Australian Solar Installations Updates on Rooftop Solar

Australian Solar Installations Updates on Rooftop Solar

Growth in Solar rooftop PV has gained high volumes of popularity increasing by 30% each month according to the CEC report 2019. Recently, rooftop solar PV systems in Australia hit the two million mark in solar installations. This indicates Australia is currently a leader-by example in the solar industry. Rooftop PV solar is an industry that is taking off in the industrial and commercial side of the industry. A study made by UNSW (University of NSW) stated that Australia is currently using less than 5% of the potential capacity for rooftop PV solar.

Statistically, around half of the unused potential for rooftop PV solar is seen in residential zones throughout Australia. It may be assumed that the dense regions or popular regions for solar power would be capital cities and urban areas. This is not the case unfortunately, around half of the unused potential for rooftop PV solar is available in residential zones throughout metro regions. The largest official areas which primarily see rooftop PV solar can be found in rural zones of the country. Now, when it comes to commercial and industrial zones, rooftop solar is a growing industry.

According to the CEC annual 2019 report, there is yet to be more growth in the Commercial and industrial zones for rooftop solar. New larger-scale solar projects are booming more than previously seen and renewable energy continues to be the most efficient low-cost type of energy generation. As of 2018, clean energy was responsible for powering an equivalent of 10 million Aussie homes.
The continuing price hike in electricity prices is never far from news headlines due to its ever-fluctuating prices. Rooftop PV solar homes are growing by the dozens to further assist in managing household costs. As of 2018, a study conducted by CER confirmed that 1 in 5 Australian households were running under a rooftop solar system. This only concretes the growing popularity and trust the nation has in Solar PV systems.   

In the 2019 CEC snapshot of the solar report, a significant 45% growth in commercial solar installations occurred in 2018! which is essentially 6 solar panels being installed every waking minute!

Source: CEC Annual report 2019 p. 10.

As you can see from the source above, rooftop solar PV is growing in popularity in each varying state. The source indicates that Tasmania is the highest-grossing state in Australia with a whopping 95.9% growth rate in rooftop solar in both the commercial and residential field. Following not too far behind from Tasmania is South Australia (SA)  currently sitting on 53.0% renewables penetrating the state 2018.                                                                                                                                            

The growth of rooftop solar over the coming years has fluctuated depending on government schemes and rising costs of electricity. Solar installations, particularly in Victoria was a constant flow but sharply dropped due to the recent Victorian solar rebate. Whist other states continue to boom, penetration in Solar PV systems continue to prosper.

Source: How much rooftop solar can be installed in Australia? p. 7.

As can be seen from the figure above, solar penetration is continuously booming in the various states around Australia. Solar penetration data shows in this chart that approximately 1 in 3 of all houses in SA and QLD have Solar PV installation.

Moreover, the recent rooftop solar report 2019 indicates that majority of PV installations in Australia are residential, rooftop solar on commercial buildings is now growing.

Source: How much rooftop solar can be installed in Australia? p. 8.

The chart indicates that the commercial space in solar has growth evenly throughout the years. The chart indicates that NSW leads with QLD and Victoria each approaching next.

All in all, rooftop solar in Australia is booming and will continue to grow as the demand for it will continue due to electricity hikes and growth in metropolitan and regional infrastructure.

 

Article Source:

Clean Energy Council 2019, ‘Clean Energy Australia Report 2019’, Clean Energy Council website pdf, retrieved 22 August 2019, < https://assets.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/documents/resources/reports/clean-energy-australia/clean-energy-australia-report-2019.pdf>.

University of NSW 2019, ‘How much rooftop solar can be installed in Australia?’, website pdf, retrieved 2 August 2019, <,https://www.cefc.com.au/media/402125/isf-rooftop-solar-potential-report-final_.pdf>.

 

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