Rooftop solar installations to almost double by 2025: Rystad Energy

Rooftop solar PV installations are expected to increase to a total capacity of 94.7 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, Rystad Energy forecasts.

This growth is an upward trend for the rooftop solar market, due to government regulations and policies,  especially feed-in tariffs (FiTs) that guarantee an above-market price for producers, they explained. 

“Small scale solar PV, including residential, commercial and industrial (C&I), and off-grid projects, are gaining momentum supported by economics and policies, with China, Japan, Germany, the US and Australia emerging as key markets. Key drivers for the high uptake in the residential sector include high retail electricity costs, low system costs, high FiTs and the available roof space,” says Gero Farruggio, Rystad Energy’s head of renewables research.

Rooftop installations have increased by 64 percent within five years, rising from 36 GW in 2017 to 59 GW in 2021.

The growth, they explained, has been primarily driven by an increased adoption in China, where rooftop installations increased from 19.4 GW in 2017 to 27.3 GW in 2021. 

“Australia, the US and the UK are the only countries in the top 10 countries list for total installed rooftop capacity where most of the systems are dedicated to powering residential properties,” they said in a statement.

Australia has the highest in per-capita rooftop PV installations with 746 watts (WDC) per person, thenGermany – 668 WDC per person – and Japan – 353 WDC per person.