Rooftop solar ‘symmetrical tariffs’ wanted to boost uptake

Experts are seeking policy change after SolarZero announced it might be closing down.

SolarZero, which provides solar power systems with no upfront costs but multi-year leases, was put in liquidation.

Lightforce Solar managing director John Harman told Nine To Noon New Zealand rooftop solar adoption was lagging behind many other countries, says RNZ.

“We have 3% of our houses with rooftop solar. Most OECD countries have 20%,” Harman says.

Australia is even further ahead with close to 30% of houses equipped with rooftop solar, which made up 20%of the grid, he says.

People need to be better compensated for supporting the electricity grid through rooftop solar through “symmetrical tariffs”, says Harman, adding supportive policy doesn’t exist here.

Harman reckons battery storage can also help to provide grid stability and should be compensated as well.

He says he wants a level playing field.

“When a retailer brings power from down south to my house in Auckland, they lose 8% in the transmission,” says Harman.

“If that retailer bought power off me at fair price and sold it to my neighbour, they’d be making 8% on the transaction.”

Grid changes would be needed to  allow households with rooftop solar to feed back into it, he says.

“Our energy system was set up by engineers 25 years ago, before renewables were around, and now it needs completely redoing.”

Sustainable Electricity Association chief executive Brendan Winitana told Nine To Noon rooftop solar can help deal with many of issues facing the New Zealand electricity grid.

If we look at what has transpired this year in the energy sector – we still have prices going up, we’ve got lines companies and Transpower rates – the Commerce Commission has agreed that their rates can be increased by a certain percentage on their regulated return – we have a pylon that fell over, we have storage issues. So security of supply is an issue, resilience will continue to be an issue.”

Rooftop solar with a two-way grid system is the best solution for these resilience and security of supply issues, says Winitana, adding an energy taskforce is reviewing these and other issues with the aim of increasing uptake of batteries and rooftop solar.