Auckland’s Snowplanet has partnered with one of NZ’s leading commercial solar company, Sunergise, to complete a 1.05-megawatt solar installation, cutting the facility’s grid energy reliance by approximately 30 percent.
Keeping Australasia’s only operating indoor ski venue cool takes energy. The Silverdale facility operates 24 hours a day, holding its 8,000 square metres of slope at a temperature of minus five degrees. To maintain constant ski-able levels of snow, Snowplanet has to produce another 80 cubic metres of fresh snow every week.
Snowplanet makes its snow at night, when the facility is closed. But the primary driver of demand for energy is not just making snow, it’s keeping the facility– in engineering terms, a large high-tech freezer– cold through even the hottest days.
The solar system offsets daytime consumption, reducing the total electricity the site needs to purchase from the grid. On the sunniest summer days, when the slopes need the most cooling power and the panels are generating at their peak, the system produces more electricity than the facility can use. That surplus flows back to the grid.
The new system features 2,317 ground-mounted panels on the hillside adjacent to the facility. Visible from Auckland’s Northern Motorway, the installation will generate roughly 1,500 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.
“Keeping the slopes frozen and ensuring a smooth experience for our customers, elite athlete training and school programmes takes around-the-clock power,” says Rojie Aguilar, General Manager of Snowplanet. “Cutting 30 per cent of our grid draw reduces our operational costs too.”
“The commercial logic is clean,” says Paul Makumbe, CEO of Sunergise. “The hottest summer days are when Snowplanet’s cooling demand peaks, which matches our maximum solar generation. The project offsets 101 tonnes of carbon annually without requiring any upfront capital from Snowplanet.”
Engineers opted for a ground-mounted system because the facility’s roof already carries 150 tonnes of load, and penetrating the waterproof membranes posed a structural risk. The hillside placement allowed Sunergise to orient the panels for optimal year-round output.
The project was completed under Sunergise’s SunPlus™ Power Purchase Agreement. Sunergise retains ownership and maintenance responsibilities, while Snowplanet purchases the electricity at a fixed rate below standard grid prices.
