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SPECIAL REPORT
Shining light on solar sustainability in schools
By Heather Barker Vermeer Industry Reporter
In May this year, the New Zealand Government released its first Emission Reductions Plan (ERP), setting out Aotearoa’s path for climate action over the next 15 years. It outlines the direction to be taken and the targets and actions needed for the country to reach a cleaner, greener destination over the next two decades. Markers have been made across every sector of the economy and, among the targets set is that 50 percent of total energy consumption will come from renewable sources by 2035. The education sector, with its infrastructure and teaching remit, is tasked with being a
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purveyor of positive climate change modelling for the future. For example, as part of its climate protection promise outlined in the ERP, there has been a government commitment to replace all remaining coal boilers in schools by 2025, in a bid to create cleaner energy production across the education sector. In May, Climate Change Minister James Shaw announced a $10 million dollar investment to replace all 180 remaining coal boilers with renewable biomass or electric heating sources, reducing carbon emissions by around 35,400 tonnes over 10 years. The School Coal Boiler Replacement Programme began prioritising schools with the oldest, least efficient boilers, allowing them to transition to clean energy thanks to an allocation from the government’s $220 million State Sector Decarbonisation Fund.
“Clean energy in schools is a win for our kid’s health and the climate and shows that what’s good for the environment is also good for New Zealanders,” said Shaw in a statement. Setting up with solar power is one of the key moves schools can make towards emission reduction and taking steps towards long-term, truly viable sustainability. It is, however, an outlay versus long-term investment balance scale that has long led to solar finding itself in the ‘too hard basket’ for schools and kura. In 2015, Sylvia Park Primary School in Auckland became the first school in New Zealand to install solar panelling. Last year, the country’s largest school solar power system was installed at Kerikeri High School. The 174-kilowatt system has already seen electricity bills at the school cut by half since
EDUCATION
it took the bold step towards sustainability and far-sighted cost saving. According to Consumer NZ research in 2021, the Northland township was paying the country’s highest power prices – on average, 40 percent more than similar households in Auckland where incomes average 25 percent higher. Therefore, installing solar power made sense. The college’s 174-kilowatt system dwarfs what was previously the largest school solar system at fellow Northland secondary, Kaitaia College which created a 101kW solar panel set in 2019. There are many individuals, organisations and agencies looking to contribute to the change, and competition for a seat at the solar table, in terms of supply an installation, education and partnership, is fierce. There is public funding, private partnership, reputations and revenue at stake. Term 3, 2022 | schoolnews.co.nz