Why NZ Businesses Should Go Solar

Environmental Reasons To Go Solar Powered

Reducing carbon footprints should be considered when running a business, for the benefit of the business itself and the community in which it operates.

When it comes to commercial enterprises, what is that one thing that is great for sustainability reporting but also helps reduce carbon emissions?

A solar power system can measure the amount of power being generated over a given period of time. This figure can be used to indicate with precision, the amount of reduction in carbon emissions polluting the environment; a commercial grid-connected solar power system gives businesses precise figures to report.

Moreover, these systems are expected to last more than 25 years and require little maintenance, giving successful businesses an opportunity to make a one-off investment that will not only cut costs over time, but contribute towards your environmental and/or sustainability policies, year after year.

Cheviot Park Lodge - Commercial Solar Power System

Economic Reasons To Go Solar Powered

The price of electricity continues to climb in a very predictive fashion, but the price of solar power has drastically decreased in the past couple of years. The sun and the solar energy sector are very pleased with this, of course, which is perhaps why you can now see a return on investment (ROI) of over 10% on solar installations.

Generally the larger system you go for, the higher the return on investment, as there are economies of scale cost advantages with larger systems.

An example of good returns generated from solar is a system installed on Kokako Lodge, southeast of Auckland.  They installed a 13.5kW solar power system using financing, and are still earning a 65% net savings on power (after payments deducted).  Kokako Lodge’s power costs have reduced heavily, from $5,800 to only $1,600 per quarter.  See the full case study here.