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Australian rooftop solar reaches 81% high as demand hits record low

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) said mild temperatures and clear skies across South Australia on the weekend saw the state set a new single-day, winter minimum operational demand record of 264 MW. This was down on the previous record low of 304 MW, set just eight days earlier.

At the time, renewables contributed about 138% of South Australia’s demand, with rooftop solar providing 81.2% of all local demand. Utility scale solar contributed 32.7% and wind 24.6%.

The mild conditions also delivered a new winter low for operational demand in Victoria, reaching 2,810 MW at 1pm on Sunday when rooftop solar was meeting 44% of demand in the state.

AEMO said the high contribution from renewables at the time had a notable effect on wholesale electricity prices, dropping to -$45/MWh in South Australia and $46/MWh in Victoria.

Recent analysis by solar industry consultancy SunWiz showed that national market volumes for rooftop PV installs reached a record 302 MW in Australia in July 2024, 10% higher than any other July and a record for any month in the April to October period.

“Overall July was our fifth-best month on record,” SunWiz Managing Director Warwick Johnston said, noting that the monthly volumes reversed the backsliding trend that had unfolded from February to June, with May as the other exception.

The July tally was a 23% increase on the 248 MW of new rooftop PV capacity that was installed in June, which was well down on the 288 MW deployed in May,

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