For over 125 years, Oropi School has been delivering quality primary education to their small rural community.
Deeply rooted in its farming surroundings, the school’s philosophy centres on nurturing strong connections with whānau and a commitment to environmentally sustainable practices that protect the land.
This ethos is reflected in the school’s nationally recognised outdoor learning environments and its award-winning Garden to Table programme, which have earned multiple TECT community awards.
In late 2024, the Oropi School Board saw a natural next step in its sustainability journey: exploring cleaner, greener sources of energy to reduce the school’s carbon footprint – and ideally, its energy bills.
Project snapshot
Industry: Education
Channel Partner: Supa
Equipment:
System size (128.8kW)
- 295x TW 440W solar panels
- 6x Goodwe inverters
- 4x BYD HVM Batteries
Payment Plan Term: 5 years
To do this, they engaged Supa, experts in solar for schools. The Supa team proposed a community energy system that would power the school during the day and export excess clean energy to nearby residents and small businesses at a reduced rate.
To make the project financially viable, Supa offered the option of a Smart Ease Payment Plan. This meant the school could move forward with no upfront capital outlay, paying for the system over time through manageable monthly instalments.
In May 2025, Supa completed the installation: a 128.8kW solar system paired with an 88.4kWh battery. This system is expected to generate 158,503kWh of clean energy annually, provide 2–3 days of backup power during outages, and supply energy to an estimated 37 local homes.
Best of all, thanks to the Smart Ease Payment Plan, Oropi School is expected to be cash-flow positive while supporting its sustainability goals and community.
Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our Payment Plans can help you meet sustainability goals and save on energy costs.