Australia falls out of global top 10 solar countries
Australia stands to lose its place in the world’s foremost global solar research group, a leading industry insider has warned.
Time is running out to ensure Australia’s ongoing role in the Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (PVPS), established by the International Energy Agency in 1993.
Australia risks losing its place among the 31 countries contributing expertise to the PVSP – an “extraordinary” turn of events, considering the feds' new $1bn plan for a domestic supply chain.
Meanwhile, a look at the 2024 Snapshot of Global PV Markets, reveals other areas where Australia is losing ground in the race to solar, despite its huge natural advantages of abundant space, rooftops and sunshine.
In 2023 Australia retained its world number one status for installed solar per capita, but it risks losing the title to the Netherlands, which is gaining ground and could edge ahead by the end of 2024.
And while Australia remains in the chart for the highest fraction of total demand met by solar, it has – for the first time in 20 years – fallen out of the Top 10 for new installations, falling well short of the capacity required to be included for 2023.
The share of solar in electricity grids around the globe continues to grow, with the number of countries with theoretical penetration rates over 10% doubling since last year to 18.
On this metric, Australia remains a global leader, coming in 5th in the world for the biggest share of solar in its national electricity mix – most of this, of course, generated on rooftops.