Australians are rapidly increasing their adoption of rooftop solar systems and home battery storage as households seek to better manage rising energy costs. According to a report from the Clean Energy Council (CEC), 180,878 rooftop solar systems were installed in the first half of 2026, marking a 35 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This represents the strongest six-month growth in installations since 2021.
Battery installations have grown at an even faster pace, with 276,011 home batteries added during the first six months of this year. This corresponds to 153 batteries installed for every 100 rooftop solar systems, up from 130 per 100 in the latter half of 2025. The CEC attributes this surge partly to the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program, which was launched on July 1, 2025. Over its inaugural year, the program supported the installation of 457,439 batteries, providing a total storage capacity of 12.9 gigawatt-hours.
CEC chief executive Jackie Trad noted that Australians are motivated by the prospects of reducing electricity bills and enhancing energy security. “These factors have driven strong consumer demand for solar and battery technology,” Trad said.
The increase in battery installations indicates significant retrofitting among households that already possess rooftop solar systems, as well as new setups that combine both solar panels and batteries. Currently, more than 4.5 million Australian homes and small businesses have rooftop solar, with over 700,000 also equipped with battery storage.
Earlier CEC reports suggested that rooftop solar installations might have peaked, with annual installs dropping below 300,000 in 2025. However, the robust figures for the first half of 2026 signal that the total number of installations this year is on course to exceed that threshold. The continued growth underscores Australians’ growing interest in renewable energy technologies as a means of controlling energy expenditure and improving resilience amid fluctuating energy markets.