Power to (and by) the people
It’s an electrifying thought – oodles of power and no costly bill each month.
A group of residents from Paeka¯ka¯riki, north of Wellington, are looking to use land above Transmission Gully to create a doit-yourself electricity source.
Community Trust member Murray Williams said three turbines on Paeka¯ka¯riki Hill could supply all the power for 1152 households, with enough electricity left over to sell.
Four years of research and wind-monitoring have gone into the proposal, which would be only New Zealand’s second community investigation into renewable energy – and it’s something even the competition says is possible.
Spearheaded by Williams and Graham Coe, the project would see three 900-kiloWatt turbines – each the same size as the one on Wellington’s Brooklyn Hill – built on land above the gully route for an estimated $5 million.
How the project was financed would be decided by the community, with options for it to be a joint venture or entirely community or investor-owned, Williams said.
Noise from the turbines would not be heard in the village and, while they
would be visible from the $850m highway due to open in 2020, only their tips would be seen from most of the seaside township.
‘‘There is one small window where you can see all of one turbine, and that’s from the public toilets,’’ he said.
Electra general manager Max Feickert said the company had been in discussions with the community group about connecting to its existing network.
‘‘While Electra is not part of this project, it is technically doable and we understand they are looking further at their development timelines and financing.’’
Community consultation on the proposal began at a meeting on Sunday. With the next step being a $150,000 resource consent, Williams said the support of residents was critical.
‘‘If you were going to go out and raise money, you want to be very sure that people in the village want it. If they don’t, we just leave it.’’
He cited Blueskin Bay, north of Dunedin, where a resource consent for three turbines was denied by the Environment Court after some residents vehemently opposed the project. ‘‘We’ve watched the ups and downs of Blueskin Bay, and the big lesson is, without the community support, you’re dead.
‘‘It’s their choice. We definitely don’t want to lead anything beyond saying there’s a real chance there, be it what you make of it.’’