In February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle hit the North Island, flooding the Redclyffe substation and leaving around 40,000 households without power. It took weeks for full electricity restoration. Those who had rooftop solar panels and home batteries were much more fortunate, as they were able to keep their refrigerators cool and run appliances during the day.
Cyclone Gabrielle won’t be the last major weather event to cause prolonged power outages. After experiencing the devastation of that cyclone, households across the country are likely to consider their own resilience to grid disruptions, especially as we become increasingly dependent on electricity.
