Future options for independent power supply to remote area farms

The research for this paper was done in Otago but there is every reason to expect that it would apply equally to any region in New Zealand. It is intended as a guide to any farmer contemplating a stand alone power system. Individual farm circumstances make it unlikely that all the answers could be provided. When it came to my attention that the government had passed legislation stating that the power companies would not be required to guarantee supply to uneconomic areas, it provided the incentive to write this paper.