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Australia holds the world’s highest per-capita share of rooftop solar capacity, with more than 28 GW installed, according to pv magazine. An industry expert cited in the report warns that insufficient inspection and maintenance programs could prevent many of these systems from delivering the performance and lifespan for which they were designed.
Rooftop solar has been installed at roughly 4 million Australian homes and small businesses, with about 36% of households owning a system. The report notes that 2026 is on course to be a record year for installations, with about 181,000 rooftop systems fitted in the first half of the year, a 35% rise over the same period in 2025 and the strongest six-month figure since 2021.
Andrew Barrington, founder and managing director of New South Wales-based solar maintenance company Solar Shine Australia, said the industry should look beyond new installations and ensure existing systems keep performing, deliver their intended returns and last as long as expected. He questioned who verifies that panels remain functional years after installation and argued that equipment capable of being maintained should not be replaced. He called for a stronger emphasis on proactive inspection and maintenance, describing it as critical to extending the life of the national rooftop fleet, cutting avoidable losses and limiting premature solar waste.
According to the report, panels are generally designed to operate for 25 years or more, but damage, neglected upkeep and undetected faults can affect performance and potentially shorten useful life. Barrington said maintenance is needed for anything intended to last decades, and that catching and fixing minor faults early preserves output, avoids costly repairs once problems accumulate or escalate, and reduces fire and electrocution risk.
He also warned that decommissioning solar systems ahead of their expected lifecycle because of poor maintenance creates avoidable waste beyond what the recycling sector can handle, resulting in more panels going to landfill — an issue he said matters for a sustainable industry and needs addressing.
Solar Shine Australia, which serves residential, commercial and industrial installations, identified dirt buildup, loose wiring, cracked panels and monitoring equipment that is not actively checked as factors that can reduce energy output. Physical module damage can raise the risk of moisture ingress and progressive deterioration while affecting long-term reliability and performance, according to the company.
Barrington said he increasingly sees the consequences of inadequate maintenance planning and pointed to education as the key to reversing the trend. He said maintenance education is largely absent for consumers and even for installers, manufacturers and solar sales teams, and that a long-circulating belief that solar requires no maintenance, is self-cleaning or is cleaned by rain is untrue. He added that such misinformation is partly spread by manufacturers and sales teams, though public opinion is shifting as more people recognize maintenance as essential to efficient and sustainable operation. His position is that solar is low maintenance rather than no maintenance.
The report states that solar maintenance will be discussed at All Energy Australia 2026 in Melbourne next week, where Barrington will chair a panel of specialists examining needed changes. The session, titled Maximising Solar Asset Performance Through Maintenance, Monitoring & Stewardship, will bring together different parts of the maintenance industry to share practical experience and discuss how asset owners can get more from their systems.
This report provides an in-depth analysis of the Solar Panels market in Australia, covering market size, growth trajectory, demand structure, supply capability, trade flows, pricing, competitive landscape, and forecast to 2035.
The study is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, investors, procurement teams, advisors, and strategy teams that need a consistent, data-driven view of market dynamics and a transparent analytical definition of the product scope.
This report covers photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which are devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity. It encompasses the global market for finished modules, including all major product technologies and form factors designed for a wide range of end-use applications.
The report combines the standard market-statistics backbone with strategic chapters that are useful for commercial planning, sourcing decisions, market entry, competitor monitoring, and portfolio prioritization.
The market is segmented into decision-relevant buckets so that demand drivers, pricing logic, supply constraints, and competitive positions can be compared across the same analytical frame.
The market data is classified and analyzed according to international trade codes, primarily under the Harmonized System (HS) headings for photovoltaic cells and electric generating sets. This ensures consistent tracking of trade flows for assembled solar modules and relevant apparatus across global markets.
Coverage focuses on Australia and includes demand, supply capability where present, trade flows, pricing, competition, and outlook.
The report combines official statistics, trade records, company disclosures, product-level evidence, and analyst validation. Data are standardized, reconciled, and cross-checked to keep market sizing, trade flows, pricing, and forecasts comparable across countries and time periods.
All indicators are mapped to a consistent product definition and reviewed against the segmentation framework used in the Table of Contents.
Report Scope and Analytical Framing
Concise View of Market Direction
Market Size, Growth and Scenario Framing
Commercial and Technical Scope
How the Market Splits Into Decision-Relevant Buckets
Where Demand Comes From and How It Behaves
Supply Footprint and Value Capture
Trade Flows and External Dependence
Price Formation and Revenue Logic
Who Wins and Why
How the Domestic Market Works
Commercial Entry and Scaling Priorities
Where the Best Expansion Logic Sits
Leading Players and Strategic Archetypes
How the Report Was Built
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