Over half a million small scale solar power systems are now installed around Australia, adding up to more than a million kilowatts of solar electricity generation capacity. Is your postcode among the top ten for solar panels in the country?
In May this year we reported on Australia’s top solar towns and suburbs in terms of system installations as a percentage of households.
We’ve compiled the following new top 10 list based on figures extracted from data recently released by the Office Of The Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER), showing the Australian postcodes with the largest numbers of small scale solar energy systems* installed.
The top 10 small scale solar power Australian postcodes as of September 2011 are (in descending order of number of systems installed):
1. Postcode 6210 – Western Australia – 3,643 systems – 6,270.317 kW capacity
Postcode 6210 incorporates Coodanup, Dudley Park, Erskine, Falcon, Greenfields, Halls Head, Madorah Bay, Mandurah (+ DC, East and North), Meadows Springs, San Remo, Silver Sands and Wannanup.
2. Postcode 4551 – Queensland – 3,184 systems – 5,545.973 kW capacity
Postcode 4551 incorporates Aroona, Battery Hill, Bells Creek, Caloundra (+ BC, DC and West), Currimundi, Dicky Beach, Golden Beach, Kings Beach, Little Mountain, Meridan Plains, Moffat Beach, Pelican Waters and Shelly Beach)
3. Postcode 2830 – New South Wales – 3,141 systems – 5,672.010 kW capacity
Postcode 2830 incorporates Ballimore, Barbigal, Beni, Boothenba, Brocklehurst, Bruah, Bunglegumbie, Burrabadine, Butler Falls, CoolBaggie, Cumboogle, Dubbo (+DC, Grove, East and West), Eschol, EuloMogo, Glengerra and Goonoo Forest.
4. Postcode 4655 – Queensland – 3,036 systems – 6,243.677 kW capacity
Postcode 4655 incorporates Booral, Bunya Creek, Craignish, Dundowran (+ Beach), Eli Waters, Great Sandy Strait, Hervey Bay (+ DC), Kawungan, Kingfisher Bay Resort, Nikenbah, Pialba, Point Vernon, River Heads, Scarness, Sunshine Acres, Susan River, Takura and Toogoom.
5. Postcode 4670 – Queensland – 2,740 systems – 5,893.393 kW capacity
Postcode 4670 incorporates Abbotsford, Alloway, Ashfield, Avenell Heights, Avoca, Avondale, Bargara, Branyan, Bucca, Bundaberg (+ Central, DC, East, North, South and West), Burnett Heads, Calavos, Coonar and Coral Cove.
6. Postcode 2480 – New South Wales – 2,470 systems – 5,492.039 kW capacity
Postcode 2480 incorporates Bentley, Bexhill, Blakebrook, Blue Knob, Boat Harbour, Booerie Creek, Boorabee Park, Booyong, Bungabbee, Caniaba, Chilcotts Grass, Clovass, Coffee Camp, Corndale, Dorroughby, Dungarubba, Dunoon, East Lismore and Eltham.
7. Postcode 6155 – Western Australia – 2,316 systems – 4,338.339 kW capacity
Postcode 6155 incorporates Canning Vale (+ DC, East and South) and Willeton.
8. Postcode 4556 – Queensland – 2,235 systems – 3,950.226 kW capacity
Postcode 4556 incorporates Buderim, Forest Glen, Kunda Park, Mons, Sippy Downs and Tanawha
9. Postcode 4350 – Queensland – 2,208 systems – 4,183.373 kW capacity
Postcode 4350 incorporates Athol, Blue Mountain Heights, Centenary Heights, Charlton, Clifford Gardens, Cotswold Hills, Cranley, Darling Heights, Drayton, East Toowoomba, Finnie, Glenvale, Gowrie Mountain, Harlaxton, Harristown, Kearneys Spring, Middle Ridge, Mount Kynoch and Mount Lofty.
10. Postcode 4211 – Queensland – 2,138 systems – 4,238.658 kW capacity
Postcode 4211 incorporates Advancetown, Beechmont, Binnaburra, Carrara, Clagiraba, Gaven, Gilston, Highland Park, Lower Beechmont, Mount Nathan, Natural Bridge, Nerang (+ BC and DC), Numinbah Valley, Pacific Pines and Southern Lamington.
Note: RET legislation allows for a 1 year period for registered parties to create their renewable energy certificates. As such, 2010 and 2011 figures will continue to rise due to the 12 month creation period and this will affect the final tallies. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) form the basis of the Solar Credits rebate. The totals in the above list are based on installations since 2001.
Data from ORER shows a total of 521,207 small scale solar power systems (aka SGU – Small Generation Unit) installed throughout Australia at the end of September 2011, amounting to 1,064,744.439 kW in capacity.
*Under ORER’s definition, since mid-November 2005 a Solar SGU is a solar panel based system no more than 100 kW capacity and with a total annual electricity output of less than 250 MWh. Between 1 April 2001 and 13 November 2005, a system no more than 10 kW and with a total annual electricity output less than 25 MWh was considered an SGU. SGU’s include home solar power and commercial solar energy systems.
