate: iGenerate is a New Zealand owned and operated company that is passionate about providing all New Zealanders with clean, reliable and affordable solar energy.

iGenerate are experts in solar power and stand behind the products that we have selected for our customers. We provide premium solar PV panels, inverters, storage batteries and solar monitoring.

iGenerate Solar provides an end-to-end solar service and we’ll work closely with you every step of the way through your solar journey, including a site visit prior to installation and monitoring of your system after install.

iGenerate Solar provides our own comprehensive Solar Finance options, so our customers have the flexibility of either paying up front, or financing their new solar system. With the average solar system lasting more than 25 years, customers need not worry about the system losing value while you’re still paying it off.

www.igeneratesolar.co.nz

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