Most of the risk in a solar project is front-loaded: an over-optimistic study, a roof that won’t take the load, or a grid application lodged too late. Our sequence is deliberately slow at the start and fast once the design is signed.
A short call to understand the site, the operation and what is driving the enquiry — a rising bill, a new building, a sustainability commitment, or a network constraint. We will tell you at this point if we think solar is the wrong answer.
You send twelve months of electricity invoices and, where the meter supports it, half-hourly interval data from your retailer. We also want the ICP number, a roof plan or a recent aerial image, and any known plans for the building.
We model the array against your real load profile: yield, self-consumption, export, capital cost, annual saving, simple payback and 25-year return. If the numbers are marginal, the report says so.
On site: roof structure, cladding type, purlin spacing and condition, shading survey, switchboard capacity and available ways, cable routes, access and anchor points, and a look at the incoming supply.
Array layout, single-line diagram, structural verification, inverter and protection selection, export strategy, programme, and a fixed price with the inclusions and exclusions written down.
Distributed generation application to your lines company under Part 6 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code, plus building consent where the structure requires it. Started early, because this is the step that sets the programme.
Modules, inverters, mounting and balance of system ordered, landed, inspected on arrival and staged to the build programme. Lead times confirmed in writing before deposit.
Safety plan and edge protection first, then mounting, DC, AC, switchboard works and metering. Sequenced around your operating hours so the site keeps running.
Insulation resistance, polarity, earth continuity, inverter grid settings, anti-islanding and export limit verification. Certificate of Compliance and Electrical Safety Certificate issued.
As-built drawings, test results, warranty documents, an operating guide and monitoring logins in your name. We check the first month of output against the model and tell you how it tracked.
Durations are typical for a commercial project and depend on size, network response times and consent requirements. Every project gets a written programme with its own dates before work starts.
The more of this you can send up front, the faster and more accurate the feasibility study. If you only have some of it, send what you have — we can chase the rest.
Grid-connected generation in New Zealand sits inside a specific regulatory frame. These are the parts that affect your programme.
Connecting generation to the network is governed by Part 6 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code. Your lines company — Vector across most of Auckland — assesses the application and sets any export limit for your connection. We prepare and lodge it.
Grid-tied inverters must comply with AS/NZS 4777.2 and appear on the Electricity Authority’s list of accepted inverters. This covers anti-islanding, voltage and frequency response and power quality.
Grid-tied electrical work must be carried out by an EWRB-registered electrical worker with the appropriate registration and endorsement. Completed work is certified with a Certificate of Compliance and an Electrical Safety Certificate.
Many roof-mounted arrays are exempt, but ground mounts, canopies and structures — and some roof installations depending on load and council — require consent. We identify the path at design stage rather than discovering it on site.
Regulatory requirements change. We confirm the current position with your network and territorial authority for every project, and we recommend you verify anything material with the Electricity Authority, WorkSafe’s Energy Safety team or your council directly.
Send us twelve months of power bills and a roof plan. We come back with a yield model, a layout, an indicative price and an honest view on whether the numbers work.