Australia has 103 GW of rooftop PV potential, says think tank – SPE

By pv magazine Australia

The Climate Council think tank said in its recently published report, “Seize the Sun”, that Australia’s rooftop solar potential is 103 GW. This is four times the current installed capacity and 1.5 times the capacity of utility-scale generators in the National Electricity Market (NEM).

There are now more than 3.6 million Australian homes solar energy on the roofcontributing 23 GW of clean renewable energy capacity. This capacity includes 17 GW from owner-occupied homes, 1.5 GW from private rental properties and 4.7 GW from commercial, industrial and public buildings.

The report did not include solar installations on vacant land at industrial facilities, which would add more capacity.

For owner-occupied homes and some apartments, the Climate Council notes that the total potential from available roof space is 44.4 GW, which represents an increase of 27.4 GW compared to current installations.

Private rental housing could contribute an additional 12.6 GW, while social housing could add 1.9 GW. However, the greatest potential lies in the commercial and industrial sectors.

The report said it was all new commercial buildings If they were to install rooftop solar by May 2025, they could generate an additional 1.2 GW of capacity by 2030.

Overall, Australia has the potential to more than double its rooftop solar capacity over the next six years.

To read further, visit our pv magazine Australia website.