New Zealand draft standards

The revision of this standard by Standards New Zealand Committee P4206 serves as a specification for reticulated methane-based gas. It acknowledges and accommodates blending renewable gases (such as biomethane and hydrogen) supplied to consumers, to help ensure that the gas is suitable for transportation, and safe to use in gas-burning appliances and equipment. The committee has, therefore, decided to drop the word ‘natural’ from the previous title of this standard, to reflect that blending other gases with methane-based gas in the network is an acceptable practice.

While there are no specific limits on the level of biomethane that can be blended, the committee determined that blending hydrogen is restricted to injection within the LDS (< 20 barg) and limited to 10% maximum. The rationale for this requirement comes from a body of international research. The limits set by the committee are designed to remain within the range set by the Wobbe index parameters, while being consistent and aligned with hydrogen blending limitations in the latest revision of AS 4564, General-purpose natural gas.

This document has been prepared as guidance and is published as a publicly available specification (PAS).

The PAS will be used by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to provide good practice advice, information and guidance on solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems.

It introduces the concept of solar technology, explaining the different types of systems; their respective key components and how they interrelate.

The guideline provides valuable advice to homeowners’ on choosing an appropriate solar and/or battery-storage system aligned with their specific needs. It explains the regulatory requirements for installing and connecting a solar system to the electricity grid, as well as explaining what the homeowner needs to know - to sell surplus electricity back into the system.