Powering Learners At Wakari School With Dunedin Solar

Over the summer break of 2024 and into January 2025, Dunedin Solar completed a significant solar installation at Wakari School in Dunedin. With the school closed for the holidays, the timing was ideal to get the panels installed without interrupting classes or day-to-day activities. The installation marks an important step in helping the school embrace renewable energy and sets a positive example for other schools in the region.

The project represents much more than just new panels on a roof. It is about showing how renewable energy can be integrated into community spaces where it can have a direct impact on learning and awareness. By powering classrooms with clean and green energy, Wakari School now has a resource that not only reduces costs but also inspires young minds. Students will be able to see first-hand how solar energy works, how it contributes to reducing emissions, and how decisions today can create a better future. This is about more than saving on bills, it is about empowering kids with knowledge and awareness.

Wakari School spokesperson Dave Waddell spoke highly of the initiative. He highlighted that the panels will help reduce the school’s electricity costs and free up more funds for teaching and learning. At the same time, they serve as a teaching tool in their own right. Teachers can incorporate real-time energy data into lessons and encourage conversations about conservation, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. Dave explained that it is not just about financial savings, but about giving students a living example of how communities can make positive changes for the planet.

For Dunedin Solar, this project is a reflection of what they hope to see happening across more schools and community organisations in the years to come. The collaboration with Wakari School shows how renewable energy can be a win for budgets, a win for the environment, and a win for education. By working with local schools, Dunedin Solar hopes to inspire more institutions to consider solar energy and to build momentum for a cleaner future. It is a clear example of how small steps in local communities can create lasting impact, with benefits that will be felt by today’s students and by the generations that follow.