Solar farms push 2019 PV tally past 1.5GW

A total of 1.5GW of large- and small-scale solar has been installed across Australia so far in 2019, making it the biggest ever year – not half-year, but year – for PV installs excluding 2018.

The latest data from solar consultants SunWiz shows what is shaping up to be another huge year for solar energy in Australia, with installs to June already eclipsing totals for every other full year, except for 2018.

As you can see in the chart above, installed capacity for 2019 is not quite on track to match the record total of more than 3.6GW of 2018, but SunWiz as managing director Warwick Johnston notes, there is a “sizeable lag” on sub-100kW data that should also be factored in.

Johnston says the half-year tally has been boosted by the recent commissioning of a number of major solar farms, including Neoen Australia’s 100MW Numurkah project in Victoria, which began sending power to the grid in early May.

And in Queensland, as Giles Parkinson reported here, two new solar farms joined the grid, including Adani Renewables 65MW Rugby Run project, and the 100MW first stage of Pacific Hydro’s Haughton solar farm, south of Townsville.

Read about SunWiz’s data on another record month of rooftop solar installs for May, here.