500 schools named for NZ$30m solar panel rollout

Ministers Simeon Brown and Erica Stanford have named 500 schools to get rooftop solar panels under the NZ$30 million Solar in Schools programme funded in this year's Budget. Of those, 340 are in the North Island, 157 in the South Island and 3 in the Chathams. Installations happen over three years. Large schools could save about NZ$8,000 a year on power. Schools were chosen for high energy costs, energy insecurity, or boiler replacements.