Rooftop solar surges to new high in Australia on back of battery boom

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Australia’s rooftop solar market climbed by 31% in the past month with the latest data revealing that a record 442 MW of small-scale PV capacity was installed across the country in April 2026.</span></p><p><strong>From <a href="https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2026/05/05/rooftop-solar-surges-to-new-high-on-back-of-battery-boom/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">pv magazine Australia</a></strong></p>
<p>Australian households and businesses installed more rooftop solar last month than in any other month on record with new data from solar and storage market analyst SunWiz showing 442 MW of sub-100 kW rooftop PV capacity was registered nationwide in April 2026.</p>
<p>This marked a 31% increase on the 341 MW registered across the country in <a href="https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2026/04/08/rooftop-solar-registrations-reach-record-high-with-race-on-to-make-most-of-battery-subsidy-scheme/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">March</a> and is almost double the 225 MW of new capacity registered in <a href="https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2025/05/06/rooftop-solar-rates-slow-as-april-calendar-catches-up/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">April 2025</a>.</p>
<p>“We have now reached the strongest month in the history of STC (small-scale technology certificates),” SunWiz Managing Director Warwick Johnston said, adding that the market is now running 35% ahead of the same point in 2025.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-120565" height="367" src="https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/05/sunwiz-apr-26.jpg" width="484" /></p>
<p>Johnston said the surge in solar registrations was largely a byproduct of changes to the federal government’s <a href="https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/03/02/australian-regulator-ramps-up-battery-inspections/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cheaper Home Batteries Program</a>, which has supported the installation of more than 350,000 small-scale battery energy storage systems over the past 10 months.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2025/12/15/bowen-commits-extra-5-billion-to-home-battery-subsidy/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Changes</a> to the rebate scheme, that provides discounts of up to 30% on the upfront cost of installing small-scale battery systems alongside new or existing rooftop solar, were introduced on 1 May 2026. In the wake of the changes, systems installed through the program will continue to receive the full discount on the first 14 kWh of usable capacity, while 14-20 kWh batteries will get 60% of the discount and 28-50 kWh batteries will get 15% of the rebate.</p>
<p>Johnstone said the adjustments to the battery rebate scheme had “triggered a surge in battery demand with a meaningful flow-on effect to solar.”</p>
<p>“The rebate cut sent households scrambling for large-format (40–50 kWh) batteries, and the bigger solar arrays needed to run them followed, turning the Cheaper Home Battery Program into a multiplier well beyond its original scope,” he said.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-120566" height="207" src="https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/05/sunwiz-apr-26-states-600x207.jpg" width="600" /></p>
<p>Every state posted growth in rooftop solar installations in April with 143 MW of new capacity registered in New South Wales alone, up 35% on the previous month.</p>
<p>The Australian Capital Territory reported a 62% increase while Queensland delivered a 36% month-on-month increase.</p>
<p>SunWiz said most rooftop PV segments had recorded growth over the month with the 20-30 kW segment the standout, delivering almost double the installed capacity compared to March, up 98%.</p>
<p>The 15-20 kW segment increased by 61% while the 30-50 kW segment recorded growth of 45%. The 3-6 kW and 6-8 kW segments showed minor dips in month-on-month capacity growth.</p>
<p>The growth in the larger segments saw the national average system size bump up to 11.35 kW.</p>