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

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

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

July 16, 2026
Zero-E has received 5.3.4A Connection Approval for the 145MWac Moranbah solar-plus-storage site in Queensland.
July 16, 2026
Australia will move to ensure large-scale data centres are required to put at least as much green energy into the grid as they draw from it.
July 14, 2026
New South Wales (NSW) energy agency EnergyCo has executed a Project Development Deed with transmission operator Transgrid to upgrade a section of the grid between Jerilderie and Wagga Wagga in Australia.
July 13, 2026
TotalEnergies has divested all 170MW of its distributed solar capacity in Europe, as it plans to “refocus” on utility-scale projects.
July 10, 2026
Australia and India have formalised a broadened energy partnership that spans renewable energy deployment, supply chain resilience, critical minerals, rooftop solar training and uranium exports.
July 9, 2026
Clean energy investor confidence in Australia has deteriorated sharply over the past year, according to the Clean Energy Investor Group (CEIG).

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye