{"id":65999,"date":"2024-09-16T12:45:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T00:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=65999"},"modified":"2025-05-20T12:52:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T00:52:47","slug":"rooftop-solar-would-help-solve-energy-crisis-build-disaster-resilience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/rooftop-solar-would-help-solve-energy-crisis-build-disaster-resilience\/","title":{"rendered":"More rooftop solar in NZ cities would help solve the energy crisis \u2013 and build disaster\u00a0resilience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>New Zealand\u2019s current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/national\/526233\/new-zealand-has-an-energy-security-crisis-christopher-luxon\">electricity supply crisis<\/a> requires immediate solutions.<\/p>\n\n<p>But we argue the government\u2019s emphasis on importing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beehive.govt.nz\/release\/urgent-action-taken-bolster-energy-security\">natural gas<\/a> and construction of centralised <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nzherald.co.nz\/nz\/politics\/government-investment-unlocks-more-solar\/TCQFYZRK3JGOBESZ267H7MUWQE\/\">solar farms<\/a> is a missed opportunity.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res-1024x683.jpg\" title=\"Twenty four photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Greenpeace New Zealand building, help generate electricity for the office. Any surplus can be feed back into the grid. The panels were installed in 2009 as part of an ongoing program of environmental management and improvement within the organisation.\" alt=\"Twenty four photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Greenpeace New Zealand building, help generate electricity for the office. Any surplus can be feed back into the grid. The panels were installed in 2009 as part of an ongoing program of environmental management and improvement within the organisation.\" class=\"wp-image-60723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Twenty four photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Greenpeace New Zealand building, help generate electricity for the office. Any surplus can be feed back into the grid. The panels were installed in 2009 as part of an ongoing program of environmental management and improvement within the organization. \nOne of Auckland&#8217;s volcanic cones, Mt Eden, can be seen in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/national\/526253\/gas-not-the-way-out-of-an-energy-crisis-expert-warns\">case against gas<\/a> has been highly publicised because of its greenhouse gas emissions and substantial costs.<\/p>\n\n<p>But the government\u2019s focus on large solar infrastructure in rural areas, away from our main centres, misses a chance to address two urgent issues at once \u2013 the need to cut emissions and to adapt to climate impacts.<\/p>\n\n<p>Instead, we should plan local renewable energy generation, integrated into communities, to improve New Zealand\u2019s energy security and disaster preparedness.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-centralised-versus-decentralised-energy-systems\">Centralised versus decentralised energy systems<\/h2>\n\n<p>Centralised renewable electricity generation using large-scale hydro, wind and solar infrastructure helps to cut emissions and move New Zealand closer towards a fully renewable grid. These projects can be implemented quickly and are a positive step.<\/p>\n\n<p>However, we must also focus on climate change adaptation. Creating more renewable electricity alone won\u2019t help during power outages, which might become more frequent due to <a href=\"https:\/\/niwa.co.nz\/climate-change-information-climate-solvers\/climate-change-and-possible-impacts-new-zealand#infrastructure\">climate-related extreme weather events<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>During Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/national\/498893\/cyclone-gabrielle-electricity-outages-beyond-transpower-s-control-commerce-commission\">almost 234,000 homes lost power<\/a>, some for over a week.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/02\/fdfd8ce4-gabrielle_cleanup_havelock_north_2023-1024x682.jpg\" title=\"A street in Havelock North in clean up mode after suffering from a burst river bank flowing behind several houses. Members of the community and HMNZS Te Mana aided with the clean up.\" alt=\"A street in Havelock North in clean up mode after suffering from a burst river bank flowing behind several houses. Members of the community and HMNZS Te Mana aided with the clean up.\" class=\"wp-image-62380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/02\/fdfd8ce4-gabrielle_cleanup_havelock_north_2023-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/02\/fdfd8ce4-gabrielle_cleanup_havelock_north_2023-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/02\/fdfd8ce4-gabrielle_cleanup_havelock_north_2023-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/02\/fdfd8ce4-gabrielle_cleanup_havelock_north_2023-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/02\/fdfd8ce4-gabrielle_cleanup_havelock_north_2023.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A street in Havelock North in clean up mode after suffering from a burst river bank flowing behind several houses. Members of the community and HMNZS Te Mana aided with the clean up.\n<\/figcaption><figcaption><div class=\"credit icon-left\"> \u00a9 SGT Vanessa Parker\/NZ Defense Force<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>Solar technologies offer opportunities to distribute electricity generation and storage by integrating power into buildings and cities. Bringing electricity generation close to where it is used helps to increase resilience during extreme weather events and other disruptions to power lines, <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/87552930211020020\">including earthquakes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>Although large solar farms generate clean electricity at scale, they keep generation far away from where it is used. This applies new technologies in an old-fashioned way, centralising power generation in a few locations, controlled by a handful of companies.