Australian Rooftop Solar Capacity Surpasses All Remaining Coal Plants

Australia’s renewable energy sector has reached a significant milestone, with the Clean Energy Council’s latest report revealing record-breaking installations of rooftop solar and home batteries during the first half of 2026. With 180,878 new solar systems and over 276,000 batteries deployed, the industry is experiencing a sharp recovery. This surge is largely attributed to the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which is encouraging households to pair storage with new or existing solar setups. Consequently, rooftop solar capacity now exceeds that of all remaining coal-fired power stations in the country, bolstering national energy security and lowering consumer costs.

The data shows that 1,894 MW of new solar capacity was added between January and June 2026, marking a 41% year-on-year increase. The June quarter alone saw a record 102,234 installations. Industry experts anticipate that annual solar installations will surpass 300,000 for the year, rebounding from a slight dip in 2025. This growth is being driven by a combination of new-build solar and storage packages, as well as significant retrofitting of battery systems into homes that already utilize rooftop PV.

Home battery adoption is accelerating even faster than solar, with 153 batteries installed for every 100 solar systems during the first half of the year. This represents a substantial increase in storage capacity, with 8,691 MWh added in six months—more than double the previous half-year period. Over the first year of the federal rebate program, 457,439 batteries have been installed, providing 12.9 GWh of total consumer storage.

Clean Energy Council Chief Executive Jackie Trad highlighted that this household-led boom is outperforming official projections. Current investment trends suggest that by 2030, rooftop solar capacity in the National Electricity Market could reach 40.3 GW, while consumer battery storage could hit 59.2 GWh. These figures significantly exceed the Australian Energy Market Operator’s central planning scenarios. Looking ahead, the industry expects further momentum as the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme expands to support larger solar systems of up to 1 MW.