The dynamics that dictate how the price of electricity is set in Australia have been transformed in the last year, not by policy, but by the unusual characteristics of batteries. Unlike any generator before it, batteries are capable of playing both sides of the price-setting equation: supply and demand. Newly compiled data reveals the extent to which the National Electricity Market’s price-setting agenda has been utterly reconfigured.

Australia’s residential solar market continues to expand at pace, supported by high household adoption and growing integration of battery storage systems. The latest data shows approximately 217,000 new rooftop solar systems have been installed over the past 12 months with an estimated 42% of Australian homes now fitted with solar. The country maintains its position as the No.1 globally ranked market for rooftop solar adoption, with an average residential system size of 6.6 kW.

As energy security continues to dominate headlines, Australia is quietly setting records for renewable energy generation.

Australia is in the grip of a record-breaking battery rush. Last week Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced that more than 380,000 home batteries have been installed since July last year. That’s over 100,000 more than the total installed between 2020 and mid-2025. The reason for the rush: government subsidies, which cut the upfront cost by about 30%.

In our collective enthusiasm for renewable energy, Australia now has installed millions of solar panels and inverters on roughly one in three homes. This is one of the most impressive renewable energy stories in the world and a case study in how effective it can be as an investment across the nation.

Danish renewables developer European Energy says the first of almost 200,000 PV modules have been installed at the 100 MW Winton North solar plant being constructed in northeast Victoria with the project on track to begin operations next year.

The 2 GWh Tomago battery energy storage system, and a 128 MWh virtual power plant have successfully secured tenders through the NSW Roadmap Tender 7 for Firming Infrastructure.

Sydney-headquartered commercial solar and battery system installer Sharp EIT Solutions has partnered the Victoria Racing Club, custodians of Flemington Racecourse to install a 767 kWdc commercial solar installation.

The Solomon Islands and Asian Development Bank have signed an agreement to develop the country’s first large-scale solar project as Pacific energy ministers convene in Papua New Guinea calling for an accelerated renewable energy transition in Oceania.

Tongwei Solar has partnered with Australian solar distributor One Stop Wholesaler to deliver its solar solutions, including its TNC 2.0, Australia-wide.

South Korea’s National Assembly has passed the country’s first dedicated agrivoltaics legislation, enabling dual use of agricultural land for solar power generation, but the law excludes zones covering nearly half of the country’s farmland, according to a Seoul-based nonprofit group focused on energy transition.

Genex has announced plans to reconfigure the first stage of its 2.5 GW Bulli Creek multi-stage development in Queensland, from a 775 MW solar farm to 300 MW, adding a 425 MW / 1,700 MWh battery energy storage system.

Hong Kong-headquartered private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners has joined forces with Australian renewables developer Climate Capital as it seeks to advance an estimated $200 million pipeline of solar and storage projects.

The New Zealand government has ordered a review into the installation of residential and small- to medium-scale solar as it seeks to accelerate the rollout of rooftop PV.

An independent rating scheme that ranks renewable energy developers and transmission companies’ project delivery, financial stability and community engagement capabilities is now operational.

The Australian government has in its latest Federal Budget stripped almost $2 billion from programs designed to accelerate the rollout of new clean energy systems.

Australian battery technology startup Voltavate will build a new base in Victoria to advance its novel approach to battery manufacturing and accelerate the transition from laboratory development to real-world production.

The proposed inverted perovskite solar cell design reduces band misalignment and electron accumulation, suppressing recombination losses and enabling high efficiency in both small-area devices and scalable modules.

A new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency finds that round‑the‑clock solar and wind paired with battery energy storage deliver power at lower cost than new fossil fuel generation in high‑quality resource regions.

A China-based research team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 147 studies on how solar PV systems alter land surface processes, covering 609 installations worldwide and 11 key climate variables.

The Austrian manufacturer said its new glass-glass module features 108 back-contact TOPCon half-cells and a power conversion efficiency of 23.52%.

Anker Solix has launched a residential energy storage solution featuring a 7 kWh modular battery with 5 kW bidirectional inverter.

Researchers from the University of New England’s Australian Institute for Strategic Artificial Intelligence are using artificial intelligence and powerful supercomputers to assess potential solvents to separate silicon wafers with minimal contamination.

German inverter and battery manufacturer SMA Solar Technology has confirmed its withdrawal from the Australian residential and commercial market, with CEO Jürgen Reinert declaring the company will instead focus on large-scale infrastructure, grid-forming technology and hybrid integration.

Chinese PV technology manufacturer Trina Solar has launched an “Australia specific” variant of its Vertex S+ modules featuring a power output of 515 W and a maximum efficiency of 24.65%.

The energy storage industry has reached the 100 GW era, with BloombergNEF’s Energy Storage Market Outlook for 1H 2026 confirming that 112 GW was installed globally in 2025.

Construction proper is set to begin on one of Australia’s largest Indigenous-led renewable energy projects after the developer locked in a long-term energy offtake deal with mining giant Rio Tinto.

A 400 MW solar farm and 2,000 MWh battery energy storage system proposed for construction in Queensland’s South Burnett region has been waved through the federal government’s environmental approval scheme.

In a bid to rid itself of diesel dependence, the world’s smallest island nation of Nauru has signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with Sydney-based Smart Commercial Energy to develop a clean energy solution.

As Australia accelerates its transition to a cleaner, more resilient energy system, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: the future of energy infrastructure must be built not just for communities, but with them.