Since 2007 almost $8 billion was spent on Australian rooftop solar installations. According to a recent report the amount Australians have investing in solar has saved around one billion AUD on household bills. And a survey completed in December 2018, indicates that two million Australian homes have already installed solar.
Solar is the only way for homeowners to control their electric consumption by cutting costs on electricity bills. The average saved annually per household exceeds $540 which is something that increasingly spread among homeowners. The current percentage of solar homes is 20.3% with millions continuing to miss out on saving money.
Top solar areas in Australia
Queensland takes the number one to six spots for solar installations. The postal area with the highest number of solar installations lies on the coast between Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast, in the town of Bundaberg. A 2019 CEA report indicated that the town has a solar capacity of 47,510kW which amounts to 12,620 rooftop solar installations.
Mandurah in Western Australia is next, with a capacity of 37,315kW and 12,276 installations. Number three to five on the list also belong to Queensland with Hervey Bay, Caloundra and Toowoomba respectively each having 1,387,9956 and 9386 installations.
Other postal codes are Wanneroo and Wangara with 9350 solar rooftops, Carrara and Nerang with 8208 installations each and in 8th spot is Mackay with 8091 installations.
While Queensland remains tops, Victoria also gets a spot in ninth place with its 28,453kW capacity solar power across 7936 installations in Cranbourne in the south-east. Armadale in Western Australia also made the top ten list with 29,943kW across 7923 installations.
The disadvantage, however, is to the millions of households that live in apartments. There are an estimated 10% of Australian that cannot currently get sustainable energy cheaply. They are living in one of the more than 1.4 million apartments. What should be addressed is the possibility of making solar installations possible and affordable for both renters and apartment owners.