Nelson the solar capital of NZ

Nelson is aiming to be the solar capital of New Zealand. For the first nineteen months of the Solar Saver scheme the Council received 286 building consent applications to install solar hot water, compared to an average of 20 to 60 a year prior to the introduction of the Solar Saver scheme.

Increasing the use of solar hot water systems is expected to have considerable benefits to the wider community.

  • Shift spending locally - not only do the installations bring money to the local economy (including $187,000 to date in EECA subsidies) but there will be an estimated $160,000 saved on power bills each year that will result in more money being spent locally rather than going to power companies.
  • Helping the solar industry in Nelson - economic benefits for our local industry
  • Build community resilience - the Nelson community can become less vulnerable to security of power supply and increasing prices.
  • Showing Nelson as an innovative leader - taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging clean green renewable energy.
  • Using our natural resources - Nelson is known for its sunshine hours (sunniest place in New Zealand) and solar systems harness this huge, free resource.

Council is also committed to using solar power wherever feasible on Council facilities.

  • Installing solar hot water provides quality of life benefits such as being able to use more hot water that you generate yourself from the renewable energy of the sun without feeling guilty about paying for it.
  • People installing solar hot water are contributing to the reduction in green house gases with each installation reducing CO2 emissions by an average of 1.26 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, compared to using a standard electric hot water tank. (Assuming an emission factor for water heating of 0.56 t CO2-e/MWh, - sourced from EECA)
  • Installing solar hot water contributes to the local economy and to regional energy security by using a local renewable energy source. It also helps to delay or reduce the need for new power generation and the economic and environmental cost that this imposes.