How Does Rooftop Solar Compare To Solar Farms In New Zealand?

• Scale – Solar Farms provide large generation capacity in one location. For example, some of the recently opened solar farms in New Zealand contain 60,000 solar panels, and produce around 50 GWh of energy annually.
• Low cost of production per unit of energy generated – due to the economy of scale.

• Consents – projects this big have to go through a consenting process which can take a long time,

• Space – 60,000 solar panels take up a lot of room. You need to have appropriate land, which leads to complicated debates about land use. It’s worth noting many solar farms can be multipurpose, for example still allowing for the farming of sheep.
• The biggest issue is our distribution infrastructure. As generation is at a different location to consumption, power needs to be moved via our transmission lines, and into our homes. There has been historic underinvestment in our national grid, and it is simply not able to cope with the increased consumption that comes with an electrified New Zealand. This means investing in solar farms, or any large-scale generation, only solves one piece of the puzzle.

• Lower installation cost.
• Doesn’t require large amounts of space.
• Much more accessible, as it can be installed almost anywhere.
• Reduced transmission issues as your power is produced locally.

• The most common barrier to rooftop solar is the upfront cost. However, most banks are currently offering low-interest green loans. Read more about what bank loans are available here.