From farms to factories, rooftops to grid: Solar enters a new phase of structural growth
June 2025 has marked a quiet inflection point for solar in Aotearoa. It wasn’t just a month of project activity or positive data - it was a month that showed where the sector is going.
Across every layer of the market - utility-scale, rural, industrial, and residential - we’re seeing signals of structural change. Faster consenting, new rural financing, commercial adoption, and consistent monthly ICP volume are converging. The result? Solar is no longer riding a wave of uptake. It’s becoming embedded in how we power and plan the built environment.
This article unpacks the key developments - and what they mean for those building New Zealand’s renewable future.
Utility-scale momentum expands north and south
Lodestone begins South Island build
Lodestone Energy has begun construction on its first South Island project, a 43 GWh solar farm in Clandeboye, Canterbury. Targeting Q3 2026 generation, the site will help meet seasonal agricultural loads in a region historically dominated by hydro.
This is not just a new location. It’s a geographic signal. Utility-scale solar is now expanding beyond the traditional boundaries of sunny, high-demand zones. For Canterbury-based contractors and grid service providers, it may signal increased downstream work in trenching, cabling, and reactive power management.
Tauhei Solar Farm breaks new ground
At 202 MW, the Tauhei Solar Farm near Te Aroha is now the country’s largest project under construction. With a projected 280 GWh of annual generation and integrated sheep grazing across the site, it’s a new benchmark in scale and land-use integration.
The signal here is scale and legitimacy. Projects of this size require confidence in PPA structures, consenting durability, and grid capacity. Tauhei suggests those ingredients are increasingly present. And for regional councils and landowners, the case for dual-use land is growing stronger.
Lion NZ installs 1.2 MW rooftop system
Lion’s East Auckland brewery is adding a 2,424-panel rooftop system expected to generate 14.4 percent of the site’s energy needs. With a payback period under seven years, it’s a standout case for large-scale commercial rooftop solar.
Why it matters for installers: Commercial-scale rooftop projects are often logistically simpler than farms or free-field utility sites - but they require design precision and BOS efficiency. As more manufacturers face cost and decarbonisation pressure, expect similar profiles to follow.
Policy tailwinds: From permission to acceleration
Grid voltage and consenting rules updated
The government’s expansion of allowed low-voltage range from ±6% to ±10% unlocks additional hosting capacity for rooftop solar. Meanwhile, fast-track consenting cuts standard processing times for solar-ready homes in half.
This is more than housekeeping. These reforms directly remove two of the most cited friction points in residential solar: technical rejection and bureaucratic delay. For installers, it’s a prompt to revisit previously grid-constrained areas or refine pre-application processes to capitalise on faster approvals.
Solar on Farms initiative introduced
The Solar on Farms programme, announced this month, positions solar and battery storage as core tools for agricultural resilience. MBIE modelling suggests just 30% uptake across eligible farms could generate 10% of NZ’s current electricity demand.
This programme opens a new rural chapter. Farms are high-consumption, daylight-aligned, and physically well-suited to solar. For installers with rural reach - or distributors serving them - this initiative could shift solar from a boutique energy solution to mainstream agribusiness infrastructure.
Interest-free finance signals serious rural intent
ASB has introduced 0% interest loans for farm-based solar installations, up to $150,000 over five years. Based on system size modelling, lifetime savings could exceed $598,000 - assuming typical consumption profiles and pricing trends.
This is the missing piece. Awareness and technical suitability have long been present in the rural market. Now, the financial barrier is being removed. For solar businesses in provincial regions, it’s a strong prompt to accelerate rural customer education, quotation systems, and project scoping capability.
ICP data: Growth, depth, and a new industrial signal
Solar ICPs outpacing the grid 20 to 1
As of May 2025, there are 72,619 active solar ICPs in New Zealand - 3.11% of all connections. Since March 2023, solar connections have grown by 58%. Over the same period, overall ICP volumes have risen just 2.9%.
The interpretation here matters. Solar is not just keeping pace. It’s fundamentally reshaping the ICP profile of the country. And this shift isn’t being driven by mandates or subsidies — it’s being driven by market logic, energy economics, and customer choice.
Industrial adoption shows sharpest lift
Residential still leads the segment breakdown (67,056 ICPs), but May saw 70 new industrial solar ICPs - more than the commercial segment’s 40. Since March 2023, industrial penetration has more than doubled from 1.02% to 2.15%.
This is where eyes should turn next. Industrial adoption signals that solar is now compelling in large-scale, high-consumption environments. These customers care about load balancing, asset ROI, grid integration, and maintenance. For product suppliers and system designers, this means higher complexity - and bigger opportunity.
Solar drives nearly 40% of all new ICPs
In May 2025, 747 of the 1,981 new ICPs were solar-related. That’s 37.7% of the total. In April, the figure was 43.3%. This volume is no longer a spike. It’s a signal of baseline demand.
For the installer channel, this kind of stability supports long-term hiring, stock planning, and territory development. Whether you're designing bespoke residential setups or large-scale three-phase systems, the pipeline remains strong and commercially sustainable.
Technology spotlight: LONGi HIBC sets a new bar
LONGi’s new Hybrid Interdigitated Back-Contact module has officially broken the 700 W barrier, delivering 25.9% module efficiency and 34 W/m² more power density than competitors in the same class - all while reducing total footprint.
Here’s the real opportunity. For space-constrained commercial rooftops and premium architectural installs, this product allows designers to optimise energy density without expanding system size. It’s not just a hardware upgrade - it’s a new design tool.
As uptake increases, BOS compatibility, pricing, and warranty terms will determine adoption rates. But for technically advanced installers, it’s a clear step forward.
Rise Energy’s perspective: The shift is underway
Across the month’s announcements, a common thread emerges: this isn’t just growth. It’s diversification.
Solar is moving beyond the suburban home. It’s becoming embedded in agriculture, embedded in manufacturing, and embedded in regional infrastructure planning. From 0% farm loans to three-digit MW projects, the market is now signalling readiness - both financially and operationally.
At Rise Energy, we work with the installers, integrators, and partners making that shift possible. Whether you’re quoting a dairy farm, scoping a hybrid site, or scaling up your commercial offering, we’re here to help with world-leading products, technical insight, and grounded market guidance.
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