Australia hits 1GW in 2017 as small-scale records tumble

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Credit: SunWiz

Australia has commissioned 1GW of solar this calendar year in its quickest ever time, according to analysis from consultancy firm SunWiz, while multiple other small-scale PV records have been broken.

Data shows 893MW of sub-100kW PV commissioned in 2017 so far with an expected 1.05GW by the end of the year. Meanwhile, more than 114MW of systems over 100kW have already been commissioned in 2017. Combined these figures tally to more than 1GW by the end of November. This means Australia is “certain” to exceed its previous best of 1.058GW in 2012, said SunWiz.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

A record amount of C&I rooftop solar has been installed, with 285MW by November and this already surpasses the previous best of 228MW of 2016.

The country has also seen the record number of sub-100kW solar systems registered in a month, with 122MW of STCs in November alone.

New South Wales saw its largest ever amount of PV registered in any month, while the average size of sub-100kW systems in Australia has grown to 6.7kW, which SunWiz said indicates the increasing proportion of commercial solar in the mix – yet another record.

Other records included:

  • Proportion by volume of system in the 75-100kW range
  • Commercial system sizes in every sub-range

To finish it all off, Australia has also seen the world's largest battery installed in record time.

Read Next

Premium
August 7, 2025
July 2025, the peak of the Australian winter season, saw generation from utility-scale and rooftop solar increase by 12.78% year-on-year in the National Electricity Market (NEM).
August 4, 2025
Australia’s Productivity Commission said the country should phase out subsidies for renewables and replace them with market-based incentives.
August 1, 2025
Western Australia network operator Western Power has confirmed it has granted two more network connection offers to two new large-scale renewable energy projects, bringing its total for 2024/25 to 759MW.
August 1, 2025
Dutch pension fund APG has agreed to provide Octopus Australia with AU$1 billion to support its solar, wind, and BESS portfolio.
July 31, 2025
Lucy Nation has said bp paid the price for proceeding “too quickly,” resulting in its exit from the 26GW AREH project in Pilbara.
July 28, 2025
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has announced it has invested a record AU$4.7 billion (US$3.09 billion) in large-scale renewables, energy storage, and transmission projects during the 12-month period ending 30 June 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines