Australian solar PV market charts worst start to year since 2012

Published by

January 2016 has marked the worst start to a year for solar PV growth in Australia since 2012, putting it well behind the global pace – and even behind its own depressed 2015 levels, a new report by solar analysts SunWiz has shown.

Despite falling prices, growing global momentum and strong voter support for rooftop solar in Australia, installations continue to slump, with volumes in January falling back across every significant size bracket excluding the 7-10kW range and for systems 2.5kW and less, as the chart below illustrates.

And registrations, said the report, “were off the (wrong end of) the chart,” at a total of 47MW for the month.

According to SunWiz – using data from SolarChoice – volumes also fell across all Australian states, with the exception of Western Australia, amounting to the worst January growth for the past few years.

Even the commercial market had been “lackluster” in January, the report said, with a fall in volumes across every key commercial size bracket for the month, with the only consolation being a “steady volume of 50-75kW systems.

Sophie Vorrath

Sophie is editor of Renew Economy and editor of its sister site, One Step Off The Grid . She is the co-host of the Solar Insiders Podcast. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Bowen launches review of emission caps and credits for Australia’s biggest carbon polluters

Policy review will investigate settings for Australia's 2030 and 2035 emissions reduction targets.

7 August 2026

Energy Insiders Podcast: Will data centres make or break wind?

Kane Thornton has moved from the peak renewables body to data centres, now the presumed…

7 August 2026

Climate Active is dead. The funeral will not be certified carbon neutral

Australia's government-run "carbon neutral" certification scheme is being wound up. It is good news for…

7 August 2026

Australia’s first offshore wind auction is “going ahead as planned,” new energy minister confirms

Victoria's newly appointed energy minister says the state will go ahead as planned with Australia's…

7 August 2026

Labor’s data centre gas double-speak leaves the gate open for dodgy offsets

A promise of banning gas while waving through “gas firming” and “gas peaking” with unlimited offsets leaves…

7 August 2026

Massive wind project, with up to 280 of Australia’s biggest-ever turbines, seeks federal green tick

Plans for a potentially massive new wind farm start federal environmental assessment, proposing up to…

7 August 2026