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Australia’s rooftop installs rise on back of battery rebate scheme

Australia’s rooftop solar deployments increased by more than 7% last month with the latest data revealing that almost 312 MW of small-scale PV capacity was installed across the country in September 2026.
David Carroll
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David Carroll
Image: pv magazine

The latest report from energy industry data analyst SunWiz shows 311.8 MW of small-scale solar (0-100 kW) was registered across Australia in September 2026, a 7.29% increase on the 290 MW installed during the previous month.

The September tally is one of the highest monthly totals of the year, eclipsed only by the 505 MW registered in April 2026 and the 320 MW installed in July. The September 2026 total is well clear of the approximately 240 MW registered in the same month last year.

SunWiz Managing Director Warwick Johnston said the market continues to benefit from the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Scheme, that requires residential batteries to be installed alongside new or existing solar systems to qualify for the rebate.

“Courtesy of the battery rebate driving PV installations, there is now more sub-100 kW PV installed in 2026 year-to-date than in the entirety of 2025,” he said, noting that the January-September tally is 43% ahead of the same point in 2025.

State trends – registered volume 12X monthly | Image: SunWiz

Johnston said five of the eight states and territories had increased installations last month with Queensland leading the way with 91.8 MW of new solar registered, a 14% increase on the August 2026 tally. New South Wales (NSW) added 90.1 MW, an 11% increase on the previous month.

The 10-15 kW bracket “remains the clear backbone of the market,” said Johnston, with 105.94 MW added in September, a 13% increase on the previous month and more than double the 6-8 kW band which was next-largest with 53.04 MW, and well ahead of the 15-20 kW bracket (43.41 MW).

The national average system size edged up to 9.98 kW from August’s 9.86 kW, well clear of May’s 12-month low of 9.35 kW but still well below December’s high of 12.07 kW.

Home batteries installations reached an estimated 966.5 MWh in September 2026, up 12.5% on the 859 MWh registered in August and the strongest month since April’s 3,262 MWh peak.

“The battery market has stabilised near to 1 GW a month, Johnston said, adding that the average battery size continues to grow, with 45% of the market now exceeding 30 kWh.

The 20-30 kWh bracket remains the largest segment with 368 MWh of capacity registered last month, a 13% increase on the previous month, while the 40-50 kWh band delivered 250 MWh and 30-40 kWh 190 MWh.

The installation of smaller batteries slowed with the 10-20 kWh bracket easing 2% to 148 MWh and 0-10 kWh band dropping 13% to 11 MWh. The national average system size rose to 26.30 kWh, its fourth consecutive gain.

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