The community energy solar industry has been growing in the Australian market over the past year.
There were 8,000 solar power projects approved for solar power in the year to March, according to the Australian Energy Market Operator.
And, according a report released last month, the community energy sector in Australia is growing.
And this growth is happening even in a market dominated by large companies like Origin Energy and Powerhouse Energy.
The community solar sector is growing, with a new report estimating that it will be the second largest in Australia in 2020.
According to the Community Solar Industry Association, the industry grew from $1.2 billion in 2013 to $5.2 million in 2020 and that is expected to continue to grow.
That growth comes from both new projects and the expansion of existing projects.
And in an industry dominated by big companies like Powerhouse, Community Solar Energy has been the fastest growing solar energy company in the world in the last year.
It is estimated that the company has increased its capacity by 25 per cent.
“The community energy industry is rapidly growing and it is a very attractive industry for companies looking to get into this market,” said Andrew McBride, chief executive of Community Solar, and chairman of the Australian Community Solar Council.
“A number of communities have joined our ranks as community energy companies and we’re seeing a huge amount of activity around community solar.”
The growth of the community solar market has been driven by the arrival of new solar panels.
“We have had a very positive year,” said Mark McGovern, senior director of customer services for Powerhouse.
“There have been significant growth in installations of new community solar panels and in total installed capacity, it has increased by 25 percent year-on-year.”
McGovern said that community solar is the fastest-growing sector in the community power market.
“In addition to community solar, Powerhouse has recently entered the market with the addition of a new community energy installation in Sydney,” he said.
“Powerhouse is also seeing a strong uptake of community solar in its residential and commercial markets.”
The community power industry in Australia has grown from $2.6 billion in 2015 to $4.5 billion in 2020, according the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
But it is not just big companies that are investing in community solar.
There are also new entrants to the market.
And community solar can help to drive that growth.
“This is the best opportunity for people who want to be solar-savvy to invest in community energy,” said John Leeson, chief operating officer at Community Solar.
“It’s a great way to diversify the supply of electricity and to take advantage of the best technologies.”
Community solar companies can also provide renewable energy, as well as other forms of power.
“Solar is a great tool to support local economies, as there’s no electricity on our grid,” said Tim Tinsley, president of Solar City, an Australian company that operates community solar projects in Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney.
“Community solar is a way of providing an alternative to electricity that can be generated locally.”
Community energy companies also have to be able to meet some of the requirements of the Renewable Energy Target (RET).
“We need to be in a position to supply a reasonable amount of renewable power to meet the RET,” said McBride.
“But we also need to have sufficient capacity to meet any other requirements of that RET.”
But there are also a number of obstacles to growing the community renewable energy sector.
“When you’re starting a company, you don’t know how long it will take you to build,” said Tins, Solar City’s vice president.
“If you’re not getting any funding from government, it’s a tough proposition.
And it’s very hard to get financing.”
Community renewable energy companies are also at risk of being excluded from the RET, which means they cannot get the funding they need.
“That’s a big concern,” said Leeson.
“For a lot of communities, there’s a lack of financing for community solar and community solar companies have been excluded from that, so that’s an obstacle.”
The RET was announced in 2019 and came into effect in 2020 in Australia.
The aim of the RET is to support the transition to a low-carbon economy and support the continued growth of communities with the support of local communities.
The RET has been criticised by some businesses for the impact it is having on community solar businesses, with the Australian Chamber of Commerce saying that the RET will not make a dent in the sector.
The Australian Energy Regulator has also expressed concern about the impact that the renewable energy targets have on the energy market.
But, as Powerhouse’s McGovern said, community solar isn’t just a solution for the RET.
“You can’t have solar and not have solar,” said MC, PowerHouse’s CEO.
“What we are doing here is the same thing we are looking at in the solar market