The move coincides with construction of Lodestone’s sixth solar farm, built in partnership with local lines company Centralines, which will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 7,000 homes and businesses in the region.
Until now, Lodestone’s virtual solar offering, which lets customers access locally generated solar power without installing their own panels, has been available only to commercial customers. The EASY Plan extends that model to homeowners, renters, apartment dwellers and small businesses who can’t install rooftop systems of their own.
Lodestone Energy Managing Director Gary Holden says the Hawke’s Bay project reflects the company’s broader ambitions. “Local generation is the future, and our vision of seeing a solar farm in every community has taken another step forward.”
Under the EASY Plan, customers get a daily power allocation at a fixed daily price, with their estimated annual usage matched against a share of the farm’s projected output. The name nods to the “Estimated Annual Solar Yield” the plan is built around.
“We’ve called it the EASY Plan as the Estimated Annual Solar Yield of the farm provides much the same basic outcome of installing solar on a rooftop,” Holden says. “
Except in our plan, we smooth out the intermittency of weather and daylight periods for the customer. We convert the variability into a simple payment that takes away the worry.”
Any unused daily allocation carries over for later use, and customers are rewarded for shifting consumption away from the evening peak. Power used below their allocation between 6pm and 9pm earns a credit, an incentive Holden says benefits both customers and the wider grid.
“By providing a strong reward for customers who can choose different times to use electricity, we’re encouraging smarter energy use and helping reduce pressure on the grid during peak periods,” he says.
Lodestone General Manager Customer Sarah McHardy says the plan is designed to take the guesswork out of solar for people who’d otherwise miss out.
“We want to provide a simple way for customers to enjoy the benefits of locally generated solar power without the hassle of thinking about the weather.”
Lodestone has built five solar farms across New Zealand to date and has two more, including the Hawke’s Bay site, under construction, with further sites shovel-ready for future expansion.
