The Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand (SEANZ) has announced the winners of this year’s SEANZ Fronius New Zealand Sustainable Energy Industry Awards, revealed at the organisation’s Tomorrow's Energy Today conference on 2 July.
The awards recognise and celebrate the businesses pushing the boundaries within the solar industry to provide cutting-edge technologies, deliver outstanding products and service, and create a positive impact on our communities and the environment.
SEANZ Chairman Brendan Winitana said every year he’s impressed by the industry’s drive to raise the bar and continually strive to develop the country’s distributed energy resource capability.
“From an off-grid installation on the Kayangel Atoll in Palau, providing the remote community with a clean, affordable energy solution, to a large-scale 2724 m2 solar panel system, consisting of 1362 solar panels installed on Laminex’s factory roof in Hamilton, this year’s winners have been standout,” he said.
“We’ve also seen outstanding innovation with an energy management and billing solution that lets multitenancy developments utilise shared central services, reducing the capital and operational cost of services.”
The award winners were announced at the industry dinner that took place at the SEANZ annual conference, which brought together key players across sectors who can lead the drive toward a resilient and 100% renewable energy system. This year’s event featured a two-day program encompassing educational and best practice technical workshops, new technology and product showcases, innovative case studies and a session with the Minister of Energy and Resources, Dr Megan Woods.
SEANZ 2021 Energy Award Winners
1. Best Off-Grid Renewable System
Winner: Infratec for the Kayangal Hybrid Project in Palau
Runner-up: Hubands Energy for the Matekohe Limestone Island Solar Project
2. Best Grid-Connected Renewable System
Joint Winners: Infinite Energy NZ for the Forest Lodge Orchard Project and Vector Powersmart for the Laminex Rooftop Solar Project
3. Dave Keppel Innovation Award
Winner: Re/volve Energy for Energy Management and Billing Solution
Runner-up: Infratec for Project BOOST
4. Best Small Business
Winner: Sunergy Solar Ltd
5. Best Environmental Impact
Winner: Re/volve Energy for the Cohaus Project
Runner-up: Sunergy Solar Ltd for the Stewart Island Solar Project
6. Best Large Business
Winner: Vector Powersmart
7. Best Community Energy Project
Winner: Infratec for the Energise ?taki Community Project
Image caption: Best Community Energy Project — Infratec’s David Francis (L) and Nick Bibby (R).
