The government of New Zealand has agreed to move ahead with recommendations laid out in a recent sector review report covering small- and medium-sized solar installations for residential and commercial customers.
The 15 recommendations outlined in the report include previously-announced plans to legalize plug-in solar, as well as approving installations under 10 kW by the next working day and allowing accredited installers to sign off on an installation less than 100 kW in size without an inspection.
Other measures include creating a standardized process for connecting solar installations to electricity distributors, publishing consumer-friendly information about electricity meters and improving retailer processes and communications.
The country’s regulation minister, David Seymour, and its energy minister, Simeon Brown, commented that adopting the recommendations will make installing small- or medium-sized solar systems in New Zealand “the simplest in the developed world.”
“New Zealanders want more control over their power bills and making it easier to connect solar is one way to do that by allowing people to make use of the free sunshine that lands on their property,” Brown said. “We’re already seeing increasing rooftop connections so, logically, the more the hassle and cost can be reduced, the greater the uptake will be.”
He added that the adoption of plug-in solar will be “a game change for people who rent” as it will allow people to take their solar system with them when they move.
Previous analysis released by the Ministry for Regulation suggested that implementing the recommendations in the report would take the average installation approval for residential solar from around NZD 640 ($375.99) and three months to NZD 200 and six days. It added that the recommendations could deliver net benefits of between NZD 28 million and NZD 50 million over ten years through lower compliance costs, reduced delays and the use of plug-in solar.
In April, New Zealand’s electricity authority introduced a 10 kW default export limit for residential solar and battery systems in a move designed to standardize grid access.
New Zealand’s cumulative solar capacity stood at 836 MW at the end of last year, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Its largest solar farm to date, a 150 MW site on the country’s north island, came online in July.
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