School Archives | Smart Ease

Minaret College leads by example with major solar investment

Demanzo Team — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 06:02:12 +0000

When Minaret College first opened its doors in 1992, there were just 22 students enrolled. Since then, it has grown to become the largest co-educational Islamic school in Melbourne’s southeast, with 2,500 students across three campuses.

However, that growth has not come without cost. Over the years, Minaret College has experienced a steep and sometimes unpredictable rise in energy expenditure. As a not-for-profit, these increasing operational costs have placed additional strain on the school.

This prompted Minaret College’s Executive Principal, Mohammad Taksim, to explore switching to solar power last year.

Taksim reached out to commercial solar experts Smart Solar Solutions to visit the Springvale and Officer campuses in mid-2025 to assess their suitability for solar and the feasibility of the project.

Project snapshot

Channel Partner: Smart Solar Solutions
Industry: NFP School
Equipment:
Site 1 (Springvale Campus) – 360x Jinko solar panels & 3x Sungrow inverters
Site 2 (Officer Campus) – 270x Jinko solar panels & 2x Sungrow inverters
Term: 60 months

The main buildings at both campuses feature large, flat roofs fully exposed to the sun. Combined with the school’s high daytime energy use, this meant solar systems would be highly effective at both locations, capturing solar energy throughout the day to power the school with minimal waste.

For optimal performance, the Smart Solar Solutions team recommended substantial systems at both sites. The Springvale campus received 360 Jinko solar panels integrated with three Sungrow inverters, while the smaller Officer campus received 270 Jinko solar panels with two Sungrow inverters.

The only remaining consideration was the cost of the project, which was significant due to the size of the systems.

Fortunately, Smart Solar Solutions is a Smart Ease–accredited installer and was able to offer the college a $0 upfront Smart Ease Payment Plan to fund the installation. This allowed Minaret College to preserve its cash reserves and instead use monthly energy-bill savings to help pay for the system over time.

It was an easy decision.

With the help of Smart Solar Solutions, Taksim applied online for a 60-month Payment Plan with Smart Ease. As a not-for-profit school, the application easily met credit requirements and was quickly approved.

Both systems were installed in the second half of 2025 and are now fully operational.

For Minaret College, this clean energy project represents a significant milestone. Alongside supporting sustainability goals and setting a strong example for students, the school is now benefiting from a substantial reduction in operating costs and a clearer pathway for future growth.

Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our Payment Plans can help you generate solar savings

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Project snapshot: Girraween gets smart tech thanks to payment plan

Stefanie D — Tue, 03 May 2022 00:13:32 +0000

“Our Smart Ease payment plan made it easy to budget for our new screens. We avoided a large upfront outlay and got all the equipment installed in a short time frame. Now we have 95% of classrooms equipped with screens.”

Deputy Head of Primary, Girraween Primary School

Project snapshot

Equipment

15 Interactive Touch screens 70”

Organisation

Girraween Primary School

Industry

Education

Location

Northern Territory

Find out how our payment solutions support solar projects and sustainability goals – for any organisation

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Payment Plan funds largest solar energy system on an NZ school

Stefanie D — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Kaitaia College, situated in the very Far North of Aotearoa in New Zealand, is a co-educational secondary school with 900 students. Founded in the 1930s, it has strong ties to its Māori and local communities.

Like most schools, costs for energy use at the College were high, with annual bills of almost $10,000. An assessment of its expenses determined that solar could meet up to 60 per cent of its electricity needs.

“Schools make sense for solar because a lot of their energy is actually being used…during the day time [when] there’s plenty of generated power,” explains Dwayne Cocker from the Sustainable Energy Association.

But the project’s price tag meant that, unless Kaitaia College could find a way to fund the solar system, the School’s dream of converting to solar would remain out of reach.

Through its partnership with solar installer SuperPower Technologies, Kaitaia College principal, Jack Saxon, discovered Smart Ease Payment Plans, and the dream became a reality.

Project snapshot

Equipment

101.2 kW solar system
368 x REC Panels 
5 x Fronius Inverters 

Channel partner:

SuperPower Technologies

Industry/sector:

Education

Location:

New Zealand

On a Payment Plan, the numbers stacked up making the project a cash-flow-neutral proposition.

The solution

Amazingly, on a Payment Plan, the numbers stacked up making the project a cash flow neutral proposition.

With solar installed, the school could cut its electricity bill substantially – savings which could then cover the payments with Smart Ease.

What’s more, no upfront capital was needed under the funding arrangement, which meant Kaitaia College was not out of pocket for the project.

“Thanks to Smart Ease, the project is cost neutral, so what we save as a result of the solar power we will pay out in less than ten years,” Mr. Saxon says.

It also has significant spin-offs that go well beyond the development of a renewable energy source and cost savings.

The school also plans to pass excess energy during the holidays back onto the grid for the community.

“If we can pass that on and give ratepayers more cents in the dollar back…it’s going to improve their quality of life,” he adds.

The win

Cost savings to the College over the 10-year payback period will amount to tens of thousands of dollars, rising to hundreds of thousands over the 25-year guaranteed life of the solar system.

Additionally, the School plans to use the solar project as a springboard to building understanding around renewable energies and have its ākonga (students) lead community projects around developing solutions to local challenges.

Mr Saxon explains, “The kura (school) is working with SuperPower Technologies and other community groups, including Muriwhenua iwi, to develop an integrated curriculum around renewable energy.”

“Our ākonga lead community projects around developing solutions to local challenges,” he adds, “and one of the most exciting elements, currently being scoped with a local power provider, is the potential for the school to send excess power back to the grid and have their whānau access this.”

“Having that benefit passed to our students’ whanau, and…trying to create a wider community imperative, that was really integral for us, and thanks to Smart Energy and SuperPower Technologies, we’ve been able to achieve that.”

At the time of installation, Kaitaia College houses the biggest solar power system in any New Zealand school.

Start a conversation with Smart Ease and find out how our solar commercial finance support enterprise scale solar projects and sustainability goals.

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