SolarZero Challenge: Driving Climate Action Through Self-Service Solar Discovery

We want you to design an intuitive, interactive tool that allows customers to visit our website, input their home address, and instantly discover whether their property is suitable for solar installation. Your solution should calculate potential energy savings over the next 20-25 years, giving users a clear, personalized projection of how much they could save by switching to solar.

But we want you to think beyond just the basics. How can this tool offer a truly immersive experience that makes homeowners excited about going solar? How can it present data in a way that not only informs but also inspires action?

We encourage you to consider these areas:

Solar Suitability & Savings Calculator: Provide homeowners with instant feedback on their solar potential. Use open data, geospatial information, and solar irradiance data to determine suitability based on factors like location, roof structure, and sunlight exposure. Ensure that the savings estimate is accurate and personalized based on regional energy rates, household energy consumption, and other relevant metrics.

Panel Placement Visualization: Think beyond static images or numbers. We want homeowners to visualize where solar panels would go on their roof, allowing them to see a realistic and tailored layout based on their property’s features. How can we make this visualization feel engaging, easy to understand, and actionable? Consider leveraging 3D modeling, real-time data, or augmented reality to bring this to life.

Environmental Impact: Don’t just focus on savings. How can the tool demonstrate the homeowner’s environmental contribution by switching to solar? Consider ways to quantify their reduction in carbon emissions and energy use, showing how their choice aligns with New Zealand’s climate action goals and the broader United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Could this tool show users the tangible difference they are making in the fight against climate change?

Seamless User Journey: The tool needs to feel intuitive and user-friendly, guiding the homeowner through the entire discovery process in a clear and engaging way. How can we make this journey frictionless, informative, and inspiring? From entering an address to visualizing savings and environmental impact, the process should feel empowering.

We want you to think beyond traditional approaches to customer engagement. How can your solution elevate the customer experience while contributing to SolarZero’s ESG goals? What advanced techniques, such as data visualization, AI, or even gamification, could you integrate to make solar exploration more engaging? Could users compete or collaborate on community-wide solar goals, or explore energy-saving tips and tricks that boost their long-term sustainability efforts?

Your mission is to create a solution that “inspires action”. By simplifying solar discovery, you will be helping more homeowners make informed decisions, lowering barriers to adoption, and encouraging more people to switch to renewable energy. In doing so, you will be contributing to both SolarZero’s mission and global climate action goals. As a value add, we will prived a data set of where current systems are, do analysis on the types of homes etc and who know why not predict houses where solar would be good or likelyhood of adoption etc.

By reimagining how we communicate the benefits of solar, you will help SolarZero lead the way in renewable energy adoption. Let’s work together to create an interactive, engaging platform that empowers citizens to make a real impact on their carbon footprint while helping New Zealand achieve a sustainable, solar-powered future.