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Renewable Energy News

TUESDAY 14 AUGUST, 2012 |

South Australians Increasingly Turning To Solar Energy

by Energy Matters

South Australia's annual electricity consumption has decreased significantly, thanks in part to home solar power systems.

A report recently released by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) states South Australia's consumption of mains grid supplied power decreased by approximately 5% (700 GWh) in 2011-12 and is around 10% lower than forecast.

The AEMO now forecasts consumption to grow by just 0.9% over the next decade.

Aside from consumer response to skyrocketing electricity prices, one of the factors leading to the consumption reduction is the uptake of rooftop solar power systems in South Australia.

Among the National Electricity Market (NEM) regions, South Australia has the highest penetration of rooftop solar panels, with approximately one out of five SA homes having installed systems by the end of February this year - representing a total capacity of 267 MW.

In 2011-12, residential solar panel installations are estimated to have generated 306 GWh of electricity in South Australia says the AEMO, which is equivalent to 2.4% of South Australia's annual energy.

While 20% of the state's residential rooftops now sport solar panels, the future is continuing to look bright for South Australia's solar industry.

The AEMO forecasts rooftop PV-generated electricity will increase to 900 GWh by 2021-22 under a moderate uptake scenario and over a 10-year outlook period, the average annual growth rate of rooftop solar panel installations is forecast to be approximately 8%.

South Australia's electricity prices jumped by a massive 17% on August 1 last year and rose an additional 18% recently. With the state's solar feed in tariff incentives currently totalling 25.8c per kilowatt hour minimum; it means a 5kW solar panel system installed in Adelaide and in many other areas of the state can often wipe out a household's electricity bill altogether according to data from solar provider Energy Matters.

Payback time on such a system currently on offer by Energy Matters is approximately 5.5 years; after which, the system will continue to generate what is essentially free electricity for decades; with perhaps only the solar inverter needing replacing during that time.

The 2012 South Australian Electricity Report can be viewed in full here (PDF).