New Zealand Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend
New Zealand generated 490 GWh of electricity from solar in 2025, 1.1% of its total, according to Ember. That made it the 86th largest solar power producer in 2025 of the 181 countries with Ember data, comparing each country's latest year. Solar supplied 8.8% of the world's electricity in 2025. These are annual statistics for 2025, with monthly figures through September 2026; they are compiled from national sources and are not real time.
Key Facts
- New Zealand generated 490 GWh of electricity from solar in 2025.
- Solar supplied 1.1% of New Zealand's electricity in 2025.
- New Zealand was the 86th largest solar power producer in 2025 among the 181 countries with Ember data, comparing each country's latest year.
- New Zealand's solar generation in 2025 was 206% higher than in 2020, when it was 160 GWh.
- New Zealand's solar generation in 2025 was 12 times the 2015 level of 40.0 GWh.
- 2025 was New Zealand's highest year for solar generation in Ember's records, which start in 2000.
- New Zealand's solar share in 2025 was below the world share of 8.8%.
- New Zealand had 840 MW of solar generating capacity in 2025.
Key Figures, 2025
| Measure | Value | As of / source |
|---|---|---|
| Solar generation | 490 GWh | 2025 · Ember |
| Share of New Zealand's electricity | 1.1% | 2025 · Ember |
| World share of solar | 8.8% | 2025 · Ember |
| Rank by solar generation (each country's latest year) | 86 of 181 | 2025 · Ember |
| Solar capacity | 840 MW | 2025 · Ember |
Solar Generation Year by Year
Ember annual statistics, 2000 to 2025| Year | Solar |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 0 TWh |
| 2001 | 0 TWh |
| 2002 | 0 TWh |
| 2003 | 0 TWh |
| 2004 | 0 TWh |
| 2005 | 0 TWh |
| 2006 | 0 TWh |
| 2007 | 0 TWh |
| 2008 | 0 TWh |
| 2009 | 0 TWh |
| 2010 | 0 TWh |
| 2011 | 0 TWh |
| 2012 | 0 TWh |
| 2013 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2014 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2015 | 40.0 GWh |
| 2016 | 60.0 GWh |
| 2017 | 80.0 GWh |
| 2018 | 100 GWh |
| 2019 | 130 GWh |
| 2020 | 160 GWh |
| 2021 | 210 GWh |
| 2022 | 280 GWh |
| 2023 | 370 GWh |
| 2024 | 370 GWh |
| 2025 | 490 GWh |
| Year | New Zealand | World |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| 2012 | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| 2013 | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | 1.1% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | 1.3% |
| 2017 | 0.2% | 1.8% |
| 2018 | 0.2% | 2.2% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | 2.6% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | 3.2% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | 3.7% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | 4.6% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | 5.6% |
| 2024 | 0.8% | 7.0% |
| 2025 | 1.1% | 8.8% |
| Year | Generation | Share | World share | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 490 GWh | 1.1% | 8.8% | 840 MW |
| 2024 | 370 GWh | 0.8% | 7.0% | 580 MW |
| 2023 | 370 GWh | 0.9% | 5.6% | 370 MW |
| 2022 | 280 GWh | 0.7% | 4.6% | 260 MW |
| 2021 | 210 GWh | 0.5% | 3.7% | 190 MW |
| 2020 | 160 GWh | 0.4% | 3.2% | 150 MW |
| 2019 | 130 GWh | 0.3% | 2.6% | 110 MW |
| 2018 | 100 GWh | 0.2% | 2.2% | 90 MW |
| 2017 | 80.0 GWh | 0.2% | 1.8% | 70 MW |
| 2016 | 60.0 GWh | 0.1% | 1.3% | 50 MW |
Full year by year history for New Zealand
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025. World shares are Ember's World totals; ranks compare each country's latest year, which can differ between countries.
Solar Generation Month by Month
Ember monthly statistics through September 2026| Month | Solar |
|---|---|
| 2024-10 | n/a |
| 2024-11 | n/a |
| 2024-12 | n/a |
| 2025-01 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2025-02 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2025-03 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2025-04 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2025-05 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2025-06 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2025-07 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2025-08 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2025-09 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2025-10 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2025-11 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2025-12 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2026-01 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2026-02 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2026-03 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2026-04 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2026-05 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2026-06 | 10.0 GWh |
| 2026-07 | 20.0 GWh |
| 2026-08 | 30.0 GWh |
| 2026-09 | 40.0 GWh |
Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of September 2026. Monthly figures for New Zealand can differ slightly from the annual totals.
Related
Cite this page
World Power Monitor. (2026). New Zealand Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend. https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/new-zealand/solar/
World Power Monitor. New Zealand Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend. Data as of 2026-09. Data from Ember. https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/new-zealand/solar/
@misc{wpm_countries_new_zealand_solar_2026,
title = {{New Zealand Solar Power: Generation, Share and Trend}},
author = {{World Power Monitor}},
year = {2026},
note = {Data as of 2026-09. Data from Ember.},
url = {https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/new-zealand/solar/}
} Permalink: https://worldpowermonitor.com/countries/new-zealand/solar/
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