This week Aldersgate has become greener, with power starting to be generated from the recently-installed solar panels covering virtually all of our available roof space. The installation was made possible by a generous Green Grant/Pūtea Tiaki Taiao from the Methodist Church of New Zealand/Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa.

The system should be able to generate around 92% of our total energy consumption, and (as soon as the metering is installed) we’ll be able to export to the grid. In the summer the panels may generate 3 or 4 times as much power as the building needs, so the excess will be fed back into the grid. 

Over a 20 year period we expect to save several hundred thousand dollars, and the panels themselves have a 30-year functional warranty – though there will be some maintenance costs.

Overall it’s a win-win-win, as we will reduce demand on the grid, we save money ourselves by reducing our power bills dramatically, and the planet is a little bit better off as a result of us generating our own 100% renewable energy. Thanks to Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa for their foresight and support.

We are now looking into installing air conditioning for those hot summer days, which will be run using electricity generated by the solar panels.