NSW electorates with the most solar panels. They are not the ones you’d expect

Sydney is lagging regional NSW in adopting rooftop solar, with new data revealing that nine of the top 10 state electorates for installations are households and businesses in regional NSW.

The Barwon electorate in the state’s north-west, which covers about 44 per cent of NSW, has emerged as the leader with 24,537 homes and businesses boasting rooftop solar, followed closely by the Northern Rivers region where Ballina has 22,743 and Lismore 22,162.

Riverstone, in Sydney’s north-west, came in fifth in NSW for solar uptake, however, it takes the number one spot for battery installations in the country with about 1500 households opting to capture their rooftop solar for use around the clock.

The next Sydney electorate on the list is Leppington, in Sydney’s south-west, which comes in at number 23, with 16,115 homes and businesses with solar panels, followed by Camden (15,964) and Londonderry (15,942).

At the bottom of the list is the electorate of Sydney, where 906 homes and businesses have solar panels, followed by North Shore with 2750, Newtown (2984) and Heffron, which has 3039 homes or businesses with the technology.

The NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said an average four-person household with a 6.6kW solar system could save up to $1400 per year on their power bills.

Sharpe released the new data head of a budget estimates hearing on Tuesday.

“From the far west to the Northern Rivers, regional NSW is leading the charge on rooftop solar,” Sharpe said. “In the final quarter of last year, solar farms and rooftop solar provided 32 per cent of our state’s electricity.”

NSW leads the country in uptake of the renewable technology, with more than 1 million homes and businesses that now have rooftop solar – a third of all the state’s homes.

When the sun is shining, rooftop solar is producing more power than all the state’s coal-fired power stations, Sharpe said.

Last year, the NSW government made it easier for solar panels to also be installed on apartment buildings, with new rules meaning strata committees are no longer allowed to ban rooftop solar panels or other sustainability-related infrastructure such as EV chargers for aesthetic reasons.

This removes one of the main reasons committees used to block solar installations.

Proposals to install infrastructure in common spaces can now pass with a simple majority. Previously these proposals needed a special vote with 75 per cent approval.

The only exception to the new rules are buildings with heavy heritage protection.

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