🌞 Australia leads the world in rooftop solar energy

🌞 Australia leads the world in rooftop solar energy

Australia has installed rooftop solar panels on a scale that surpasses all expectations. More than a third of all households in the country now generate their own electricity from the sun. Home-based solar energy accounts for 11.6 percent of electricity production in Australia's main power grid.

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  • Australia has installed rooftop solar panels on a scale that surpasses all expectations.
  • More than a third of all households in the country now generate their own electricity from the sun.
  • Home-based solar energy accounts for 11.6 percent of electricity production in Australia's main power grid.

Unexpected success for solar energy

Australia's investment in home-based solar energy has developed into an unexpected success story. In 2011, roof-mounted solar panels were expected to contribute 4 terawatt-hours of electricity, which corresponded to just under 2 percent of total electricity production. Today, that figure has been exceeded more than six times, writes The Guardian.

Over the past year, home-based solar energy generated 24.6 terawatt-hours of electricity in Australia's national electricity market. This corresponds to 11.6 percent of electricity production, which is almost as much as wind turbines and more than large-scale solar farms or hydroelectric plants.

Over 3.7 million households and small businesses in Australia have installed solar panels. This means that more than one in three homes in the country can now generate their own electricity when the sun shines. According to data from the Clean Energy Regulator, Australians are expected to install an additional 3.1 gigawatts of rooftop solar capacity during the current year.

There is also a growing interest in household batteries, which can play an important role in the future electricity system.

Policies driving development

The success of home-based solar energy in Australia is the result of several interacting factors. An important measure has been a national rebate paid directly to the installer, which gradually decreases as solar energy becomes more affordable. This system has broad support from the major political parties.

The costs of solar panels have fallen to a level where an installation can pay for itself through reduced electricity bills in about five years. At the same time, price increases for fossil electricity, partly caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and shortages of gas and coal, have made solar energy an economically advantageous choice for homeowners.

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