The installation and commissioning of a big solar power system at the new premises of North Shore manufacturing business Benefitz – also publishers of Channel Magazine – has been carried out by local Wairau based company SkySolar over recent months. The system, one of the most advanced in the country, went live during August.
The Benefitz 130kW system is one of the biggest SkySolar has done, consisting of 429 panels and capable of generating power for 243kWh of battery storage. The panels are 310W REC Twin Peak Solar Modules to be specific.
The battery system at Benefitz is the second largest in the country – consisting of a Fronius Symo inverter and an Alpha T100 energy storage system with 30 batteries. The T100 can be programmed so the Benefitz batteries deliver their power during certain times or when consumption from the grid reaches dangerously high levels. While the aim is for Benefitz to be totally powered by solar, the T100 system can also be programmed to charge at night time using cheaper off-peak power so that the batteries are always full and able to be used in the morning over the peak power period.
This big North Shore project followed on after the SkySolar team had installed a massive 315kW system at Thames based engineering business A&G Price. This involved 1018 Solar Panels with a large 290kWh battery bank.
SkySolar started in 2013 with the aim to be market leaders in solar energy design and build. Mike Ward says their focus has been providing high value, customer-specific, solar solutions for customers in New Zealand and the Pacific region. As well as numerous commercial installations – including systems for schools and farming – SkySolar are also strong in residential solar systems as well, having recently completed a project in the Waikato at the home of Sporting Legend Sam Cane and his wife Harriet (see inset piece).
“The sun is our largest and most abundant source of free energy,” says Mike Ward. “We firmly believe solar is the way, the truth and light for producing zero emission energy to power your home or business. The importance of reducing reliance on fossil-fuel generated power to preserve our natural environment for future generations to enjoy is huge, and it’s our goal to bring this to the attention of those in New Zealand and the wider Pacific region.”
SkySolar have chosen to partner with the supplier of REC solar modules from Europe for their SkySolar panels. This is for their quality, but also for their commitment to recycling.
“Creating clean and green energy through solar panels would only be half as successful in creating a more environmentally-friendly world if the panels could not be disposed of properly and their components recycled at the end of their working life,” explains Mike Ward. “REC makes a concerted effort to ensure its panels are durable and fully recyclable. The recovered materials can be easily and safely returned to the industrial and economic cycles. REC works closely with its recycling partners to ensure state of the art processes are followed and as much material as possible is easily and efficiently recycled. Europe is leading the way in this regard and REC is a manufacturer focused on recycling end-of-life solar modules.”
Interested in a solar system for your home or business?
Then contact Mike Ward at SkySolar, Phone 021-661-909 or email: mike@skysolar.co.nz
Visit: https://skysolar.co.nz/
Sam Cane chooses SkySolar
Adding to the list of Kiwi sporting legends choosing to power their homes with solar power, Sam Cane and his wife Harriet Cane have adorned their newly built Waikato home with a system specified and installed by SkySolar.
It's a hybrid solar system consisting of 20 REC N-Peak Black solar panels, split between two faces of the roof to maximise sunlight. In the garage is an AlphaESS Smile5 inverter and two adjoining 5.7kWh batteries. With EPS (emergency power supply), the AlphaESS set up will run the home with the grid as back-up, and should the grid ever fail, the home will still have up to 11.4kWh of stored energy in the batteries.
“What really appealed to us was the fact the system is environmentally sustainable. We liked the idea of sunlight powering our home,” said Harriet, when explaining their decision to chose solar energy.“We see ourselves living here for a long time,” added Sam. “To make a bit of an investment in solar now to reduce our power bills for years to come, we thought made a lot of sense.”
