Saving an Average of $860 per Household Annually
The new modelling done by the Australian PV Institute and the University of New South Wales and research conducted by Solar Citizens, the rooftop solar potential of social housing in NSW might be as high as 650 Megawatts (MW), of which less than 50MW is currently used. Deploying this solar PV could generate 769 GWh of electricity annually, reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 10.6 Megatonnes over 20 years. This shows the untapped potential of NSW’s rooftop solar capacity for social housing.
The modelling, rooftop solar for social housing, would reduce energy bills for some of the state’s most vulnerable energy consumers, saving an average of $860 per household annually while securing the state’s electricity supply.
National Director of Solar Citizens, Heidi Lee Douglas, said: “Rolling out solar on social housing would save low-income households and average $860 per year, whilst contributing cheap, clean energy back to the grid, and providing additional grid security benefits if backed by batteries networked through a Virtual Power Plant.”
“The Government should be maintaining its own assets and taking responsibility for the thermal comfort and the cost-of-living faced by their tenants. Low-income households would be saving around $860 each year”
“This is yet more evidence that household solar and batteries will provide clean, cheap energy and provide the energy security needed to close old, dirty coal plants like Eraring, saving the NSW government hundreds of millions of dollars each year.”
The report provides a detailed analysis of the solar potential of social and community housing in NSW, broken down by the Commonwealth Electoral Division and State Electoral Division. It also compares the findings from two different data sources, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
