Solar panels power up village centre

Solar panels are generating up to 80 percent of electricity for Summerset Richmond Ranges’ village centre and the initiative has been selected as a finalist in the Retirement Villages Association Sustainability Awards.

The national awards recognise sustainability in building, design, landscaping, grounds and activities.

Head of sustainability at Summerset, Debbie Summers, says Richmond Ranges is its first village to have a full solar panel install on its village centre buildings, with 310 panels adorning the north-facing roof.

The project was completed earlier this year.

As Nelson-Tasman is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand, she says the power produced is expected to be significant. On an overcast day, the panels average about 20 kilowatts and on a sunny day it can be between 80 and 90 kilowatts.

“We can monitor how much power we are producing and from the data we’ve collected so far, the panels can generate around 80 per cent of the village centre building’s electricity consumption at its peak generating hours – 12 to 5pm.

“This obviously fluctuates depending on the level of sunshine on a given day.”

Debbie says the retrofitted solar panels significantly reduces the village’s carbon footprint and also provides substantial cost savings as well as energy resilience.

New villages in development will have solar panel solutions built into village-centre designs and the company will transition to solar power where it can.

Richmond Ranges’ solar panels fit into the operator-led category of the awards and other finalists include an electric vehicles and solar-charging project at Arvida Park Lane in Christchurch, plus Summerset Group Holdings’ waste-free construction projects. Winners for each category will be announced at the association’s conference at Wellington’s Tākina Convention Centre on 27 August.