Since solar revolution in the country, the average size of rooftop solar systems are increasing yearly. This can be mainly attributed to the decreasing panel prices and improving dissemination of solar technology. As reported previously, 2018 has already shattered records when it comes to the number of solar systems installed. The market is substantially evolving, and in states like WA about 30,000 new homes are coming up every year. This creates further demand in the market.
Maximum Size of Rooftop Solar
In the beginning of solar boom, the preferred size among homeowners used to be 1.5kW. This provided the best return on investment and energy security. However, after a couple of years, towards the mid 2016, 3 to 5kW started becoming the norm in the residential solar market. As of 2018, homeowners have every incentive to opt for a 6.6kW – the maximum size of rooftop solar that provides feed-in tariff. These incentives come in the form of battery readiness, falling panel prices and retailer promotions. It is worth noting that, this shift is occurring at a time when the solar rebates are being sequentially phased out by the government.
Those in states with higher grid prices are opting for even bigger PV sizes at the cost of losing feed-in tariffs due to the long term profitability. As per Clean Energy Regulator (CER), about 3.5 million solar rooftop panels (6.5 panels per minute) were installed last year in the country. CER also revealed a growing preference to larger rooftop systems among residential customers. Some experts speculate that this can result in lower feed-in tariffs or their cut altogether. However, this will not be an issue due to expanding battery storage market, which can provide even better energy savings for the owner. As per Green Energy Markets (GEM), this trend will slowly create a shift in classification of solar systems. In future, systems from 7kW to 15 kW may become the residential standard. Furthermore, this will also facilitate a smoother transition to the solar battery market in the coming years.