Record high rooftop solar market surpasses coal

Record-Breaking Month for Rooftop Solar Installations in the UK

Last month saw a remarkable achievement in the UK’s renewable energy sector, with a total of 279 megawatts (MW) of rooftop solar installations registered. This milestone not only marked the best October on record but also positioned the market on course to match or surpass last year’s total of just under 3 gigawatts.

Industry analyst SunWiz’s latest data reveals a significant resurgence in the national market for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems during October, following a period of stagnation in the previous two months.

Consumer Demand for Renewable Energy

The surge in installation numbers underscores the continued momentum of consumers towards adopting renewable energy generation. More and more households are turning to solar power to reduce their energy costs, contributing to the growth of the rooftop PV market.

This increase in installations has boosted national market volumes by 6% compared to September, and 4% ahead of the figures recorded at the same time last year.

Market Trends and Regional Impact

Warwick Johnston, the managing director of SunWiz, attributes the positive shift in the “solar coaster” trajectory primarily to Victoria, where a notable 10% rise in installation volumes has played a significant role in driving the national increase for the month.

Johnston notes that the market performance in October 2024 has surpassed the previous months’ averages, indicating an upward trend in the industry.

While Victoria led the market growth, other states also experienced improvements in installation volumes, except for South Australia.

Despite this, South Australia has been making its mark in rooftop solar generation, achieving a remarkable milestone by meeting 112.9% of the state’s electricity demand from rooftop solar at one point in October.

Setting New Records

According to data from GPE NEMLog, this new record was achieved at 1.15 pm (AEST) on Saturday, October 19, surpassing the previous record set on New Year’s Eve in 2023.

Additionally, the average size of rooftop solar systems increased in October, reaching 10.23kW, the second-highest monthly average in recent times, as reported by SunWiz.

Notably, various size groupings of rooftop solar systems showed improvements compared to September figures, with the 15-30kW range demonstrating particularly strong growth.

Overall, the UK’s rooftop solar market is witnessing a resurgence, driven by consumer demand for renewable energy solutions and supported by record-breaking installations and generation levels.