Solar power in New Zealand

As of the end of June 2026, New Zealand had 1,000 MW of solar power installations, not including those directly connected to the transmission grid. Since records began in September 2013, solar capacity has been increasing exponentially, doubling in capacity roughly every 24 months. For new installations added in January 2026, the average residential system size was 7.9 kW and the average small and medium enterprise system was 20 kW.

Installations by type

Solar power systems can be divided based on their nameplate capacity and their obligations under the Electricity Industry Participation Code.

• Small distributed systems are up to and including 10 kW.
• Large distributed systems are between 10 kW and 1000 kW.
• Grid-scale systems are 1 MW or more. Systems above 1 MW must comply with disclosure requirements to the transmission system operator (i.e. Transpower). Systems above 10 MW are required to participate in the wholesale electricity market.

Residential, commercial and industrial do not refer to system size, but rather the industry of the system owner as recorded on the ICP register. Industrial systems are those connected to ICPs with an ANZSIC code A through E, commercial systems are those connected to ICPs with an ANZSIC code F through S, and residential systems are those connected to ICPs without a valid ANZSIC code. Small and medium enterprise systems are those connected to commercial and industrial ICPs with a service capacity up to three-phase 500 amperes (i.e. 345 kVA).

Distributed systems

Although there are no subsidies for small-scale solar in New Zealand, the declining costs of photovoltaic have driven strong growth in household installations in recent years. In 2009, the average turnkey price for a standard 3-kilowatt (kW) PV system was about NZ$40,000; by 2024 the average residential system size had increased to 7 kW while the average cost had fallen to NZ$16,500.

Rooftop and other small photovoltaic systems with a capacity of up to and including 10 kW are classified as small-scale distributed generation under Part 6 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code. These systems must be approved by the local electricity distribution business (EDB) before they are connected to the grid, but EDBs cannot unreasonably refuse connection if the equipment meets technical standards. Inverters are required to comply with AS/NZS 4777 and the respective EDB's connection and operating standards. Exports of up to 10 kW are allowed, except in identified areas of network congestion.

Such systems generally do not require building consent when installed on existing roofs. However, building consent or engineering approval may be needed for building-integrated PV (e.g. where the panels act as roof cladding) and for arrays larger than 40 square metres (430 sq ft) or in very high wind zones. Zoning rules may also limit installing solar panels, such as in heritage areas or where the panels exceed height-to-boundary restrictions.

The largest solar power system on a school in New Zealand was officially opened in a ceremony in February 2019 at Kaitaia College. Kelvin Davis, unveiled a plaque to acknowledge the installation of the 368 solar panel project which is spread across the rooftop of multiple buildings on the school campus.

By January 2014, solar photovoltaic systems had been installed in 50 schools through the Schoolgen program, a program developed by Genesis Energy to educate students about renewable energy, particularly solar energy. Each school has been given a 2 kW capacity PV system, with a total distributed installed capacity of 100 kilowatts-peak (kWp). Since February 2007, a total of 513 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electrical energy have been recorded.

In January 2020 Foodstuffs announced it would be installing a 1.1 MW PV array on its new Auckland distribution centre. In October 2020 Watercare Services installed a 1 MW floating array on its Auckland wastewater treatment plant.

Grid-scale plants

In July 2019 Refining NZ announced plans for a 26 MW solar farm at the Marsden Point Oil Refinery, but by May 2020 the project was on hold. In February 2020 Genesis Energy Limited announced plans for a 300 MW facility in the Waikato.' In September 2020 Hawke's Bay Airport announced plans for a 10 MW farm on unused airport land. In May 2020, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment released a study that considered the economics of grid-scale solar and gave forecasts to 2060, showing that New Zealand has potential for gigawatts of grid-scale solar.

In February 2021 Far North Solar Farm applied for resource consent for a 16 MW farm at Pukenui on the Aupouri Peninsula in Northland. The development subsequently stalled due to a lack of network capacity.

In 2021, Kea Energy commissioned a solar power plant in the Wairau Valley in Marlborough with a potential capacity of 2.2 MW, with current plans to build capacity up to 1.85 MW as at March 2021. In June 2021, the Todd Corporation commissioned a 2.1 MW solar plant at Kapuni in south Taranaki. The facility includes 5800 solar panels and was claimed to be the largest grid-connected solar plant at the time.

In December 2021 Christchurch Airport announced it would be hosting a 150 MW plant at Kōwhai Park, to be scaled up over 30 years. On 30 December 2021 Island Green Power announced plans for a 200 MW solar farm in Waikato. In April 2022 Helios Energy announced plans for a series of farms with a combined output of 1 GW. In May 2022 Far North Solar Farm announced a partnership with offshore investment fund Aquila Capital to build 1 GW of generation.

In May 2021 Lodestone Energy announced plans for five solar farms in the upper North Island, capable of generating 400 GWh annually. The 32 MWp Kohirā solar farm, northwest of Kaitaia, began generating electricity in November 2023. As the first solar farm to exceed 10 MW, Kohirā was also the first required to participate in the wholesale electricity market.

As of September 2026, grid operator Transpower has 58 solar projects totalling 10,432 MW in its generation pipeline. Of those, fifteen projects totalling 2,382 MW are in the delivery stage (i.e. detailed design or construction).

Operating

Under construction

Proposed

Only solar plants over 5 MW generating capacity are listed, or if the generating capacity is unknown, plants covering an area of at least 10 hectares (25 acres).