Sunergise has completed the largest rooftop solar system currently operating in New Zealand, officially switched on a 5.3 MW grid-connected PV system mounted across Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s administration and manufacturing campus in Auckland.

Spanning approximately 70,000 m2 across two buildings and featuring 8,273 solar modules, the system is more than twice the size of the country’s previous largest rooftop array, the 2.3 MW array installed by Sunergise at Mānawa Bay shopping centre at Auckland Airport.

The Fisher & Paykel project took nine months to build and was delivered under Sunergise’s SunPlus Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), meaning Fisher & Paykel Healthcare pays only for the electricity generated, with no upfront capital cost.

The completion of the project comes with New Zealand’s solar sector growing rapidly. Industry research suggests installed solar capacity will triple from 860 MW in 2026 to more than 2,100 MW by 2031, with commercial and industrial rooftop adoption accelerating as businesses seek to reduce electricity costs and meet sustainability targets.

Sunergise Chief Executive Officer Paul Makumbe said the Fisher & Paykel project sets a new standard for what is possible in New Zealand’s energy sector and serves as a replicable model for large energy users who want to lower energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.

“This is a landmark project for New Zealand. A 5.3 MW system on the rooftop of one of the country’s most recognised companies shows what’s possible when businesses commit to clean energy at scale,” he said.

The new rooftop system is expected to generate more than 6,600 MWh of clean energy per year. It will also offset more than 486 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Jonti Rhodes, vice president of supply chain, facilities and sustainability at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, said the project shows what the renewable energy future looks like, adding that shifting a significant portion of the company’s energy consumption to solar power has already proven a smart business strategy.

“Investing in renewables is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smartest business strategy to implement,” he said. “Hopefully this serves as an example to other New Zealand businesses.”