Australians install two million solar PV systems

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The two million solar PV installations include systems up to 100 kilowatts (kW) in size. The average system size in 2018 has now reached 6.9 kW.

Clean Energy Regulator General Manager Michelle Crosbie says this milestone has cemented Australia’s position as a world leader in rooftop solar PV investment.

“Australia has the largest uptake of household solar installations and capacity per capita in the world, with hundreds of thousands of homes generating their own renewable energy,” Ms Crosbie said.

“A growing segment of the industry installing rooftop solar are small businesses who have installed over 16,596 systems so far in 2018 compared to over 9,663 in 2017.”

Since the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme was introduced in 2001, the Clean Energy Regulator has been tracking trends and developments in each state and territory. States with the highest number of solar PV installations are Queensland with 592,218, followed by New South Wales 449,577 and Victoria with 371,966.

“Annually, 13.3 million megawatt hours of electricity is produced or displaced under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme with 73 per cent generated by solar PV installations,” Ms Crosbie said.

Ms Crosbie reminds consumers thinking of installing a solar PV system to do their research and check with their retailer that the solar panels are approved by the Clean Energy Council, are a genuine product that meet Australian Standards and have a warranty that they can trust.

“The Clean Energy Regulator and the solar industry developed the Solar Panel Validation Initiative to protect consumers by providing installers, retailers, agents and manufacturers an easy way to check and confirm that solar panels are genuine,” Ms Crosbie said.

Infographic: Australians install a record two million solar PV systems.

About the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme

The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme creates a financial incentive for individuals and small businesses to install eligible small-scale renewable energy systems such as solar panel systems, small-scale wind systems, small-scale hydro systems, solar water heaters and air source heat pumps.

Learn more about the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

Learn more about the Solar Panel Validation Initiative.