Ah, Australia – the land of opportunity. But did you know that it’s also the land of a record number of solar panels? All jokes aside, more Australians have been installing solar systems than ever before, making the most of the Government’s Solar Rebate schemes and investing in renewable energy sources that slash the power bills without harming the environment.
Are you considering joining the wave of forward-thinking Australians who are opting for solar energy over dirty fossil fuels? Curious as to why there’s been such a strong surge in solar power installations over the past few years?
Read on for some stats and facts about solar power records that are being slashed nation-wide, and learn why you should join the movement!
Record solar capacity across Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that, compared to the first quarter of 2018, Australia has increased its solar capacity by a whopping 45% between January and March this year. That’s almost half!
In this booming March quarter of 2019, Aussie rooftops added 500 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, bringing the total solar energy capacity of Australia to approximately 13,000 megawatts. Almost one third of Australia’s entire solar capacity has been installed in the past twelve months, and the installed PV capacity in Australia quadrupled between 2011 and 2016.
These incredible figures are largely thanks to the introduction of Victoria’s Solar Rebate Scheme of $2250 per unit. Following in the footsteps of NSW, this scheme stoked a 90% increase in solar installations across Victoria, and these numbers will only continue to rise as more people switch to renewable energy.
A global leader in solar power
Not only is Australia beat its own records with ease, but we also rank among the world’s top ten solar-powered countries by capacity. We even sit in second place, globally, on a watts-per-capita basis.
These certainly aren’t figures to shirk at. They represent a fantastic (and somewhat unprecedented) turnaround, considering that Australia has historically been criticised for lagging behind when it comes to utilising its vast open spaces and extensive sunshine for solar power production.
Incredible savings and 20,000 new jobs
Tristan Edis, director of analysis at Green Energy Markets, told the Sydney Morning Herald that additional solar panels added during the March quarter of 2019 will save Australian households more than $850 million in power bills over the next ten years. Yes, you read that right – $850 million!
But the solar power industry is not only benefiting those with panels on their roofs. It’s also provided everyday Australians with more than 20,000 new jobs in the renewable sector. That’s more than ten times the number of jobs that will be created as a result of the proposed Adani Carmichael mining project.
Jump on the bandwagon and join hundreds of thousands of fellow Australians who have made the smart decision to switch to solar.
Image source: RenewEconomy.com.au