Wind a winner in island energy experiment

Wind looks to be the clear winner in the Stewart Island renewable energy trial but the solar panels might stay over the colder months to see how they handle a southern winter.

The trial, which was launched on October 17 last year, involves two photovoltaics (solar panels) and a 1.8-kilowatt wind turbine.

The turbine was installed on Murray and Nancy Schofield's property near Paterson Inlet and had proved extremely successful to date, according to Stewart Island Electricity Supply Authority manager Peter Thompson.

"The wind turbine is a clear winner, I think, because the wind clearly blows on the island," he said.

The two photovoltaics, installed on the Halfmoon Bay post office and DOC office roofs, each used different technology and it would be beneficial to leave them over winter to see how they performed in low sunlight conditions, Mr Thompson said.

The photovoltaic on the post office uses direct sunlight to generate electricity while the the one on the DOC office uses both direct and indirect sunlight. If everything went well it was highly possible the island could generate an estimated 30 per cent of its power from renewable sources, he said.

shane.cowlishaw@stl.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News