There are now one million solar hot water systems in Australia, according to data released by the Clean Energy Regulator.
The one-millionth system was installed in Weston, New South Wales and received small-scale technology certificates under the Australian Government’s Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.
“Reaching this milestone demonstrates that there is continuing strong interest from households to participate in the small-scale renewable energy scheme and enjoy the financial and environmental benefits that come along with that,” said Mark Williamson, Executive General Manager at the Clean Energy Regulator.
The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme creates a financial incentive for individuals and small business owners to install small-scale renewable energy systems such as solar panel systems, small-scale wind or hydro systems, solar water heaters and air source heat pumps. Eligible systems may be entitled to small-scale technology certificates, which can be sold to recoup a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing the system.
“An average household can use around 25 per cent of its total energy on heating water and so solar water heaters are an excellent way to reduce energy bills,” said Mr Williamson.
More than 2.5 million small-scale systems have been installed across Australia since the scheme began in 2001. In total, these installations now have the capacity to generate or displace approximately 9.5 million megawatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power more than 1.4 million average Australian homes.
“More than 258 000 solar hot water systems have been installed in New South Wales, making it the state with the largest uptake in the country.
“I encourage households in other states to look at this as an option next time they are considering what type of hot water system they will install.
“We have progressively seen this technology become more popular over the past few years and I expect, as prices reduce and households are able to see not just the environmental benefits but also the cost savings they can achieve, it will become even more common,” Mr Williamson said.
The full small-scale renewable energy installation data set is now available. It details installations across Australia by post code per month.