Western Australian households are embracing renewable energy technology at record rates with 3,000 homes installing rooftop solar panels each month.
Last year, WA households added 191 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity to their rooftops bringing the total amount of residential solar capacity in the South West Interconnected System to 1,362MW.
More than 400,000 WA homes and businesses, around 36 per cent of customers, now have rooftop solar connected to WA’s main grid.
The collective capacity of residential solar generation exceeds the gross output capacity of WA’s largest power station – Synergy’s 854MW Muja Power Station.
This unmanaged energy presents challenges on mild sunny days when rooftop solar generation is high and demand from the system is low.
To enable the continued uptake of rooftop solar panels on WA homes and avoid blackouts, the McGowan Government has introduced a range of policies, products and initiatives.
This includes the new Emergency Solar Management rules which start on February 14, WA’s biggest battery in Kwinana, community battery storage trials and virtual power plants.
For more information, visit https://www.brighterenergyfuture.wa.gov.au
As stated by Energy Minister Bill Johnston:
“Over the past ten years rooftop solar has increased by over 600 per cent, with 50 per cent of WA households expected to have solar panels by 2030.
“These rapid changes to the energy landscape have presented a range of challenges and opportunities, which we are addressing to ensure electricity remains affordable and reliable.
“The McGowan Government continues to support the uptake of residential solar, batteries and electric vehicles, and is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
As stated by Climate Action Minister Reece Whitby:
“It is clear we need to change some of our practices to preserve our environment and climate, and the incredible uptake of rooftop solar over the past decade shows the commitment of Western Australians to choosing greener forms of energy.
“Continuing to embrace innovative ways of powering our homes and industries is critical to the State reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
