According to a report from the Clean Energy Council, Australians installed 1.3 GW of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) in the first half of 2024, positioning the country to surpass 25 GW in cumulative rooftop capacity by year-end. Rooftop solar accounted for 11.3% of Australia's total energy generation during this period.
“Over 3.7 million homes and small businesses now have solar panels on their roofs, helping them reduce their energy bills in the daytime,” stated Con Hristodoulidis of the Clean Energy Council. With payback periods of just three to four years, rooftop solar has become an accessible way for households to ease their financial burdens.
Installation figures for the first half of the year remained consistent with levels from the same timeframe in 2023. The Clean Energy Council's bi-annual Rooftop Solar and Storage Report also highlighted positive trends in home battery adoption, with nearly 30,000 units sold in the first half of the year.
However, this figure still falls short of the targets set by the Australian Energy Market Operator's 2024 Integrated System Plan, which aims to achieve 82% renewable energy by 2030.
“Home batteries are now the missing piece of the puzzle to maximize those solar savings for times when the sun isn't shining and smash household energy bills,” Hristodoulidis commented. The association is advocating for a national incentive scheme for home batteries to support this transition.
