RD_037: EA EMI (2026) - Installed DG trends, NZ residential solar uptake to Jun 2026

Source

https://www.emi.ea.govt.nz/Retail/Reports/GUEHMT — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)

Summary

The Electricity Authority’s registry-based monthly series of New Zealand residential connections (ICPs) with installed solar, from September 2013 to 30 June 2026. This is the authoritative individual-level adoption record for household solar in New Zealand: the regulator’s own count of homes generating, drawn from the connection registry that distributors populate. It is the dataset behind the residential-solar figures in RD_026 (MBIE names EA distributed-generation data as its source).

Key thesis insights

  • 80,715 residential connections had solar installed at 30 June 2026, 4.0% of all residential connections (ICP uptake rate 3.99705%), totalling 457.9 MW with an average system size of 5.67 kW. RD_037
  • Adoption grew 63-fold in thirteen years: 1,287 residential solar connections in August 2013 to 80,715 in June 2026; 52,939 (end-2023), 64,012 (end-2024), 74,746 (end-2025). RD_037
  • The recent pace is 1,000-1,500 new residential connections per month (e.g. 1,231 in June 2026, 1,341 in May 2026), with new installations averaging ~8.7 kW. RD_037
  • Series integrity: end-2023 capacity 250.652 MW and end-2024 capacity 322.038 MW (+28.5%) in this series match the independently held RD_026 statement of 251 to 323 MW (+29%) exactly. EA’s November 2023 Solar/Other recategorisation adds minor noise to pre-2024 values; current-state counts are robust. RD_037

Notes

  • Related evidence. OT_115 carries the global cost declines behind this adoption (solar PV installed cost -87%, battery storage -93%, 2010 to 2024); OT_065 corroborates the count at an earlier date (“over 60,000” residential rooftop systems at September 2024, consistent with this series’ 64,012 at December 2024); RD_026 is the government statistical publication built on this data.
  • What an ICP is. One Installation Control Point is one metered connection, so the count approximates households with solar; residential means the connection carries no business ANZSIC code on the registry.
  • Verification. Headline figures read directly from the held CSV; anchor values cross-validated against RD_026 (verified).

Connections

Links to

Sources (3): OT_065 · OT_115 · RD_026

Referenced by

Sources (1): RD_039

EDT domains (1): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems