Helping keep the lights on: pole top batteries in Tauranga

As urban intensification drives an increase in housing developments and more people put solar panels on their roofs, there can be constraints to electricity networks. 

In Tauranga’s Greerton suburb, some homes were experiencing voltage instability during busy evening periods. Some customers had been experiencing voltages as low as 182V - well below the regulatory limit of 216V. 

Innovative pilot – pole top batteries

The traditional fix would have involved replacing lines, installing additional transformers, and future-proofing the network through significant upgrades. 

Instead, Powerco tested whether distributed battery energy storage system (BESS) units could provide a faster, more flexible and cost-effective solution. Five pole-mounted BESS units were installed across Greerton in 2025 to help stabilise the electricity supply for local homes. Each unit combines an 85kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with a 40kVA inverter, capable of providing both active and reactive power support. 

The batteries are mounted on power poles in strategic locations to meet safety, compliance and community considerations. They store electricity and can release it when demand is high, helping to keep voltages stable across the neighbourhood. Their pole top design means they can be deployed without requiring extra land or resource consent - a key advantage over ground-mounted batteries. The units are also relocatable, meaning they can be redeployed to other parts of the network as demand shifts over time.

What we’ve seen so far

Early results from the pilot project show these batteries are making a difference, including: 

• Lights staying on during peak times 
• Transformers aren’t overloaded, helping them last longer 
• The network can handle more solar and other distributed energy sources 
• The solution costs less (around 54% cheaper) than traditional poles, lines and other electricity equipment, meaning better value for customers and is faster to deploy than traditional upgrades. 
  
  

Lessons learned 

The project has highlighted several important considerations: 

• Community engagement matters – early discussions with residents helped any address concerns about the new technology being in their neighbourhood. 
• Ongoing monitoring is essential – batteries require active supervision, with control settings required to be adjusted to suit seasonal changes. 
• Maintenance access is a challenge – pole top systems require bucket trucks and traffic management for servicing. 
• Integration with control systems will be key – future benefits will depend on automated management. 
  
  

Looking ahead 

While the pilot is ongoing, the findings so far suggest that pole top BESS can be a powerful tool to reduce the scale of traditional network upgrades, improve asset utilisation, enhance energy resilience in areas under pressure from growth or electrification, and have the potential to support greater uptake of distributed energy generation. 

As demand on New Zealand’s electricity networks continues to grow, flexible, distributed solutions like pole top BESS have the potential to play a critical role in ensuring reliable, cost-effective supply, while supporting the transition to a low-carbon future. 

Read the media release.