Southern Solar started when the owners of two well-established Wānaka electrical companies realised they
shared the same ambition to deliver the highest standard in solar solutions for Central Otago.
Rob from EME Electrical and Neil from My Local Electrician both have decades of experience between them,
and one shared obsession for emerging solar technology. So they combined their expertise under one specialist
banner to do solar the way it should be done. To stay ahead of a rapidly evolving industry—tracking new
technology, testing emerging products, and translating it all into optimised systems designed for each site and
each customer.
Get either of them talking about inverters, sunshine hours, or monitoring dashboards and you’ll need to cancel
your afternoon. Southern Solar is a company that genuinely, unashamedly loves what solar can do—and wants
to share that with everyone who’s ready to listen.
Rob brings a sharp, technical mind and a genuine love of problem-solving to
everything Southern Solar does.
He’s a registered New Zealand Electrical Inspector and ran his previous
business, EME Electrical for over a decade, working across residential and
commercial projects throughout Otago and Southland. His early career
included trade qualifications as both a diesel and petrol mechanic through
the NZ Army.
Rob has also spent time away from the tools to deepen his industry
knowledge, working with JA Russell Ltd in Business Development for
Renewable Energy. There, he supported installers with technical guidance
and solar system design across residential, commercial, and project work.
But he couldn’t stay away from the hands-on side for long. Today, Rob leads
system design, installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting at Southern
Solar, always with a focus on making sure every system performs exactly as
it should.
Southern Solar is a SEANZ approved installer. We hold the appropriate licensing and
endorsements for grid-connected solar and battery work, including the additional requirements
associated with mains parallel generation systems. The Electrical Workers Registration Board
describes this endorsement as requiring specific experience and demonstrated knowledge of
design, protection, wiring systems, and inverter-based energy systems connected to a network.
Southern Solar is a SEANZ approved installer. SEANZ provides an authorised provider directory for
members approved to supply and install solar systems for renewable energy loans provided by partner
banks.
We love solar. And we want you to love it too.
Solar should be one of those decisions you never regret. The kind where, years later, you look at your power bill
(or your app, or your battery quietly humming away) and think: that was a smart move.
Southern Solar exists because we believe everyone deserves a solar system that’s been thought through. We’re
electricians by trade. Problem-solvers by nature. And, committed to making sure every solar system we design
and install performs the way it should.
We don’t install every new product that lands on the market. We don’t
chase trends. Instead, we:
Stay constantly up to date with technology, suppliers, and what’s
actually working in the field
Choose equipment that performs brilliantly here—not just on a spec
sheet from overseas
We make every decision with your future in mind—having a solar system
still love in ten, fifteen, twenty years’ time.
Southern Solar didn’t just install panels — they redesigned our entire electrical setup to work with solar
and our EV charger. The attention to detail was exceptional.
for your site?
Complete the form, send an email to office@southernsolar.co.nz or phone 021 70 30 62
to start your solar assessment
