Australia is the world leader in rooftop solar with more than 1.5 million homes now using solar PV system.
The number of Australian homes using solar energy has officially surpassed the 1.5 million mark, according to figures released by the Clean Energy Regulator. As of February there were 1,507,766 households with solar rooftops, which means there is now at least one solar panel in use for every man, woman and child living in the country. Queenslanders are leading the charge with 465,994 households now with rooftop solar, the highest of any jurisdiction in Australia. The top 10 solar postcodes in Queensland are 4670, 4655, 4350, 4740, 4551, 4211, 4680, 4570, 4305 and 4207.
Rooftop solar systems in Australia are generating more than 4.7 gigawatts of power, equivalent to four of the country’s major power stations, said Australian Solar Council chief executive John Grimes. "In suburbs and towns rights across the country, more than 1.5 million families are saving money on their power bills thanks to rooftop solar," said Grimes. "Collectively, they are generating the same amount of energy as four large power stations, with zero emissions, which gives new meaning to the term ‘people power’." Grimes said rooftop solar has created a whole new industry which employs some 20,000 people and creates clean energy at times when we need it most, like during heatwaves, which helps the system cope and suppresses electricity prices.