Home / Uses / Backup power for a marae acting as a welfare hub
In big events marae have opened as welfare centres, feeding and sheltering whānau and neighbours. This page looks at how a quiet hydrogen system could support that role, on the marae's own terms.
When a marae becomes a welfare hub the wharekai works hardest: chest freezers holding donated kai, a commercial dishwasher, the hot water cylinder and urns running all day. Add lighting in the wharenui for people sleeping over, phone chargers lined up on a table, and a router so whānau can reach family elsewhere. A 15 kW system is sized for that kind of mix, and its battery switches over instantly so nothing in the kitchen resets.
A diesel generator idling beside the wharenui runs through karakia, speeches and the whole night. This system has no engine, so the only sound is fans and pumps. There are no fuel runs on flooded roads, which matters when the bridge is out and the nearest station cannot power its own pumps. Hydrogen is held at 30 bar or less, watched by redundant leak sensors with automatic shutdown and venting.
How it works →
Every marae has its own trustees, tikanga and priorities, so where the unit sits, what it powers and who looks after it is the marae's call. Between events it charges on off-peak power, or from a wind turbine or micro-hydro if the marae has one, and holds that charge for weeks.
It is not free energy. The round trip from grid to hydrogen and back is 30% or less, so it earns its place as resilience for the people who arrive at the gate, not as a cheaper power bill for ordinary weeks.
It can carry the fridges, freezers, lights, hot water and a dishwasher together. A large electric range, ovens and a hot water cylinder all at full draw can approach or pass 15 kW, so the pilot would look at what runs at once and whether gas cooking stays on gas.
That depends on how much hydrogen storage is fitted and how hard the kitchen runs. Stored hydrogen keeps for weeks without losing charge, so a marae can stay topped up between events. The number of days is something to size in the pilot rather than promise now.
It is designed to AS/NZS 60079 and ISO 19880, stores hydrogen at low pressure, and has redundant leak sensors with automatic shutdown and venting. The unit would sit outdoors and apart from sleeping areas, in a spot agreed with the marae and the installer.
Pilot installs go to people on this list first. Rural homes, farms and remote sites especially. No spam, no payment.