<\/p>\n\n<p>Government policies and incentives could help to integrate solar generation into communities to create resilient places, with access to their own power during natural disasters and outages.<\/p>\n\n<p>For instance, integrating solar panels into schools, public buildings, hospitals and homes would enhance resilience, especially for our most vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n\n<p>While there are already some projects of this type through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seanz.org.nz\/all_about_the_new_zealand_solar_schools_programme\">New Zealand Solar Schools Project<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbie.govt.nz\/building-and-energy\/energy-and-natural-resources\/low-emissions-economy\/energy-efficiency-in-new-zealand\/community-renewable-energy-fund\">Community Renewable Energy Fund<\/a>, much more could be done. Instead of using productive farmland distant from communities, we could better utilise the many rooftops and walls available in cities.<\/p>\n\n<p>Even though solar power\u2019s peak generation around midday does not align with peak electricity demand in New Zealand, every small solar system connected to the grid contributes. At the national scale, the water flowing into hydro lakes could be <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/nzs-electricity-market-is-a-mess-rolling-out-rooftop-solar-would-change-the-game-236943\">held back in the dams to meet evening peaks in demand<\/a> when solar is no longer available.<\/p>\n\n<p>SolarZero\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.co.nz\/2024\/02\/27\/solar-virtual-power-plant-a-vision-of-a-future-zero-carbon-grid\/\">virtual power plant<\/a>, made up of thousands of home batteries, is already helping New Zealand get through cold snaps by feeding electricity to the grid. Photovoltaics have become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rewiring.nz\/electric-homes-report\">significantly more affordable<\/a> and there are many finance options available. But these technologies are still not accessible for many households, especially rental properties.<\/p>\n\n<p>Policies and incentives could make it easier for everyone to afford solar-powered homes. Having public buildings with solar panels in every community would enable basic access to energy for everyone.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-potential-of-distributed-solar-power\">Potential of distributed solar power<\/h2>\n\n<p>To visualise how solar infrastructures could be distributed in cities, we use the size of New Zealand\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/business\/515054\/building-begins-on-nz-s-largest-solar-farm-in-canterbury\">largest solar farm<\/a> as an example.<\/p>\n\n<p>With a total land area of 93 hectares and 63 megawatts of capacity, the solar plant will generate enough renewable energy to power approximately 13,000 homes. We explore how this land area could be distributed on Auckland\u2019s rooftops.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/618934\/original\/file-20240911-18-718kfw.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A map of Auckland marks the sites of the city's 14 largest buildings, which have a rooftop area equal to the largest solar farm.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The rooftops of 14 of Auckland\u2019s largest buildings have the same land area as New Zealand\u2019s largest solar farm. Andrew Burgess, <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>The map above applies the total land area of the solar farm to 14 of the largest building rooftops in Auckland.<\/p>\n\n<p>The map below distributes this power more evenly to communities by utilising the rooftops of schools and supermarkets, totalling 167 buildings.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/618935\/original\/file-20240911-20-6xwzh7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A map of Auckland showing the sites of 167 public buildings whose rooftops add up to the same area as the largest solar farm.\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The rooftops of 167 schools and supermarkets would be equivalent to New Zealand\u2019s largest solar farm. Andrew Burgess, <a href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>Both scenarios show how we could better utilise the space available on rooftops in our cities. The second scenario presents a higher potential of creating resilient communities due to its geographical distribution; these places could help locals during power outages.<\/p>\n\n<p>Locally generated solar power is key to resilient, sustainable cities and New Zealand\u2019s transition to a zero-carbon future. Decentralised renewable energy, especially building-integrated solar power, brings power generation closer to consumption.