Rooftop Solar to Become Australia's Biggest Power Source

A report from industry group SunWiz found there is now more than 20,000 megawatts of small-scale solar capacity installed on household and business roofs across Australia.

SunWiz said more than 3.4 million Australian customers had a rooftop solar system, with the rate of new installations running at roughly 300,000 a year, and claimed Australia was leading the world in the uptake of photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight into electricity.

Asa result of the rapid uptake, rooftop solar is now set to overtake coal as Australia's biggest source of generation capacity, as the rapid pace of new installations expedites the decline of fossil fuel-fired power.

SunWiz, said that when small- and large-scale projects were added together, solar could already be deemed to be Australia's biggest electricity source by capacity.

"Solar energy is already Australia's largest fuel source for electrical power in Australia,” said Warwick Johnston, the managing director of SunWiz. “Australian solar power systems are more affordable than in any other country, so it's understandable that we lead the world in per-capita uptake of solar.”

"When the Liddell coal-fired power station closes in April 2023, rooftop solar alone will generate more power than the remaining coal-fired power stations operating across the country, making rooftop solar the largest power generator,” Johnston added.

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