Rewiring Aotearoa has been advocating strongly for regulatory changes that would level the playing field for New Zealanders who have invested in solar and batteries and it was pleasing see the Minister respond with specific changes when asked by the Herald what he had planned.

“Reducing regulatory barriers and cutting through red tape to deliver affordable and secure electricity is a key part of our plan to rebuild the economy and double New Zealand’s supply of renewable electricity."

The Government is delivering a number of changes to support greater uptake of solar, Brown said, including:

• Updating more than 400 references to international standard in regulations to make it cheaper to install rooftop solar systems - many of these standards are outdated and adding significant cost to installing solar
• Increasing the regulated supply voltage range at which homes and businesses connect to electricity networks which will enable more generated distribution, such as rooftop solar

Additionally, the energy competition task force led by the Electricity Authority and Commerce Commission is also investigating a further two actions to support the uptake of household solar panels and batteries, Brown said.

• Requiring distributors to pay a rebate when consumers export electricity at peak times
• Requiring retailers to better reward consumers for supplying power

“Solar energy will play a key role in New Zealand’s future energy system and support the transition to a low emissions economy, and these changes together will help make it cheaper and easier to install solar including rooftop solar installations,” Brown said.

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