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Images of the Day: Australia top solar postcodes, from the sky

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Australia is undergoing a renewed boom in rooftop solar, with households and businesses reacting to the country’s absurdly high grid prices by turning to cheaper solar technology.

In 2017, a record 1.06GW of solar was installed across the country’s rooftops, and the chances are that this could nearly double this year after a record breaking first quarter.

But what does this transformation look like?

NearMap is an Australian aerial imaging company that provides services to solar installers, hoping them to design rooftop arrays for potential customers.

It has paired its high-res imagery with the latest Clean Energy Regulator data, revealing the postcodes around the country with the highest rooftop solar uptake since 2001.

This image above shows a shopping centre in north Bundaberg, in postcode 4670 in south east Queensland – the postcode with the highest amount of solar in Australia.

“From the ground it can be difficult to see the progress our country is making to reduce energy costs and our carbon footprint,” said Nearmap executive, Shane Preston.

“But when you look at it from the air, you can observe in incredible detail the renewable energy uptake occurring across our country.

“We’ve been capturing aerial images of Australia for the last 10 years, and have recently seen a dramatic change in the rooftop landscape, with many more solar panels on Aussie homes.”

The full top 10 list is below along with a link to media images.

Australia’s top 10 solar postcodes:

Rank Postcode Example suburb within postcode Units installed State Image Folder Link
1 4670 Bundaberg North 11,756 QLD Images
2 6210 Erskine 11,409 WA Images
3 4655 Nikenbah 10,517 QLD Images
4 4551 Caloundra 9,308 QLD Images
5 4350 Toowoomba 8,580 QLD Images
6 6065 Hocking 8,416 WA Images
7 4211 Pacific Pines 7,724 QLD Images
8 4740 Mackay 7,263 QLD Images
9 4305 Raceview 7,295 QLD Images
10 6155 Canning Vale 7,116 WA Images

 

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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