Rooftop solar supplied record 14% of Australia’s electricity this summer

PV Tech:

Distributed rooftop solar fulfilled 14% of Australia’s energy consumption this summer, a record level exceeding all other renewable sources and brown coal generation.

According to Australia’s Clean Energy Council (CEC), rooftop PV produced 8,046GWh of power this summer, representing a 19.5% year-on-year increase. Crucially, this figure only counts power fed into the grid, with a significant amount presumably being used for personal consumption as well. Over three million businesses and homes now have rooftop PV deployed, the CEC said.

New South Wales produced the most power – 2,216GWh, a 30% year-on-year increase – followed by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The latter actually contributed the most to the overall national generation, accounting for 27.6% of all rooftop solar power fed into the grid.

The analysis also showed that battery storage systems were included in 7% of the new rooftop PV added in 2022. Systems have become more financially attractive and viable, as rising energy prices have shortened the time by which newly installed systems begin to ‘pay for themselves’.

[Will Norman]

More: Australian rooftop solar exceeded all other renewable energy sources in record summer