More and more Australians are going solar and seeing the savings in their bills, as the rooftop solar revolution hits its four millionth installation.
Australia has always been a solar nation, with the modern solar panel the brainchild of Australian innovation and now leading the world in the uptake of rooftop installations.
One in three Aussie homes now have rooftop solar and we are on track for a near record of 3.15 gigawatts of capacity to be added just this year.
The average rooftop solar home saves more than $1,500 a year on their power bills. It benefits the broader energy system too by reducing wholesale prices and demand for more expensive sources of energy during the day.
The solar uptake has largely been driven by the former Labor Government's Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) which cuts upfront costs by about 30 per cent.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said Aussie homeowners are at the heart of the renewable energy transformation and are proving there are economic benefits to be made.
"When it comes to powering our homes, Australians know nothing will beat our sun," Minister Bowen said.
"We are lucky to call the sunniest continent on earth home, which means we've got access to the cheapest and cleanest renewable energy resource at our fingertips.
"Aussie homeowners know rooftop solar is a no-brainer when it comes to bringing down bills, which is why we have been installing about 300,000 rooftop systems a year and there is no sign of that slowing down.
"The four millionth solar installation is an incredible milestone for Australia and another sign of how the Albanese Government's Reliable Renewables Plan to bring on more of the cheapest and cleanest form of energy is working for Australian households.
"This is all in stark contrast to the Opposition's anti-renewables obsession being exploited under the guise of a nuclear scheme that won't create any jobs or energy for another 20 years and would only push up bills and slow down cheap renewables."
The highly successful scheme is overseen by the Clean Energy Regulator. The former Labor Government oversaw a major expansion of the legislated Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme including the SRES between 2009 and 2011.
