Clean Energy Council says rooftop solar installations rebounded in H1 2026, recording their strongest six-month performance since 2021
Home battery installations grew faster than solar during the period with 153 batteries installed for every 100 rooftop systems
The association expects solar and battery capacity to exceed AEMO's 2029-30 projections at current deployment rates
Australia installed 1.89 GW of new rooftop solar capacity in H1 2026, marking a 41% year-on-year (YoY) increase, according to the Clean Energy Council (CEC). The country also recorded 180,878 home battery installations, up 35% YoY, marking its strongest six-month period for rooftop solar installations since 2021.
Households installed 180,878 rooftop solar systems and 276,011 batteries between January and June 2026, according to the Clean Energy Council's (CEC) Rooftop Solar and Storage Report: January–June 2026.
The report says the June quarter set a record for rooftop solar capacity additions in six of Australia's eight states and territories, with 102,234 systems adding 1,079 MW.
According to the report, battery installations grew faster than rooftop solar during the period, with 153 batteries added for every 100 rooftop solar installations in H1 2026. Australia added 276,011 home batteries during first half, 52% more than the 183,245 installed in the preceding six months, thanks to the Cheaper Home Batteries Program (see Australia Crosses 400,000 Home Battery Installations).
The analysis says the program helped deliver 12.9 GWh of consumer storage capacity within its initial 12 months since its launch in July 2025 having supported 457,439 installations.
The CEC report also indicates that household and small business investment in rooftop solar and batteries is running ahead of projections in the Australian Energy Market Operator's (AEMO) 2026 Integrated System Plan.
Based on current installation rates, rooftop solar capacity in the National Electricity Market (NEM) could reach 40.3 GW by 2029-30. This would be 4.5 GW, or 13%, above AEMO's Step Change scenario projection that projects the total to reach 35.8 GW.
CEC also forecasts consumer battery storage capacity to reach 59.2 GWh by the same period, 79% higher than AEMO's projection of 33 GWh.
