Tasmania’s uptake of solar power is up 25 per cent, whilst the nationally solar uptake has fallen by 24 per cent over the same period.
The figures come from the government agency, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), that documents the issue of solar certificates nationally.
Solar power advocates Solar Citizens said the data revealed the trend reversal.
Solar uptake on Tasmanian farms soars
Consumer campaigner with Solar Citizens, Reece Taylor said in the first five months of this year the uptake of small scale solar in Tasmania had been up by at least 25 per cent and could be higher because of the lag in CER publishing monthly results. could be higher.”
“This year there have been over 1,000 installations of small scale domestic and commercial solar compared with less than 800 at the same time last year.”
He said in Tasmania around one in 10 households had solar energy.
“In Queensland the ratio can be one in three so there is plenty of scope for uptake of small scale solar in Tasmania.”
Mr Taylor attributes the turn around to the recent energy crisis when Basslink was disabled, coupled with an extremely dry year which depleted Hydro’s water reserves.
He said people were concluding that Tasmania was not as well equipped as it should be to deal with energy self sufficiency as it should be.
He said this, on top of increasing power costs, was contributing to the rising interest in going solar.
A major project on Bruny Island involves a rollout of solar systems and battery storage to thousands of homes.
It is hoped that power security will address the power blackouts and reliance on diesel generators which are currently used over peak summer holiday times.
He said renewable energy was cheaper, cleaner and more reliable.
Derwent Valley farmer Michael Parsons runs sheep on his property and has invested in 200 hectares of irrigation for cropping.
He has put in a 40 kilowatt system with 250 panels and runs a 30 kilowatt pump to pull bore water from 150 metres.
“I think we are about $6,000 to $7,000 saved annually by running the irrigation on solar.
Other farmers in the district are also making the solar shift with interest in making savings on the operation of cool rooms, milk vats and irrigation.
