The New Zealand city of Christchurch is launching an energy pilot to help communities actively participate in, and benefit from, real-world energy projects. The Community Energy Activator program is a joint effort involving: Ara Ake, which was established to lead and facilitate the development of low-emissions energy innovation and technology in New Zealand; the Canterbury electricity network operator Orion; and the Community Energy Network, which has the aim of growing local resilience and community leadership in the energy and homes sector.
The program is calling for participation from innovators, technical experts, and grassroots organizations interested in developing a community energy project. During the 13-week program, teams will explore community energy models and develop their ideas and plans while building networks and learning alongside the pilot project organizers.
“By bringing together a cohort of local communities with national mentors, experts, and community energy innovators, the Activator will take them on a journey to explore their local context and community aspirations, learn about the opportunities offered by different community energy models, and understand what it takes to bring these to life,” said Sam Elder, Orion general manager of Energy Futures. “From Orion’s perspective, we are keen to understand the opportunity for community energy models as innovative ‘non-traditional solutions’ supporting delivery of electricity lines services at lowest cost to consumers. This brings to life our purpose of powering a cleaner, brighter future with our community.”
The program is founded on collaborative and peer-to-peer learning and will include a mix of online and in-person learning, including site visits to local community energy projects. It will culminate in an event where the teams will present their projects to a group of energy experts and other stakeholders.
“The Activator is designed to be scalable and will run in other regions in 2025,” said Ara Ake head of industry and government engagement, Jonathan Young.
“We are proud to be a collaborator in this initiative that marks a significant step towards a sustainable energy future,” added Community Energy Network executive officer, Gareth Cartwright. “Our hope is that more than one of these projects will access the funding and expertise needed to be realized,”