Australia installs 98MW rooftop solar in August – soaring above 6GW total

Australian homes and businesses installed a total of 98MW of rooftop solar in August, delivering one of the strongest months on record, extending a record level for the year-to-date, and taking Australia’s grand total of small scale rooftop PV above the 6GW milestone.

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According to the latest monthly data from industry analysts SunWiz, the rooftop solar “installation party” is still well underway, and its happening in all states of Australia, simultaneously, with the exception of WA.

“Our Tally is currently sitting at 6.5GW of PV, with 6GW of that being sub-100kW,” the SunWiz Australian PV Market Insights report for August says.

“August 2017 was the biggest ever August for registration volume,” the report says. “We remain 47 per cent ahead of the same time last year, and this continues to be the best ever start to the year,” putting the market three months ahead of both 2015 and 2016.

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The report notes that the month saw a recovery in commercial capacity in each of the key categories (other than the top 10-20kW category which was constant). The total proportion of the market that is commercial eased back in WA, it notes, while in Victoria it has grown to a market leading 40 per cent.

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In New South Wales, August continues the state’s best ever start to a second half, with total installed volume for the month climbing to 24MW, not far off its peak ‘ever’ volume. Growth is coming in the commercial 50-75kW bracket, the report says.

In Queensland, the volume recovered to 26MW, with an increasing share in the 6-10kW segment putting the Sunshine State 58 per cent ahead of the YTD for the same time last year.

Victoria climbed to 18MW, and continued strong growth in commercial PV volume to now represent 40 per cent of total volume, an noted above. The state’s 75-100kW segment is leading the way, says the report, and has boosted the average solar system size to 6.8kW. Screen Shot 2017-09-08 at 1.55.37 PM copy

South Australia installed a total of 9MW, at a steady average system size, putting the state 42 per cent ahead of YTD last year.

In Western Australia, volume reached 16MW, giving the state its best ever monthly volumes and best ever year to date. WA is 52 per cent ahead of last year’s figures.

On the recent fall in STC prices, SunWiz says this will affect all systems equally, “meaning cheaper priced systems face a greater percentage price increase, which should narrow the percentage price gap with high quality systems.

“Countering this is the ‘what I can afford for a fixed budget’ which will push people further towards cheaper (or smaller) systems,” the report says.Screen Shot 2017-09-08 at 1.56.18 PM copy

Comments

7 responses to “Australia installs 98MW rooftop solar in August – soaring above 6GW total”

  1. Joe Avatar
    Joe

    …and we will be reinstalling MW’s of Coal soon if Two Tongued Turnbull has his way with our hard earned tax dollars.

    1. Brunel Avatar
      Brunel

      The 12 submarines are an order of magnitude bigger waste of money. Hope PM Shorten limits the build to just 5 or something.

      1. juxx0r Avatar
        juxx0r

        Surely they could hold a raffle in Redfern to find a better PM than shorten.

  2. Rod Avatar
    Rod

    And the Gentailers kick a massive own goal

  3. Bristolboy Avatar
    Bristolboy

    Great news that it is still increasing.

    Compared to the UK it is even more incredible – Australia will install more in 1 month to the total annual UK small scale installs!

  4. Chris Drongers Avatar
    Chris Drongers

    Either only an insignificant number of people and businesses want rooftop PV in which case the thermal generator’s complaints or worries about significant loss of revenue and increase in charges to non-PVers are bunkum or
    many people and businesses want PV so the thermal generators should show how they are going to hold costs down.

  5. Chris Drongers Avatar
    Chris Drongers

    Monday Australian – “Power firms face demand for answers on price – hike bids”.

    Nothing like being behind the game. Frydenburg is finally asking if price rigging in the NEM is actually happening. After this issue has been a hot topic in the power industry discussions for months. And after Qld actually ordered their government owned generators to stop doing it.

    Expect more months or years of dessemblement and gov delay to follow the report’s submission lest the profitability of the generators be affected by rules to minimise gaming.

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