6,932 solar installations registered with the Clean Energy Regulator · ranked top 5% in South Australia · data current as at 2026-05-15
Based on last week's South Australia grid mix (avg 370 gCO₂/kWh), McLaren Vale's 6,932 solar systems typically avoid around 19.62 tonnes of CO₂ every hour during peak generation.
Grid intensity data: Open Electricity (openelectricity.org.au) · 7-day average · updates monthly
McLaren Vale is one of South Australia's strongest solar communities, ranking 5th in the state — ahead of 99% of all South Australia postcodes tracked by the Clean Energy Regulator. New installations eased in the past 12 months (275 systems, 4% below the previous year), a natural slowdown after earlier periods of stronger uptake.
The combined impact is substantial: McLaren Vale's solar community avoids an estimated 31,343 tonnes of CO₂ every year — equivalent to taking 14,925 cars off the road or powering around 6,269 average Australian homes with clean electricity. This is estimated using South Australia's average grid emissions intensity of 370 gCO₂/kWh, sourced from OpenElectricity, applied to an average system size of 9kW.