<\/p>\n\n<p>In a country subject to multiple natural hazards, investment in solar for public buildings and homes could bring several benefits for disaster resilience and climate change mitigation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t<section\n\t\t\tclass=\"boxout post-65568 \"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Image\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"cover-card-overlay\"\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/petition-choose-clean-energy-future\/\" \n\t\t\t><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/08\/b684e0fe-gp0su1t4w_medium-res-1200px-1024x683.jpg\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsrcset=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/08\/b684e0fe-gp0su1t4w_medium-res-1200px-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/08\/b684e0fe-gp0su1t4w_medium-res-1200px-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/08\/b684e0fe-gp0su1t4w_medium-res-1200px-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/08\/b684e0fe-gp0su1t4w_medium-res-1200px-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2024\/08\/b684e0fe-gp0su1t4w_medium-res-1200px.jpg 1200w\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tsizes=\"(min-width: 1000px) 358px, (min-width: 780px) 313px, 88px\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\talt=\"activist in a dinghy holding up sign saying No New Gas\" title=\"activist in a dinghy holding up sign saying No New Gas\"\n\t\t\t\t\/>\n            \t\t\t<div class=\"boxout-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"boxout-heading medium\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-action=\"Title\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/petition-choose-clean-energy-future\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPETITION: STOP THE LNG TERMINAL\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"boxout-excerpt\">We call on the Government to reject plans for an LNG facility, invest in renewables &amp; embrace a Clean Energy Future for NZ<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t                                    <a\n                        class=\"btn btn-primary\"\n                        data-ga-category=\"Take Action Boxout\"\n                        data-ga-action=\"Call to Action\"\n                        data-ga-label=\"n\/a\"\n                        href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/petition\/petition-choose-clean-energy-future\/\"\n                        \n                    >\n                        Add my name\n                    <\/a>\n                \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>We would like to acknowledge the contribution by Kyle Paala, who worked on this research project as part of his Masters in Architecture.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/priscila-besen-1512598\">Priscila Besen<\/a>, Lecturer in Sustainable Architecture, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/auckland-university-of-technology-1137\">Auckland University of Technology<\/a><\/em>; <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/andrew-burgess-2204983\">Andrew Burgess<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/auckland-university-of-technology-1137\">Auckland University of Technology<\/a><\/em>; <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/ann-morrison-2207186\">Ann Morrison<\/a>, Associate Professor in Interactive Design, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/auckland-university-of-technology-1137\">Auckland University of Technology<\/a><\/em>; <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/imelda-piri-2206868\">Imelda Piri<\/a>, Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/auckland-university-of-technology-1137\">Auckland University of Technology<\/a><\/em>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/stacy-vallis-2206881\">Stacy Vallis<\/a>, Lecturer in Architecture , <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/auckland-university-of-technology-1137\">Auckland University of Technology<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/more-rooftop-solar-in-cities-would-help-solve-nzs-energy-crisis-and-build-disaster-resilience-238193\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"has-beige-100-background-color has-background has-medium-font-size\">This article\u00a0is a guest post and doesn&#8217;t necessarily represent the views of Greenpeace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Zealad\u2019s current electricity supply crisis requires immediate solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":60723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[16,29],"p4-page-type":[6],"class_list":["post-65999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greenpeace","tag-climate","tag-clean-energy","p4-page-type-story"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>More rooftop solar in NZ cities would help solve the energy crisis \u2013 and build disaster\u00a0resilience<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/rooftop-solar-would-help-solve-energy-crisis-build-disaster-resilience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More rooftop solar in NZ cities would help solve the energy crisis \u2013 and build disaster\u00a0resilience\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New Zealad\u2019s current electricity supply crisis requires immediate solutions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/rooftop-solar-would-help-solve-energy-crisis-build-disaster-resilience\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Greenpeace Aotearoa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/greenpeace.nz\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-16T00:45:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T00:52:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-aotearoa-stateless\/2023\/08\/74264f11-gp04ma6_medium_res.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nick Young\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GreenpeaceNZ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GreenpeaceNZ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nick Young\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/rooftop-solar-would-help-solve-energy-crisis-build-disaster-resilience\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/rooftop-solar-would-help-solve-energy-crisis-build-disaster-resilience\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nick Young\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/#\/schema\/person\/cd74b3cb7be5f23213b8b83730534221\"},\"headline\":\"More rooftop solar in NZ cities would help solve the energy crisis \u2013 and build 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