Australia Govt: Australia achieves 3 million rooftop solar PV installations

This week Australia reached a milestone of 3 million small-scale solar systems installed on rooftops. That’s more than 1 in 4 houses and many non-residential buildings which have installed solar in Australia. The milestone is a cause for celebration within the clean energy sector.

Solar PV has recorded 30% growth year on year from 2017 to 2020. This year, rooftop solar will contribute 7% of the energy going into the national electricity grid.

The Hon Angus Taylor MP, Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction, said ‘Australia’s 3 million rooftop solar installations are reducing emissions by over 17.7 million tonnes in 2021 and will only increase in the future.’

The extended COVID-19 lockdowns in NSW, Victoria and the ACT had little impact on rooftop solar installations, with a total of 2.3 GW installed between January and September this year.

The Clean Energy Regulator (CER) is currently processing between up to 10,000 applications every week for small-scale technology certificates associated with solar PV systems.

Clean Energy Council (CEC) Chief Executive Kane Thornton said, ‘For every megawatt of new rooftop solar, 6 jobs are created each year, illustrating that it is the largest generator of employment in the renewable energy industry.’