Australia is experiencing a surge in rooftop solar installations. October 11, 2020 was the first time in Australia’s history and for any major jurisdiction globally that solar power provided 100 per cent of a city’s energy needs.
For one hour between 12 noon and 1:00pm, South Australia was powered by the sun. Mild temperatures and cloudless skies contributed to ideal generation conditions in South Australia, with solar power from the state’s 288,000 rooftop systems providing 992 megawatts (MW) and large-scale solar 313 MW to power the state.
AEMO Managing Director and CEO, Audrey Zibelman, said that this milestone affirms the world-leading scale and pace of transition underway in Australia’s power system.
“Never before has a jurisdiction the size of South Australia been completely run be solar power, with consumers’ rooftop solar systems contributing 77 per cent,” she said.
AEMO’s Integrated System Plan (ISP) forecasts that by 2040, 63 percent of coal generation will need to be replaced with grid-scale renewable energy (26 gigawatts) and dispatchable resources (6 to 19 GW). Distributed energy sources, such as rooftop solar PV and residential batteries, are also expected to double or triple in capacity by 2040.
Ms Zibelman says AEMO is forecasting an additional 36,000 new rooftop solar systems by the end of 2021 in South Australia alone, “which will mean that the state's grid will see zero demand as rooftop solar alone will be capable of meeting 100 per cent of demand”.
Trust us at NPA to assist you with this increased demand for all your solar cabling accessories and components. We stock a large range right here in Australia which means no long lead times or facing hefty freight charges.
