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Rewiring Aotearoa has long argued that there were arbitrary restrictions on the amount of power those with rooftop solar could export to the grid and that was leading to smaller systems and savings - and higher electricity prices for everyone else. We said we'd be keeping an eye on the networks to ensure they followed the Government's recommendations so it's pleasing to see Aurora double its export limit for households from 5kw to 10kw.
Aurora Energy is one of the first electricity distribution businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand to increase the limit on how much solar power households can export back to the grid.
The change is a response to strong customer growth across the Otago network and follows the Government’s plans to expand the voltage range from +/- 6 percent to +/- 10 percent.
Aurora Energy’s recent smart meter data trial, along with mandated inverter voltage control, gives confidence that the export limit can be raised ahead of the Government’s increase in voltage limits.
It means that from 1 August 2025, Aurora Energy will raise its limit to allow Single Phase Domestic Connections to export up to 10 kW of electricity. The current limit on the network is 5 kW.
Chief Executive Richard Fletcher says the change represents the lines company’s move towards a smart and future-ready network that encourages greater adoption of renewable energy while still maintaining grid safety and stability.
Increasing the export limit can make the value proposition for investing in solar and battery technology more appealing to homeowners, by enabling excess domestically generated power to be exported into the network, thereby generating income.
“This change is one of the examples of Aurora Energy leading the way in enabling smarter, more sustainable energy solutions,” Mr Fletcher says.
“By increasing solar export limits, we’re not just responding to customer demand, but showing how electricity distribution businesses can support the transition to renewable energy.”
Technical details
When Mike Casey bought his house near Cromwell, it came with gas bottles on the side of the home for water and an expensive diesel system for the underfloor heating. He replaced both of them with a Steibel Eltron system and it's been saving him money ever since. As technical manager Bhawesh Singh told him at the Electrify Queenstown conference, there has been a big influx in enquiries from homes looking to get off the molecules and onto electrons.
Read moreDownloadConfidence that cutting regulations to make solar power more accessible - won't jeopardise people's safety. A new Regulation Ministry reports laid out a potential blueprint to legalise plug-in solar and reduce the time and cost of panel installation. Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey shares his thoughts with Andrew Dickens.
The burgeoning demand for solar was also a chance to address a mismatch between the numbers of training opportunities available and young people searching for work, Casey said. "The mums of New Zealand are telling me that there's not enough apprenticeships for their kids and the solar installers of New Zealand are telling me there's not enough trained people."
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