Home solar panel installations at five-year highs in Australia

Australians are installing solar panels in huge numbers according to energy experts, following recent crippling blackouts which have left many residents fearing for their energy supplies.

On Friday, Warwick Johnston from energy consultancy firm Sunwiz said that solar panel installations in March had been "very impressive for 2017", reaching their highest level in five years.

"We already saw a surge starting to build up in 2016, and we were wondering if that was going to continue into 2017 and it really has just continued to skyrocket," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

According to Sunwiz, the sunny state of Queensland was home to the most installations, accounting for 25 of the total 91 megawatts of capacity fitted in March 2017 -- something Johnston said was enough to power around 5,500 homes and businesses.

Installations were also up in the states of New South Wales and Victoria -- home to the nation's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, while South Australia also recorded a bumper month for installations.

Johnston said there was no doubt recent crippling blackouts, in which up to 100,000 homes in South Australia were left without power during a searing heatwave earlier in the year, had caused a number of residents to consider installing their own solar panels.

"People are certainly aware of the benefits of solar power and storage to offset or protect against grid blackouts, and that has been a driving factor in the uptake of solar," he said.

"We're seeing the uptake occur in states which weren't affected by those blackouts as well, so it really is people being aware that solar panels are a great way to beat rising electricity bills." Endit