Franklin energy sharing pilot
We're providing enhanced regulatory support to the Franklin energy project partners as part of the Power Innovation Pathway.
Franklin Energy Sharing
Sharing power, supporting communities
The Franklin Energy Sharing Pilot is a community-focused initiative in South Auckland that explores how solar energy and battery storage can be shared locally to support families experiencing energy hardship.
Flexibility
Local energy resilience
Existing electricity regulations specify a one-to-one relationship between a retailer and a consumer of power, regardless of whether they have embedded generation installed. This means New Zealand households and businesses with solar cannot easily share, donate or trade excess electricity generation.
The Franklin Energy Sharing pilot is a new multiple trading relationship framework for local energy sharing, where Counties Energy will donate excess electricity generation from its Pukekohe office’s solar and battery system to three local charities (Whaanau Resources Trust, Mai Lighthouse and Waiuku Family Support Network) to help reduce bills of whānau experiencing hardship.
About the project partners
Ara Ake, Climate Connect Aotearoa and Counties Energy are collaborating on this project to pilot how homes and community organisations could benefit from the local sharing of solar-generated energy to create a smarter, more resilient and affordable energy system.
Power Innovation Pathway support
The Electricity Authority is supporting this initiative to inform regulation that could enable broader peer-to-peer energy sharing across Aotearoa and enable a more resilient and affordable electricity system.
Providing regulatory support
Enabling energy sharing models is highly complex eg, technical and regulatory requirements for off-market settlement and multiple trading relationship-associated regulatory exemptions. The Electricity Authority is providing regulatory guidance for the proposed framework and information on the process for any exemption applications that may be required.
Informing the Authority’s work programme
Our Compliance and Network Policy teams are helping this project navigate peer-to-peer trading and we will use the learnings to inform future multiple trading relationships policy (the Evolving multiple retailing and switching project) and broader energy sharing frameworks across New Zealand.