Rooftop solar: Australia celebrates “momentous” milestone as 4 million households tap cheapest power

Australia has notched up a new renewable energy milestone, with the number of households around the country to have installed rooftop solar passing the four million mark.

The big new number was announced on Thursday by federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, and is just the latest in a long line of firsts and records that continue to be set up and knocked down by consumer-owned solar.

The “brainchild of Australian innovation,” as Bowen puts it, has had a famously good run in Australia, which still holds the title for the most solar panels installed per capita in the world.

One in three Australian homes now have solar PV on their roof and the nation is on track for a near record of 3.15 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity to be added just this year, taking the cumulative total well past 25 GW.

As the Clean Energy Council reported in September, total rooftop PV capacity now easily beats the remaining total combined power generating capacity of black and brown coal in Australia, which stood at 21.3 GW in the financial year to 2023-24.

Why? Because the average rooftop solar system cuts around $1,500 a year from power bills and – as households electrify their appliances and cars – can be stored and used to fuel just about everything.

Along the way, rooftop solar is making an indelible mark on the modern electricity grid, turning consumption patterns on their head, driving down the cost of wholesale power, putting power in the hands of consumers and helping to send baseload fossil fuel generators to the dustbin of history.

And the rooftop solar generation records just keep coming. In Western Australia, just this week, rooftop solar accounted for 80.5 per cent of generation in that state’s main grid, the South West Interconnected System – a new high. In South Australia, rooftop solar recently achieved a new record 112.9 per cent share of demand.

“Aussie homeowners know rooftop solar is a no-brainer when it comes to bringing down bills, which is why we have been installing about 300,000 rooftop systems a year and there is no sign of that slowing down,” Bowen said on Thursday from the site of the Sydney home where the 4 millionth solar system was officially installed.

“The four millionth solar installation is an incredible milestone for Australia and another sign of how the Albanese Government’s Reliable Renewables Plan to bring on more of the cheapest and cleanest form of energy is working for Australian households.”

“Our great members, great member businesses, have been out putting these products on rooftops for many, many years and we will now see the fruits of that really great hard work,” said the Smart Energy Council’s NSW manager, Leigh Heaney.

“It’s something that all Australians should be proud of. We’re a world leader in this space. What we know is that if you put rooftop solar on your roof today, you will save money on your energy bills tomorrow.

The Clean Energy Council, too, used the occasion to give a nod to Australia’s rooftop solar industry, including the more than 10,000 “committed and professional installers” across the country.

“Installers are the engine room of this solar revolution and with most being sole traders or small business operators, this is good news for jobs, for economic prosperity and for communities and families, everywhere,” said CEC chief Kane Thornton.

“This extraordinary achievement demonstrates that clean energy is now mainstream.

“The next piece of the puzzle is to increase the uptake of household batteries and other smart household appliances for all Australian households and businesses, with the added benefits of lowering prices for all customers and strengthening energy system resilience and security,” Thornton said.

Rewiring Australia says the milestone is another sign that households are on track to electrify everything.

“This country’s rooftop solar is the world’s cheapest-delivered source of energy and that is what is driving this household energy revolution,” said Dan Cass, executive director of Rewiring Australia.

“The 4 million household milestone is a momentous achievement that demonstrates the power of community action and smart government policy.”

Sophie Vorrath

Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.