The number of Australian homeowners installing batteries to store power generated from rooftop solar has jumped more than 20 percent this year.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said the statistic was one of the key findings revealed by a new monitoring tool launched by the organisation today.
Ms McKenzie said the Climate Momentum Monitor tracked progress in cutting climate pollution across a number of sectors.
She said millions of Australian homes and businesses were driving a surge in clean energy adoption, embracing rooftop solar, batteries, and cleaner transport choices.
“Australia has established a good foundation and our energy, transport, and manufacturing industries can build on this to cut climate pollution further.”
She said the monitor analysed publicly available Australian government data and would be collated and monitored quarterly.
“Most Australians don’t know that we are already powered 40 percent by renewable power. This monitoring tool will give the community ready access to this information and support good decision making.”
She said the data showed the number of Australian households powered by a battery alongside their rooftop solar had increased by 23 percent this year, with the number of units growing by more than 21,000 to a total of almost 115,000.
The data also showed more than 240,000 rooftop solar installations have occurred since the start of 2024, with four million households now solar-powered.
It revealed utility-scale renewables and storage now represented 32 gigawatts of total grid-scale capacity, an increase of 12 percent since July 2023, and Australia now had more than 160,000 registered electric vehicles, with sales expected to climb as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard starts in 2025.
Ms McKenzie said Australia was in a prime position to take advantage of the climate solutions available as the sunniest country in the world and one of the windiest.
She said large-scale solar and wind, backed up by storage, through batteries and hydro power, could provide clean, safe power for Australia at all times of the day.
“A 21st century challenge calls for 21st century solutions. Efforts to slash climate pollution are already empowering Australians by saving us money, strengthening our homegrown industries and creating new ones, all while helping to protect us from the worsening effects of climate change.”
Access the Climate Momentum Monitor.
