Soaking up the sun – solar energy courses on campus

A series of solar energy training courses delivered at the WITT campus for the first time this year signals a growing interest in sun-fuelled domestic power, with more electricians keen to upskill.

The first three of six courses on the various aspects of the design and installation of grid-connected photovoltaic and stand-alone battery systems are full. More are being held throughout the year. Specialised equipment for this has been installed at WITT for the three-day practical block courses designed to complement online learning and assignments.

WITT is the sole polytechnic to provide these courses, with electricians, electrical engineers and electrical inspectors from around Aotearoa enrolled. They gain a NZQA-registered micro credential through completing a course.

Sunshine may be free and abundant, but New Zealand has been slow to invest in training and resources to make it an appealing alternative to hydro and coal-fired electricity supplies.

Tutor Tim Francis says things are changing. Solar power could become more accessible – for homes, as well as commercial or public buildings – with updated safety standards expected to be in place later this year.

Tim, who runs a solar panel consultancy and installation business in Invercargill, has 16 years’ experience in the sector, including teaching in Australia for five years, and more recently at WITT for the last two years off-campus.

He’s pleased to see more Kiwis moving to solar power. Recent data shows around three per cent of New Zealand homes are now using solar energy, a small yet steady increase. We trail behind Australia where an estimated 10.8 million homes have solar generated power, bringing the total of all households in Australia with solar panels to 37 per cent.

While New Zealand has fewer sunshine hours than Australia, Taranaki is one of the sunniest places. In 2022, the region recorded the most sunshine hours in the country.

Why go solar?

Reducing power bills is the main reason people opt for solar panels, Tim says, though it takes seven to nine years before the initial investment reaps benefits.

“It’s a good way to cut your electricity bill. Grid-connected solar works best if you’re able to use the electricity through the middle of the day at the time you are generating it,” he explains.

Solar panels are particularly worthwhile for retirees, people working from home, and businesses. “They’re not so flash for a family with parents at work and kids at school all day. Not to say it’s not possible as there are ways you can store that energy. For example, you can use it to heat the hot water cylinder if you are on electrically heated hot water. A 250-litre hot water tank uses about 15 kilowatt hours a day of electricity. That’s roughly a third of a household’s daily use.”

A grid-linked system can be upgraded to run off a battery to provide essentials. “You might not run an entire home, but you’d be able to run a fridge, LED lights and microwave. It’s worthwhile, particularly when you look at the aftermath of the cyclone [Gabrielle] in the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne, in 2023. You literally switch off the grid which might be disabled and run those essential circuits off the battery system.”

With climate change making weather less predictable, as well as increasing power prices and a less stable supply during peak winter periods, solar is coming into its own both to save costs and to reduce our carbon footprint.

“That’s what really drives it – at the end of the day people aren’t buying these because they look pretty on the roof, they’re buying them to save a buck.”

For more information: https://www.witt.ac.nz/nziht/solar-energy-training/