Residential PV

Australia’s solar PV capacity additions tripled in 2018, as its rooftop solar fleet continued to set new records high and big PV experienced an unprecedented growth. While stabilization in electricity prices could lead to a slowdown in the rooftop solar segment in all states except Victoria, it is unlikely to result in a noticeable decline in sales in 2019. Large-scale solar PV is in line for over 3 GW this coming year, while small power stations up to 5 MW will also get their time to shine.

In addition to its primary goal of driving down energy bills, the Victoria Labor government’s major push for the rooftop solar deployment across the state in the form of rebates and interest-free loans granted under a $1.24 billion Solar Homes program has had a positive effect on local industry in the brown coal-dominated Latrobe Valley.

At the end of another year or record rooftop PV installations, national Minister for Energy Angus Taylor warns Australian state governments to “consider the potential risks” of rapid solar industry growth.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $1 million to Ausgrid to boost its innovative grant program for rooftop solar and energy efficient lighting. The program aims to reduce participating customer’s bills, as well as avoid costly network upgrades, in parts of Sydney with low renewables uptake.

2018 has been a watershed year for Australia’s PV sector, with the surge to rooftop solar uptake making the country the residential-PV capital of the world. And there’s a considerable potential room for growth, a whopping 50 GW a new study has found.

Around 40 residential properties across the port city of Fremantle, Western Australia, will be able to trade solar power using a blockchain-enabled platform. The trial is even open for residents who do not have solar PV on their rooftops.

After around 1200 applications were lodged for the original 1500 packages in as little as two weeks, the Queensland government has introduced an additional 1000 battery grant packages to help households and small businesses cut their energy bills with the help of solar and storage.

The number of Australian homes with solar PV systems installed on their rooftops has passed a two million milestone, show Clean Energy Regulator data. With an average of six panels installed a minute, the uptake shows no signs of subsiding.

If maintained, Australia’s current rate of installs would deliver 78% renewables by 2030, find Green Energy Markets in its latest edition of RE Index. The 50% renewables target proposed by the the Federal Labor Party and several state Labor governments would thus deliver a sharp market decline, with installations falling to a third of recent rates and workforce shrinking by three quarters.

The second phase of the proposed 250 MW virtual power plant will see Tesla Powerwall batteries and solar panels installed on 1,000 South Australian households.