Residential rooftop solar supplied a record 14% of Australia’s electricity this summer – contributing more than brown coal and more than large-scale wind farms and solar projects.
The total output of rooftop solar in Australia over the summer was 8,046 GWh, up 19.5% on the preceding year, according to the Clean Energy Council.
The Clean Energy Council says that an increase of 15% to 20% in Australian electricity bills in 2022 underpinned strong demand for rooftop solar. Rising power prices also made rooftop solar’s payback times even more attractive.
“We’re seeing a fundamental shift; consumers are becoming energy generators,” said Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Kane Thornton, noting that these figures only measure what enters the grid.
At the state level, rooftop solar generation in New South Wales jumped 35% from the preceding summer. Tasmania also saw a massive uptick, clocking a 31.7% jump from the previous year.
Home battery installations are also growing in Australia, with 7% of new solar systems now including batteries. In total, 2.8 GW of rooftop solar was installed in 2022.
This post appeared first on PV Magazine.
