I submitted an enquiry to Meridian energy about how difficult it is to connect a small wind turbine to the local energy network and how much it's likely to cost.
"Thank you for contacting Meridian Energy about self generation.
Meridian does purchase electricity produced from customers with small scale self generation equipment. The price we pay for the electricity you generate is the same as the price we currently charge you for your consumption, but this is subject to change just like all our rates.
The first step is to contact your local Electricity Lines company to get the details of what standards and specifications your equipment must meet in order to be connected to the local electricity network. Once you have obtained your compliant equipment, you will need Network approval from your local Lines Company to connect it to their network. Once this is obtained and you are a Meridian customer, we can arrange the metering for you.
A new Import/Export meter is required to be installed as it is not compliant with industry regulations for a meter to spin backwards. The Import/Export meter will separately measure all electricity consumed from the network and the electricity you export from your installed generation equipment.
Right House, a subsidiary company of Meridian Energy, can help with all aspects of distributed generation including as little or as much assistance as you need with generation, insulation, property design, hot water set up, lighting and heating and much more. They can even assist with the consents process (for Wind Turbines in particular) if necessary.
If you need further assistance, please feel free to email us at service@meridianenergy.co.nz or call our Contact Centre on 0800 496 496, 7.30am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday (Excluding public Holidays)
Kind Regards
{name removed}
Energy Advisor
Meridian Energy Centre"
