This is the seventh annual ACAP report, with ACAP activities supported by the Australian Government through ARENA.
Solar photovoltaics involves the generation of electricity directly from sunlight when this light shines upon solar cells packaged into a solar module. Silicon is the most common material used to make these photovoltaic cells, similarly to its predominant role in microelectronics, although several other photovoltaic materials are being actively investigated.
The year 2019 was another important one for photovoltaics both in Australia and internationally. Rooftop solar installations in Australia (<100 kW) increased by over 2.1 gigawatts during the year, a 35% increase over 2018, the previous record year, with a similar increase in large commercial systems. Solar’s contribution to electricity generation in the Australian National Electricity Market increased to 7.6% averaged over 2019, likely to exceed 10% average in 2020. Even more importantly, this strong solar contribution has significantly improved the power network’s ability to meet peaks in electricity demand during summer heatwaves, where solar is proving much more reliable than conventional coal generators, whether new or ageing.