Source
https://www.mysolarquotes.co.nz/blog/solar-power-news-in-new-zealand/the-hidden-economics-of-solar-and-battery-systems-in-new-zealand-2024-insights/ — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
My Solar Quotes (2025) — Hidden Economics of Solar & Battery Systems in NZ
The PRIMARY source behind the model's $1,249.79/kWh battery benchmark — and it reveals that figure rests on only 16 respondents
The My Solar Quotes annual NZ price survey (Kristy Hoare, 28 Jan 2025) — the original web source for the NZD
1,249.79/kWh residential-battery average that the model carries via the [[cr_008_nz-battery-storage-cost-2024-2025|CR_008]] synthesis (and uses for `battery_lfp.cost_value` 1250). Retrieving it upgrades that number from synthesis to primary — and surfaces the key limitation: the battery average is from **only 16 of 96 respondents**. Also gives a NZ solar-PV/kW table by system size. Self-selected survey → data_quality: medium.
Summary
The My Solar Quotes 2024 price survey (published Jan 2025) of NZ residential solar and battery buyers — 96 respondents who used the MySolarQuotes.co.nz quote service, of whom 16 supplied battery cost data. It is the primary source behind the 1,249.79/kWh** residential-battery benchmark and the **700–1,300/kWh framing that the wiki currently holds via the CR_008 Perplexity synthesis. Its enduring NI value is (a) closing the provenance gap on that benchmark, (b) the explicit small-sample caveat, and (c) a NZ solar-PV cost-by-size table showing clear economies of scale.
Key claims
- claim: "NZ residential battery cost (2024 survey, n=16 of 96 respondents): average $1,249.79/kWh on an average 11.79 kWh battery (average total $14,396); lowest recorded $8,000 for a 6 kWh battery (~$1,333/kWh); best value $9,000 for 9.6 kWh = $937.50/kWh; sub-$1,000/kWh is achievable. ⚠ The headline $1,249.79/kWh average rests on only 16 datapoints — a small, self-selected sample."
source_location: "Battery cost section"
- claim: "NZ solar-PV installed cost by system size (2024): $/kW falls from $2,601 (4–4.9 kW) to $1,901 (11–12 kW) — ~27% cheaper per kW at larger scale; typical system 7 kW at $16,492 (~$2,263/kW). A 3 kW system fell from ~$10,000 (early 2024) to ~$8,000 (year-end)."
source_location: "Solar PV cost-by-system-size table"
- claim: "Market context: no NZ government solar/battery incentives; ~1 in 3 buyers add a battery to solar; 2025 prices forecast roughly flat for both PV and batteries (manufacturing gains offset material costs); global panel prices fell ~50% in 2023 but NZ saw more modest decreases due to the small market."
source_location: "Outlook & context section"Neobiome Intelligence relevance
This resolves the provenance gap on the model’s battery capex. The NI engine uses battery_lfp.cost_value = 1250 NZD/kWh, sourced via CR_008 to “MySolarQuotes 2024 (1,249.79/kWh average)" — this is that primary, now directly held and citable. ⚠ **Critical caveat it surfaces:** the 1,249.79/kWh average is from only 16 respondents (not the full 96) — a thin, self-selected basis for a load-bearing capex input. That materially strengthens the case for RT_089 (gather 3+ actual NZ installer quotes for a 100 kWh community battery at pilot specs) before relying on this number for community-scale design, and it argues for treating 1250 NZD/kWh as a residential-scale point estimate with wide uncertainty, not a community-scale value (community scale also carries the 30–60% installation uplift noted in CR_008). The solar-PV /kW table independently corroborates the model's `pv_roof.cost_value` ~2500 NZD/kWp (CR_008/OT_066/067) and adds an empirical economies-of-scale gradient (−27% /kW from 4→12 kW). Resolves RT_091.
Research targets
Research gaps
- RT_091 (RESOLVED → this page): the MySolarQuotes primary behind the $1,249.79/kWh benchmark is now held and characterised; the n=16 battery sample is documented.
- RT_089 (reinforced): the small (n=16) battery sample makes the case for ≥3 actual NZ community-scale installer quotes stronger, not weaker.
Connections
Links to
Sources (1): CR_008
Referenced by
Sources (3): CR_024 · LIT_073 · URL_011
EDT domains (1): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems