On Thursday the Times visited the Telecom in Parekura to get the scoop on the new solar power panels that will be set up and completed on the roof of their building in the coming week.
Telecom’s own engineers are constructing the solar grid panels.
The initial work started last Friday and is going smoothly.
“All our stations in the outer islands are run by solar panels except Aitutaki, so we have been putting up our own solar panels for a long time now,” Ngatama Aniterea, Telecom’s General Manager told the Times.
There are a total of one hundred and eleven 185 watt panels all together that will be placed on the roof alongside the old panels. The rounded cost of the project has come to $120,000; with each grid connect system costing at least $12000 each, including installation labour.
According to Ngamata there is a 6-7 year pay back period for the loan to accomplish the project.
Although the solar panels will not fully cover the large amount of power that telecom consumes each month, it will make a significant contribution to reducing the company’s energy costs.
-Tiare Ponini

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