Energy Sovereignty and Mana Motuhake

Energy Sovereignty and Mana Motuhake

Why did we begin Aotea Energy?

I grew up on an island called Aotea. For those that know the island, there is no grid for electricity there. We have always had to be resourceful. And we have always had to find affordable (and sensible) ways to solve a problem. 

With the no power grid there, to get electricity you needed a generator, solar panels, batteries; or a combination of the three. 

Growing up like this means you are constantly confronted with having to organise your own electricity. It is an unconscious consideration most of the time, but it forces you to think critically about your consumption, load, how you are getting your electricity and the quantum you require. 

On the one hand there is a salient (and often urgent) need that forces you to think creatively, to figure out how to meet your own energy needs. There is a cost on the other hand if you don’t. That is, you learn how to go without. So if you don’t want to go without, almost through osmosis, you learn how to string car batteries together, use an old 24V inverter so you can run a fridge, turn the TV on to catch the news, or god forbid, run a washing machine. 

And perhaps therein lies the centre of our thinking at Aotea Energy: Our Philosophy. Using what you have with the aspirational dream of what could be done better. 

What started as a real desire to reduce energy poverty for those who live with us on the papakāinga on Aotea, has evolved into, maybe, something that has real applicability for our nation. And as the adage goes; had we known how hard it would be building batteries that were smart enough to send power to those in deficit, we wouldn’t have started. 

And that is what we have built; home batteries that are smart enough to understand load, future consumption and also when best to buy from the wholesale energy market. Smart enough to cut your powerbill in half, while also giving you resilience. It triangulates all considerations and makes sure you get the best value from every electron you use, store, buy, sell or generate. To the extent that all of our pilot sites (20 in the Auckland region) that have been trading for a year or so, give us the confidence to say that our smart battery will indeed cut your energy bills in half. All without rooftop solar. 

We have been toiling away very hard for a few years now, and are excited to finally share what we have built. The age of the battery has arrived. 

Mauri ora.