Australia might be a world leader in rooftop solar penetration, but according to a new Sydney-focused study, we are only just scratching the surface of our true small-scale solar potential, particularly in the nation’s major cities.

An analysis of the big electricity price surges during the February heatwave in New South Wales suggests that rooftop solar on homes and businesses across the state likely reduced the market price of wholesale electricity by nearly $1 billion over three days.

Just days after Tesla announced it was taking orders – and down-payments – for its much-hyped and quite good looking solar roof, an Australian made printed solar innovation that could rival Elon Musk’s power generating tiles has moved one major step closer to commercialisation.

The Australian government has funded a rollout of solar powered refrigerators and off-grid solar power packs to health centres in cyclone-ravaged Fiji to preserve life-saving vaccines and medicines.