Australia’s electricity markets are undergoing a profound transformation from a centralised system of large fossil fuel plants towards an array of smaller-scale, widely dispersed solar and wind generators, grid-scale batteries and demand response, according to a new report from the Australian Energy Regulator.
Millions of Australian households fitted with rooftop PV could be charged for exporting electricity to the grid under new proposals that critics have warned could curb the uptake of solar systems and slow the country’s energy transition.
Australia beat renewable energy deployment projections in 2020, driven in part by a 40% year-on-year increase in rooftop solar installs, according to new figures from the country’s Clean Energy Regulator.
Rooftop solar PV installations grew 18% in Australia in 2020 despite the impacts of COVID-19, with Victoria in particular seeing a “spectacular comeback”.
Sungrow has this year provided 2GW of its SG110CX inverters for use in Vietnamese rooftop solar PV installations, as the Chinese company continues to expand its presence in the country.
The Australian state of Victoria has doubled down on its rooftop solar and home battery subsidy programme as part of a drive to help households cover the cost of their power bills while making properties more energy efficient.
Interest-free loans for rooftop solar and the development of at least 250MW of large-scale battery storage are among the policies put forward in a new power-sharing agreement for the Australian Capital Territory.
Rooftop PV is set to be the fastest-growing form of new capacity in Western Australia (WA), with renewable energy forecast to reach a minimum of 70% generation capacity by 2040, a new roadmap for the state reveals.
Campaign by ratepayer association against rooftop solar support triggers rebuke from 450 organisations, pushing green energy to crossfire of nation grappling with social injustice.
