Categories: CleanTech BitesSolar

Australia rooftop solar PV industry in decline as 2015 forecast cut again

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Leading solar industry analysts Green Energy Markets have again cut their forecast installation of rooftop solar PV in Australia, saying that total installation for the 2015 calendar year may now be just 732MW.

It is the second time in three months that ]Green Energy Markets have cut their forecast, having reduced it from  830MW to 780MW in July after one of the slowest quarters the sector has seen.

In its latest quarterly report, Green Energy Markets – which tracks the creation of small scale renewable energy certificates – says it is now clear that solar PV creation in 2015 has been “well down” on last year’s levels, when 798MW of rooftop solar PV was installed.

The numbers tally with anecdotal data in the solar industry, which suggests that the household market is particularly tough, with only the commercial-scale market showing any growth. This now accounts for around 25 per cent of the market.

The forecast number of solar hot water systems in 2015 has also been downgraded slightly to 59,100 systems, which compares to 60,060 systems in 2014.

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

Giles Parkinson

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

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