More & more Households in Australia become “Solarized”

Solar energy in Australia has boomed in the last few years, due to an influx of cheap Chinese imports of solar panels which has made solar energy very affordable. Despite the feed in tariff rates decreasing rapidly, the growth of solar systems has not slowed down. In fact it has increased, as solar electricity costs continue to trend down. Solar households have doubled in Australia and now more than 3 million people in Australia use some form of solar electricity.

Rooftop solar energy in Australia has grown at a tremendous speed, as the country receives a high amount of solar radiation and the regional governments have supported solar through feed in tariffs. Now the industry has become more or less self-sustaining with a large ecosystem of solar installers and developers in the country. South Australia has one of the highest penetration of solar households with more than 1 out of 4 homes in this part using solar panel systems. Queensland and other states are not far behind. This penetration rate is going to keep increasing as other households follow the example of their neighbors.

The high cost of electricity coupled with the falling cost of solar energy systems has made this alternative increasingly popular. This is the reason that despite the steep decline in subsidy, South Australia saw a surge in solar system demand during the 2^nd half of 2013. Australian utilities have come under huge pressure, due to the proliferation of solar systems across the country. As solar electricity supply keeps increasing, grid stability will become a factor with usage of energy storage becoming important.