EECA's Covered Cropping Decarbonisation Pathway helps growers to switch to renewable energy through a five step programme to improve existing processes, equipment and operations.
Growers with greenhouse operations are invited to sign up for the pathway, which connects growers with world-class innovation and best-practice guidance. The ultimate goal is to move away from fossil fuels to meet future emissions targets.
Benefits
- Reducing the demand for fossil fuels offers a key opportunity to both reduce operational costs and emissions in a covered cropping facility.
- By switching to low-emissions solutions soon, growers can protect businesses from potential fossil fuel supply uncertainty and the rising cost of high-emission activities
For reference this is equivalent to the following annual fuel consumption:
Background
- The Government's Emissions Reduction Plan 2022 sets out the actions needed to meet New Zealand’s first emission budget for 2022-25.
- To support the transition to a low emissions economy the Government is developing a New Zealand Energy Strategy by the end of 2024.This includes producing a Gas Transition Plan which will set out a transition pathway from fossil gas.
- The new National Direction on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Industrial Process Heat aims to reduce emissions by managing the discharge to air of greenhouse gases from process heat including boilers used to heat greenhouses.
- Under the National Direction, a resource consent is required for new and existing fossil fuel devices that emit 500 tonnes and above of CO2-e per year, per site.
- New heat devices require resource consents from 27 July 2023. Existing heat devices require them from 26 January 2025 (if they are currently operating under permitted activity rules in plans) or when their existing consent expires.
Next steps for growers
- Visit the EECA website to register for the Covered Cropping Decarbonisation Pathway and receive bespoke tools, resources, updates on available co-funding and other information to help decarbonise New Zealand’s covered crop sector here.
- Download the energy calculator under Step 2 in the tools and resources for covered crops and start measuring energy use
- Download the attached information on EECA’s Clean Tech hot water heat pump programme, which supports co-funding for supply and installation of hot water heat pumps for potable & space heating for projects less than $150,000. More information about the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) fund is available here.