Residential rooftop solar PV prices at record lows in Australia

Solar Choice

Average residential solar system prices for September 2016 have matched the all-time low seen in December of last year, when prices dipped just below $1.60 per watt. In other news, for the first time we have colour-coded our pricing tables to make it easier to tell at a glance which locations and system sizes have the highest or lowest prices.
The figures in the tables below are based on quoted prices from our network of 100+ installers across Australia, who have been selected for their reputation as quality operators with favourable customer reviews. All prices in the tables below are after the STC incentive has been applied and inclusive of GST; they represent the total retail cost of having the system installed.
Average quoted price by city and system size

Median dollar-per-watt solar system prices

Historic price trends by system size (since January 2016)





Historic price trends: All system sizes (since January 2016)

About Solar Choice
Solar Choice is a brokerage and comparison service for solar PV systems servicing the whole of Australia. Since 2008, we have assisted over 100,000 Australian households and thousands of businesses make an informed choice about going solar. We also develop large-scale solar farms, and have been offering Battery Storage Quote Comparisons since August 2015.
About this data
Since 2012, Solar Choice has been tracking residential solar PV system installation price trends in Australia’s capital cities (with the exception of Darwin). The data that we publish has been referenced by a wide range of organisations both inside and outside Australia – from government bodies, not-for-profits and academics to financial services companies and – of course – residential solar PV system shoppers and installers.
Tables and charts included in this article were compiled using data from Solar Choice’s installer network database, which contains regularly-updated pricing and product details from over 100 accredited solar installation companies across Australia. All prices that appear are net of the federal STC incentive and inclusive of GST. In most instances, prices do not incorporate meter change fees, and exclude travel costs or additional charges for special circumstances (e.g. slate roof or 2-story+ building). Installers’ premium and microinverter/power optimiser offerings are not included in our calculations.
A more in-depth version of this month’s index is available here on the Solar Choice website. Solar Choice also publishes monthly insights about commercial solar PV system prices (10kW-100kW), the most recent of which can be found here.