Solar
The total number of Australian households using solar energy increased by 60 per cent between 2002 and 2008.
The total number of Australian households using solar energy increased by 60 percent between 2002 and 2008
7.6 percent of Australians have solar systems installed in the home
Source: Clean Energy Council Renewable Energy Database
Installations of solar panels connected to the grid and in remote off-grid locations have been rising exponentially since the 1990s. At the end of 2008, over 104.51MW had been installed nationwide with more than 40 MW installed so far in 2009. To illustrate the pace of growth, there has been a 43 per cent increase in the last two years.
There is currently more than 145MW of installed capacity from solar PV in Australia
Since 2007, more solar PV (particularly grid-connected) was installed in Australia than any other period on record. This trend coincides with
- A steep rise in rebates available from the Australian Government for PV installations
- A rise in awareness of climate change
- New global PV market entrants and
- A global reduction in the cost of PV.
Australia’s solar PV industry is thriving with at least 17 major Australian owned companies currently manufacturing and distributing PV products to a domestic and international market.
In the last year, the number of accredited solar PV installers and designers has increased by more
than 100 percent
Victoria currently has the highest number of accredited installers and designers Australia-wide, followed closely by New South Wales and ACT
More households in the Northern Territory use solar energy to heat their water than any other region in Australia.
The number of Australian households using solar water heaters has increased by 61 percent since 2005
So far, only 7 percent of Australian households have made the switch to solar water heating
Most households in Australia currently use gas or electric water heaters.
At least nine major Australian owned companies are currently manufacturing and distributing solar water heating products to a domestic and international market.
