‘Remarkably resilient’ Australian rooftop PV market records 18% growth in 2020

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Rooftop PV in Australia has rebounded following the impact of COVID-19. Image: istock/wx-bradwang

Rooftop solar PV installations grew 18% in Australia in 2020 despite the impacts of COVID-19, with Victoria in particular seeing a “spectacular comeback”.

This is according to the Australian Energy Council, which found that 2.6GW of capacity and 333,978 installations were added to the grid across the country in the year. Both of these were around 18% higher than in 2019, which recorded a 2.2GW increase in capacity and 284,000 installations.

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

Australian Energy Council’s chief executive, Sarah McNamara, said that while there was a “noticeable dip in installations in April 2020” as a result of COVID-19, since then “the general trend has been for continued growth”.

It was New South Wales that reported the highest monthly installations, while Queensland took over the second spot from Victoria in Q4 of 2020, according to the council.

Victoria faced several hurdles throughout the year, with Stage 4 COVID-19 restrictions seeing new solar installations drop by more than half in August and September 2020. Across the two months, there were  6,161 systems installed, a drop of 56% when compared to the previous two months which saw 14,091 installations.

These restrictions meant that in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire installers were only able to attend up to three sites per week, with solar not able to be installed on occupied homes except for new builds or when the home was fully vacated, meaning installations in these areas saw a low of only 490 in September 2020.

Figures did, however, rebound in October and November according to the council, with Victoria reporting a 3% growth in capacity installed in 2020 as a whole when compared to 2019, coming in at 483MW installed compared to 468MW.

It was in November that the state doubled down on its rooftop solar and home battery subsidy programme, announcing that AU$191 million (US$140 million) will be provided by the state government to expand the Solar Homes programme. As a result of the extra funding boost, a further 42,000 rebates are to be on offer for rooftop PV over the next two years, while small businesses will be able to apply to the scheme for the first time, with 15,000 rebates available.

McNamara also pointed to how the rooftop solar capacity in Victoria has “seen the state’s minimum electricity demand continue to fall”, with the state recording a new record for minimum demand of 2,529MW on Christmas Day.

Read Next

September 15, 2025
UNSW spin-out company Lab360 Solar has been awarded funding from ARENA to bring its drone-based PV inspection technology to market.
September 15, 2025
Australia has reached 26.8GW of installed rooftop solar at the end of the first half of 2025, according to a report from the Clean Energy Council (CIC).
September 10, 2025
The CEFC has said that a coordinated approach to transmission in Pilbara, Western Australia, could save more than AU$30 billion over 25 years.
September 9, 2025
Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM) broke records yesterday when renewables supplied 76.4% of total electricity demand, with solar power contributing nearly 60% of the record-breaking clean energy mix.
September 8, 2025
A green energy auction in the Philippines has secured 9.4GW of renewable energy capacity subscriptions, of a target of 10.65GW.
September 5, 2025
Research firm Rystad Energy has found that Queensland’s utility-scale solar PV power plants have dominated the best-performing assets, in terms of AC capacity factor, rankings for August 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

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
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA