Rooftop revolution ramps up – Solar reaches 1.8 million in Australia
Solar has cemented its place as the darling of the renewables industry with more and more customers harnessing the Australian sunshine to reduce their energy bills.
Written by Claire Spencer
Rooftop solar was once the exclusive domain of early adopters and eco-home enthusiasts. But with energy bills rising, the price of solar coming down and more battery options entering the market, more people are seeing the light.
With a reported average of 13,000+ solar installations each month (2), the numbers are set to rise even further on the back of the highest volume of installations ever recorded (up 69% from last year) and recent influx of large scale solar farm investment and development in Australia.
As of 30 December 2017, there are more than 1.8 million Solar PV installations in Australia with a combined capacity of greater than 7 gigawatts. (1)
Origin recently installed its one-millionth solar panel, equivalent to 216 MW of solar or the distance from Adelaide to Melbourne and back if you laid them end on end.
What does that mean for solar customers?
Prices are down – a solar systems cost approximately 40% less today than five years ago.
Battery technology has improved with products like the Tesla Powerwall2 doubling its storage capacity to 13.5 kWh of storage, allowing you to increase your stored solar capacity.
Solar is more accessible than ever – with energy providers offering $0 upfront for residential solar installations and flexible solutions for businesses, for example the Origin Solarflex where you can lock in a low rate for the solar electricity generated without the hassle of owning or maintaining the system.
Greater peace of mind through quality installations and support as long term solar providers like Origin have amassed a wealth of knowledge in delivering optimal solar solutions. . Origin has a national network of more than 50 installers, looks after over 400,000 residential solar customers and has over 10 years experience in solar.
2017 was a big year with a record 1.25GW of solar power added to the national grid and 2018 is set to be even bigger, with installations to triple with a further five million panels or 3.5GW to be added to the mix. We’re looking forward to another sunny year for solar in Australia!
Our commercial solar team wrapped up 2017 as Australia’s #1 commercial installer 10-100kW range as recognised by Sunwiz. Sunwiz is Australia’s leading solar intelligence consulting group, providing monthly insights on the performance of the solar industry across Australia.
Source : originenergy
