He has given two of his staff a 'free' Nissan Leaf. It is guaranteed for 12 months by the seller, they pay it back at $100-125 per week, they get free energy at work, and they own a car at the end of it.

"And they've had the pleasure of driving an electric car", which is even more appealing now given how high fuel prices are.

One of the biggest users of energy is personal transport, "so if we can get young people into vehicles to understand 'what is a watt, what is a kilowatt, what is a kilowatt hour', then I think that is incredibly important."

The solar and battery set-up on and in the container can charge two cars at the same time and the 11kWh battery, which charges up in the morning before the staff arrive and is discharged into the car, is essential.

This project has "focused the mind" on how the business uses energy and how it could bring its costs down. He would love to get off LPG and onto New Zealand-made energy (over one third of LPG is imported). That is primarily for environmental reasons, but it's also because LPG is so expensive and inefficient. The big bottles in their metal cage on the side of the building have also been stolen, which is another frustration to add to the list.

Induction has come a long way and it's a great solution for home cooking, but commercial operations have different needs and the options are more limited.

Things are moving fast in that space, however, and he would love to hear from other restaurateurs who have successfully transitioned to commercial induction. Begley is a Bright Spark on a mission, a talker and a doer, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if he managed to do it.

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