We’d like to welcome New Zealand’s largest distributor of energy to the Energy Excelerator ‘ohana. Aloha Vector!
Why does this partnership matter?
For startups, Vector opens up its test bed to Energy Excelerator companies. Vector is Energy Excelerator’s first international utility partner and they service 700,000 customers in the greater Auckland region.
“Innovation is core to Vector’s growth. Energy Excelerator and its pipeline of innovation will help us test and scale new solutions,” says Simon Mackenzie, CEO of Vector.
One thing rings true, innovation is vital to us reaching our energy goals. This statement was confirmed at COP21 in Paris as the world set a goal of 100% renewable energy and at the same time governments, private industry, foundations and wealthy individuals committed billions of dollars to the most innovative solutions to our energy challenges. And we’re putting this capital to work in Hawaii as we help power Hawaii’s landmark goal of 100% renewables by 2045. Through our partnership with Vector, we will help New Zealand reach their goal of 90% renewables by 2025.
Our partnership with Vector is the realization of our vision for Energy Excelerator: to start in Hawaii and apply what we’ve learned here to other markets in the U.S. and the rest of the world. The road to 100% renewable energy goes through Hawaii and the state is a gateway to the Asia Pacific.
To further describe the reach of our program: Energy Excelerator’s impact in the Asia-Pacific region already includes 13 demonstration projects ongoing in Hawaii; one demonstration project in Australia; two corporate partners from the Asia Pacific region; and a $30 million commitment from the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research as part of their Asia Pacific Technology and Education Partnership (APTEP).
We kicked off 2016 with a bang. Upward, onward and outward!
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