About Solar

Sun Power!

Solar energy has long been one of our planet's underrated untapped resources. The sun generates enough energy to power the Earth's entire electricity needs 35,000 times over!

With ever-increasing technological advancements, there has been no better time than now to tap into this incredible natural resource.

Sunlight hits the solar panels and electrons are knocked loose from the atoms of a semi-conducting material. It is the movement of these electrons which then result in an electric current flow.

How it Works

The simple: solar panels convert sunlight into electricity.

How?

Sunlight hits the solar panels and electrons are knocked loose from the atoms of a semi-conducting material. It is the movement of these electrons which then result in an electric current flow.

Why Go Solar?

There are many reasons why home and business owners go solar.

Here are some of the many benefits:

• Cutting energy costs and saving on power bills
• Using a 100% sustainable energy source, reducing carbon footprints
• Reducing energy loads on New Zealand's strained hydro lake levels (especially during times of drought)
• Giving you energy independence and resilience during power grid failures (certain systems only)
• Providing a good return on your investment
• Adding value to your property
• Breaking free from ongoing rising power costs*

Solar is a great step forward and will lead to a more clean green efficient home or business while reducing your carbon footprint and adding value to your property. At Power on Point, we listen to your goals or reasons for going solar and will tailor a client-specific system to suit your home or business needs.

*In 2004 the average price of power was 16c per kWh unit, which has now doubled to an average of 32c per kWh unit.

Power Generation

A solar system can generate power for any type of property or business, be it a tiny home or a large scale commercial plant.

Solar systems are also very reliable and low maintenance. Once installed, the system can be left to itself, or we can connect an in-depth monitoring system to analyse system performance - maximising your gains.

Central Otago also has fantastic sun hour numbers, which can produce plenty of solar power for business and homeowners to take advantage of. This is especially true for businesses which operate during day time hours, where savings of up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year can be made by investing in solar. Check out the graph on the left for a good example of average power consumed compared to solar produced power by a 9-5 small business.

Renewable Energy

With the planet's natural resources under increasing pressure and worldwide CO2 levels reaching increasingly dangerous levels by the day (climate.nasa.gov), now is the time for a change and to go green.

In New Zealand, approximately 80% of our electricity comes from renewable energy sources. Solar is on the rise and working with our current resources we can easily achieve the 100% renewable mark! This would make New Zealand a world leader in renewable energy.

This could also help take the strain off our hydro dams with ever-increasing low lake levels due to higher power demand. New Zealand's renewable energy is at a tipping point and solar power is becoming more accessible and affordable.