Solar Power - A Winning Option
Investing in a solar power system makes huge sense and saves dollars. We’re happy to explain how personally, but here’s a quick summary on how you can harness clean, reliable electricity directly from the sun.
Learn More About Solar
How solar works
A grid-connected solar power system generates electricity from light using solar panels, mounted on your roof or a suitable location. A grid-connect inverter converts the solar DC power to the AC power used in homes and businesses.
The electricity generated is consumed by your daily demand and any excess power is automatically exported (sold back) to your electricity provider. If you require more electricity than generated by your system during the day, this is supplied by your national grid connection. This process is fully automated and our energy meters show you exactly how much you are generating and consuming in your home or business.
Should your system generate more power than you use this is automatically sent to your electricity retailer, who will offset this against what you draw from them.
Fitting a solar power system to an existing home is easier and cheaper than a new build.
It generally takes less than a day to install, with savings starting from day one. It will add value to your home, and most banks waive any mortgage fees to add solar to your existing loan.
Our recommendation is to consume as much of your own power as possible for best return on your investment.
We can recommend load controlling technology to send excess power to where there is generally greater need such as your hot water cylinder, your pool pump or spa heating.
All our systems use the latest quality components and all are battery ready, so we can add energy storage at any stage.
A grid-connected solar system has few moving parts and requires minimal maintenance. They make no noise and create no pollution.
Hybrid or Battery storage system
A hybrid solar system is a grid tie solar system with a battery. The principal works the same as a grid tie, where you use your solar power directly, but your battery is charged with any excess (export) power and discharged when your home demand exceeds your solar generation and at night.
Hybrid battery sizing is not critical like off grid, any shortfall is made up from the grid but we will calculate your night time load to recommend the optimum system for your installation. The optimum system will get you through the night in the winter months.
Battery expansion is simple and cost effective for a well designed hybrid system. Not all hybrid systems provide power during a power cut and this will add cost. Give us a call or book an interview to determine the best solution for your lifestyle.
What do we mean by battery ready?
A battery system allows you to store excess energy generated in sunshine hours for use when it’s not sunny or during the night.
All our quality solar systems have the ability to add batteries at any stage so you’re future proofed. There are a variety of battery storage solutions so we’ll help you determine which will best suit your needs
A battery is not the only form of energy storage we install; with an electric hot water cylinder, we can install a hot water load controller that can divert excess generation to your cylinder to be stored as hot water. A quality load controller can reduce the power sent back to the grid by up to 75 percent. This means you are maximising use of your own power, generated by solar.
Dave McLeod, Omaranui Rd: Dave installed 5.2kw of grid tie solar power on his family home in Omaranui Road. The solar powers the house and any excess is used to charge his Nissan Leaf electric car. With the combined savings from power and petrol bills, Dave’s estimated the system will pay for itself in three years.
Every home is different and every household has differing needs. We understand all the implications and by talking with you and asking the right questions, we can provide the best solution for your needs.
Check out what Dave McLeod had to say – and you may be interested to know that Dave uses any excess generated to charge his electric car. You can also read more here
Most businesses consume the majority of their electricity needs in the daytime, which makes solar power the ideal energy option. In addition to helping your bottom line with power savings, there’s also the depreciation aspect to consider. Some of our business customers share their benefits here. Read more about the benefits Ramage Sheetmetals Ltd and VetsOne have found from their solar installations below.
Daniel Lincoln, General Manager, Ramage Sheetmetals Ltd. Ramage Sheetmetals is a leading engineering workshop in Napier, operating a number of Laser & CNC machines. We worked with the General Manager, Daniel to provide the best solution for their demand.
Here is what Daniel said about working with our team: "Freenergy Solar Solutions installed 112 panels (33.6kW) of solar onto our Napier workshop. The technical design, performance modelling, installation and after sales service have been excellent and we are exceeding our calculated Return on Investment of 5 years. As a significant user of electricity during the daytime it makes financial and environmental sense. Our only complaint is we have no more roof to add more panels.
VetsOne is a long-established business in Hastings. Their recent expansion into a purpose remodelled building provided the perfect roof for solar. We worked with them to predict their energy demand and delivered a system to support their needs, check out a great video of their solar system.
The sun is imperative for the agriculture industry. Likewise, the global demand for sustainable growing practices makes solar power a "no brainer". You can capture the power of the sun and add that to the provenance story of your produce. Viticulturist Xan Harding has installed solar with Freenergy and is delighted. Listen to what he has to say or check out more here.
Xan Harding, Maraekakaho: Xan installed a 10kW grid tie solar power system, with a three phase Fronius inverter on the shed in his vineyard. The power generated supports pumps and irrigation needs in summer and any excess is sent back to the grid. In Xan’s words “solar was a no brainer”.
Reducing living costs is an overriding criteria for those on low incomes. Solar power is an option that contributes to low cost sustainable housing. We’ve provided our expertise to such projects, and Paul Sheeran shares his observations about the benefits we’ve helped achieve below.
Paul Sheeran, Hastings: Paul is the project manager for various Papakianga Maori housing developments around Hawke’s Bay including projects at Waiohiki, Waimarama, and Hastings. We’ve installed small grid tie power systems of 1.5-2.5 kW on five houses in Bennett Road. Minimising the ongoing running costs of these homes and sustainability is a key consideration in these developments.
Schools and childcare centres are high energy users during daytime hours. In addition to savings, adding solar power provides a revenue source during school holidays when excess electricity generated can be sold back to the national grid.
Plus, there’s the educational opportunities to teach children first-hand about sustainability, climate change, energy responsibility, and the technological process of generating power.
Napier Intermediate: We worked with Napier Intermediate and their students to design and install a 22 kW grid tie solar power system. We worked to a strict budget and the system delivers 32 percent of the school’s annual energy needs. In the first 12 months Napier Intermediate reduced their power bills by $6000 and eliminated 20 tons of CO2 emissions.
Find out more about going solar at your school.
Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngati Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga is a full immersion Maori School in Hastings. We worked with them to maximise their project budget and delivered a system we can easily expand in the future. The real time system performance monitoring will assist the students with sustainable energy education.
Freenergy enjoys engaging with schools to help students understand renewable energy and future career pathways.
You Can Be Confident We Follow The Rules
We support and follow the Code of Conduct of our governing body, Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand.
2016 and 2023 Sustainable Energy Association Industry Awards - Small Business Award Winner and Industry Person of the Year Winner.
