Amid the ongoing global energy crisis, countries are gradually switching to renewable energy resources. Particularly the global power sector is getting a shift from traditional sources to solar energy.
Australia is one of those countries too that encourages the switch to solar power solutions to mitigate the energy crisis. However, today Australia is becoming the top rooftop solar installer country across the globe with numerous home solar panel installations.
More than 3,000 MW of home solar panel systems were installed in Australian households by the year 2021. Solar panel in Sydney have gained significant popularity too. Almost one-third of Australian households have solar panels which are the highest in the world.
Why is Australia Becoming the Top Rooftop Solar Installer?
You might wonder, why Australia is becoming the top rooftop solar installer? So do we.
It is quite important to probe into the reasons behind the increasing solar installations across Australia, particularly home solar panel systems.
Here we will discuss the major reasons why Australia is becoming the top solar installer. This will let you understand the trends in the Australian solar market and the hidden benefits of solar solutions.
Higher Solar Installations
A major reason why Australia is becoming the top rooftop solar installer is the speed and number of solar installations being done. Australian households are rapidly making a shift to home solar panel systems.
According to Natural Solar, on average 41 solar panels are installed in Australia every hour, which equals one installation every second. This has led to a massive increase in total installations from 2,70,000 in 2020 to over 3,69,000 in the year 2021 and still growing.
According to stats from International Energy Agency IEA, the number of solar panel installations in Australia makes it 22% ahead of Germany and Japan.
Australia’s Rooftop Solar Potential
It is estimated that Australia holds the potential to generate 179GW of solar energy from rooftop solar panel installations only. Till early 2019, Australia had utilized even less than 5% of its total potential capacity.
It was estimated that Australia could implement up to 245 TWh of solar capacity with solar installation. Since then, Australia has been putting efforts to promote rooftop solar installations and reap loads of associated benefits.
In order to reach the optimal solar capacity, newer rooftop installations are being done. The newer installations are those with high power generation capabilities. This way, more home solar panel installations and higher power generation are leading Australia to become the top rooftop installer.
Solar Panel Rebates
Another reason why Australia is becoming the top rooftop solar installer is the solar panel rebates. The Australian Government encourages the harnessing of solar energy by providing solar panel rebates for various kinds of solar installations.
With solar panel rebates, the Australian Government provides financial assistance with every solar installation made to facilitate Australians. This has led to an increased public trend towards cost-effective solar installations which promise higher returns on investment in the long run too.
These rebates are offered under various categories. The government provides rebates based on renewable energy certificates like STCs qualifying solar products. Besides that, dedicated state rebates are also offered in various Australian states. Solar panel in Sydney are supported by such rebates too.
Climatic Benefits
One major reason why Australia has seen a growing trend in solar installations is the climatic benefits. Solar panels by harnessing solar energy for power generation purposes prevent climatic damage.
For decades, traditional power sources have contributed immensely to environmental damage. Traditional power generation methods rely mainly on fossil fuel combustion resulting in massive soot generation.
Such power generation methods led to the emission of toxic greenhouse gases directly into the environment. As a result, global warming and other hazardous environmental outcomes take place. Such climatic concerns have led to switching to solar solutions making Australia the top rooftop solar installer.
Flourishing Employment Sector
Australia has produced a huge number of vacancies by promoting renewable energy products including rooftop solar systems. This also has led to Australia becoming the top rooftop solar installer in the world to bring up the country’s employment sector.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia made 26,850 full-time equivalent employment in the renewable energy sector in year 2018-19. This demonstrated an increase of 120% over 10 years. Solar energy accounted for over 75% of this total increase.
Among the renewable energy types, rooftop solar panel systems were the largest employers. This is how solar panel systems contribute to the employment sector by generating immense job potential. This is one major reason why Australia is becoming the leading rooftop solar installer to flourish in the job sector.
Renewable Energy Targets
In 2001, the first mandatory renewable energy target was introduced. It was meant to make sure that renewable energy gains a 20% share of Australia’s power supply. This meant increasing Australia’s solar capacity to up to 45,000 GWh by 2020 with more home solar panel installations.
In 2007, the renewable energy target was extended till 2030 to make sure 20% share of renewable energy by the year 2020. Different regions achieved this goal in different time frames, resulting in enhanced solar capacity.
South Australia achieved this target by 2014. By 2020, New South Wales reached its target of 20% while Victoria reached 25%. This fulfillment of targets gradually enhanced Australia’s solar power potential and led Australia to become a top rooftop solar installer country worldwide.
Highest Renewable Energy Transition
A recent report by Ember, a UK-based agency has revealed that worldwide solar generation increased by 23% in 2021. Ember showed that Australia is generating 12% of its electricity from renewable sources which is the highest by any country in the world.
According to the survey, 50 countries produced more than 10% of their energy from wind and solar, with Australia making the biggest switch to these sources in the last two years.
Wrapping Up
The global energy crisis has made switching to renewable energy sources an indispensable solution for countries. Amid this race of shifting to renewable sources, Australia is leading with its rapid shift to solar power solutions and more home solar panel installations.
As per the statistics, Australia has performed incredibly well in recent years by promoting rooftop solar installations. This particularly refers to the Governmental support and massive rebates for the general public. As a consequence of such commitment, Australia is now becoming the top rooftop installer and reaping loads of associated benefits.