As Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Energy Minister Angus Taylor try to catch up with their belated "ultra-cheap solar" plan, Australians are doing their job for them, breaking more records this month by reaching three million rooftop solar installations.
According to the PV Institute of Australia's National Survey of Photovoltaic Applications in Australia report, prepared in partnership with the International Energy Agency and published last week, Australia has 22.3 thousand MW of installed solar power by mid-2021, which is almost 200% growth over 2017 capacity.
What's more, Australia installed a record 360,000 rooftop systems in 2021, a whopping 40% increase from 2020. According to SunWiz, the Clean Energy Council (CEC) and Solar Citizens, these installations pushed Australia past the three million mark .
"Until now, ordinary people have done the hard work of reducing carbon emissions while the Australian government has dragged its feet," Solar Citizens national director Ellen Roberts said. "Because of the hard work of Australians, we are well positioned to become a clean energy superpower."
CEC chief executive Kane Thornton says Australia has long been a world leader in home solar, helping consumers reduce their electricity bills, reducing pressure on the energy grid during the summer peak, reducing emissions and playing a key role in maintaining the economy.
"On average, more than 41 solar systems are installed every hour in Australia, which equates to one panel every 44 seconds," Thornton said.
Solar market analyst Warwick Johnston, managing director of SunWiz, said crossing the three million solar installation mark was a remarkable milestone. "Thanks to our homeowners, Australia leads the world in per capita solar consumption - 22% higher per capita than Germany or Japan in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency," said Johnston.
Source: pv-magazine
