Household Rooftop Solar Boom!

Since Australia’s climate policy shift over a decade ago, solar energy production has grown more than sixfold, generating some 25 terawatt hours (TWh) of clean electricity for the main power grid.

Rooftop solar panels generated 24.6TWh over the last year, with more than 3.7 million households and small businesses having solar systems.

The creation of three agencies – the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and the Climate Change Authority – helped shape the investment and policy landscape. In 2011, rooftop solar was expected to contribute 4TWh of electricity, barely 2% of total generation. Over a decade later, one in three homes generates power when the sun is out, contributing 11.6% of electricity, nearly as much as wind farms. Australia will install 3.1 gigawatts (GW) of rooftop solar capacity this year, and the rooftop solar expansion will continue, expecting to have more than 70GW connected by 2050.