After the extreme weather we have experienced this ‘summer’, especially the terrible conditions in the eastern part of the North Island following Cyclone Gabrielle, we received a high volume of calls asking about solar power and its capabilities and limitations in power outages and gloomy weather. On the 14th of February, Transpower declared a grid emergency following the loss of power in some regions, advising people “should be prepared to be without power for days to weeks, rather than hours”. Energy Minister Megan Woods said 225,000 people across the country had lost power – the larges ..read more

There has been a steady rise over the past decade in off-grid solar systems here in New Zealand, a rise boosted by the pandemic. But as things return to normal, interest in solar panels has increased, not decreased. Read on to discover why off-grid solar systems are more popular than ever. What are off-grid solar systems? Off-grid solar systems, also known as standalone solar systems, generate electricity using solar panels, but are not connected to the traditional power grid. Typically, solar panels on homes are still hooked up to the national grid, and if they don’t generate enough electrici ..read more

Pandemic, terror, fear – these words completely at odds with our island home.  Beyond the barriers of our bubble, Coronavirus had taken grip of the globe. What a strange, surreal existence to be locked down in paradise. We had so many expectations for 2020 and Coronavirus Pandemic certainly wasn’t one of them. Life as we knew it came to a resounding halt at stage 4 of COVID-19 lockdown. Aotearoa was in an inconceivable national state of emergency? Quite unbelievable for most of us to contemplate four weeks at home in isolation, what on earth was that going to be like? We, like many other ..read more