Rooftop solar is now becoming so prevalent in Australia that in many suburbs the number of homes with solar outnumber those without.
According to analysis from the Australian Photovoltaic Institute, using data from the Clean Energy Regulator, the leading cases of such suburbs occur in Queensland and Western Australia, with WA’s Baldivis, a semi rural area about 50km south of Perth’s CBD, posting a remarkable percentage of 69 per cent solar homes.
It is followed by Queensland’s Elimbah (63 per cent) and Tamborine (Queensland). (We’re also pretty sure than Yanchep is in W.A., and not Queensland as per the APVI table).
The towns and communities with the highest aggregate amount of rooftop solar are listed below, but are once again dominated by postcodes in Queensland and Western Australia, with Bundaberg leading with 30MW, Hervey Bay 26MW and Mandurah 23.5MW.
The locations with the most amount of solar all up are dominated by those areas with large-scale solar farms, so Nyngan, Moree and Broken Hill in NSW dominate the list, followed by Monash in the ACT and Geraldton, and then Alice Springs.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of One Step Off The Grid, and also edits and founded Renew Economy and The Driven. He has been a journalist for 35 years and is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review.
