SEANZ welcomes government announcements to supercharge solar
The Sustainable Energy Association NZ (SEANZ) welcomes the announcements today by Energy Minister Simon Watts and Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk to help drive greater uptake of residential solar in New Zealand.
SEANZ supports these positive steps to remove barriers and establish the conditions for more New Zealand households to install distributed solar and battery storage.
SEANZ Manager Innovation Pathways Gareth Williams says, “This transition requires a fundamental review of regulation and traditional approaches to optimise the use of distributed energy resources, and we welcome these simple changes.
“Distributed solar and battery storage can power the electrification of the economy most cost-effectively for all New Zealanders.
“SEANZ continues to work constructively with government ministers and agencies to identify barriers and propose solutions to our energy system challenges”, says Gareth Williams.
- The Government is expanding the permitted voltage range for electricity networks, so Kiwis with solar panels can send more power back to the grid.
- Changes are being made to clarify that a building consent is not needed to install rooftop solar panels on existing buildings.
- Councils will be required to process building consents for new homes with solar panels within 10 working days, down from the standard 20 working days.
As part of the announcement, the ministers confirmed that this government wants more New Zealand households to generate, store, and sell solar energy back into the market. This would allow them to save on their power bills and contribute to a more secure electricity system.
Today's announcement follows closely behind the Solar on Farms package announced by Energy Minister Hon Simon Watts on Wednesday to help farmers navigate installing solar and battery systems in their businesses, also welcomed by SEANZ.
Minister for Energy, Simon Watts and Minister for Building and Construction Chris Penk with Brendan Winitana, SEANZ, at the Ministers media announcements today.
Dwayne Cocker, TASPAC Energy talking to the Minister for Energy, Simon Watts, 13 June 2025
Gareth Williams, SEANZ with Ministers Watts and Penk in discussions with Herald journalist Simon Wilson, 13 June 2025
Photo credit:Bryce Groves
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