Personal power stations?

Press, 9 March 1987, Page 8

Personal power stations?

The new Electricity Corporation should build “a lot of little power stations” in people’s homes rather than one big power station at Luggate, according to the Christchurch-based Centre for Resource Management.

Energy conservation in the home was an alternative to big investment in hydro dams, claimed a researcher, Mr James Baines. More efficient refrigerators and preheating of hot water using solar energy would lead to better use of electricity

already being produced, he said. “It would actually pay for the new Electricity Corporation to install solar panels on thousands. of roofs if they wanted to ' produce more electricity. “Conservation is an investment, not a subsidy to consumers,” said Mr Baines. Mr Baines is the author of a discussion paper released today, looking at the issues surounding the building of a dam at Luggate. He said that public debate on the decision to build the dam was “piecemeal and unresolved.”