6,395 solar installations registered with the Clean Energy Regulator · ranked top 5% in New South Wales · data current as at 2026-05-15
Based on last week's New South Wales grid mix (avg 790 gCO₂/kWh), Newcastle's 6,395 solar systems typically avoid around 38.65 tonnes of CO₂ every hour during peak generation.
Grid intensity data: Open Electricity (openelectricity.org.au) · 7-day average · updates monthly
Newcastle is one of New South Wales's strongest solar communities, ranking 33rd in the state — ahead of 95% of all New South Wales postcodes tracked by the Clean Energy Regulator. New installations eased in the past 12 months (339 systems, 25% below the previous year), a natural slowdown after earlier periods of stronger uptake.
The combined impact is substantial: Newcastle's solar community avoids an estimated 61,737 tonnes of CO₂ every year — equivalent to taking 29,399 cars off the road or powering around 12,347 average Australian homes with clean electricity. This is estimated using New South Wales's average grid emissions intensity of 790 gCO₂/kWh, sourced from OpenElectricity, applied to an average system size of 9kW.