New Zealand’s third-largest island has been running off diesel generators for more than 30 years, but now, a local school on Stewart Island-Rakiura is looking towards solar power to produce its energy.
It comes after the latest Government-backed plans to make the island less reliant on fossil fuels were axed early in the process.
The five diesel generators were installed in 1988, in "the days of Stewart Island County Council," Southland District councillor Bruce Ford said.
"That was a pretty big step in those days and the idea was that would get us started and then we would look for renewables — of course, we are still looking."
Around 360,000 litres of diesel is used every year to power the island through generators, and with diesel prices continuing to climb, there have been multiple attempts to try and find alternative power sources.
The latest idea: wind energy.
Two turbines were set to be trialled, including one near the airstrip, which could have reduced the island’s reliance on diesel by 40 per cent. The idea was scuppered earlier this year due to problems around land access.
The local school is revisiting the option of solar power, installing sixty panels and four batteries with the help of Government funding.
"We are pretty pleased with how it is going because we were a little dubious to start with. It's great to be able to actually watch the power being generated on the screen," principal Kath Johnson said.
A previous solar trial on the island found it was insufficient in winter and vulnerable to storms.
Sunergy Solar’s Andy Wells said their system has exceeded expectations.
"We have had our system operating here just on two months and we're already generating about 20 per cent more than the Niwa data suggested that we would get out of the solar system," he said.
Excess power is donated to the national grid which helps keep the island’s costs down.
"We realised that if we aren't using the power that's being generated then that could lead to increased costs for other consumers and we really didn't want to do that," Johnson said.
The long-term future of power on the island remains uncertain, however.
"New technology might be the best thing we can think of, or else a cable to New Zealand," Ford said.
Energy Minister Megan Woods said for more remote communities, it is "often these local generation projects that really are becoming the most cost-effective ways forward".
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