Wānaka solar provider solarZero has become the first solar energy company in New Zealand to achieve carbon-positive status.

The company has recently been awarded the exclusive Climate Positive Organisation Certification by independent environmental action group Toitū Envirocare. The accreditation is granted to environmentally responsible companies that reduce, offset and mitigate carbon emissions and adhere to international best practice.

solarZero senior marketing manager Liesel Rowe says the certification process involved a comprehensive audit and assessment of the business and its supply chain carbon emissions.

“We’re passionate about sustainability and having external standards such as the Toitū certification enables us to lead the way as an environmentally responsible business,” she says. “Our goal is to accelerate New Zealand’s transition to 100 per cent renewable energy that is attainable for all New Zealanders. This accreditation confirms we are on the right track to achieving that.”

solarZero was founded by former Greenpeace board director Andy Booth to bring affordable solar energy to homes through a subscription-model energy service. The service works to reduce carbon emissions while saving homeowners money on electricity bills.

Nearly 10,000 households across the country are already connected to the solarZero service which is opening its first Southern Lakes office in Wānaka this winter.

“It makes perfect sense for us to base ourselves in Wānaka. We know that the Southern Lakes and the Upper Clutha are incredible, pristine natural landscapes and the people living within them are highly environmentally aware,” says Liesel. “Wānaka is an area in growth mode which puts pressure on the main electricity grid. The region also experiences some of the highest sunshine hours in the country so solar energy is a natural solution.”

She says while New Zealand is powered by a high level of renewable energy in the form of hydro, wind and solar, the energy and industry sectors make up over a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

“If the government is to achieve its carbon zero target by 2050, greater capacity for additional renewable energy will be required. Working collaboratively, every solarZero customer is doing their bit in the fight against climate change.”