Shepparton is returning to its roots as the ‘solar city’ as it pulls ahead of Melbourne in home solar power installations.
It’s regional rooftops that are catching the sun in 2026, with new figures showing northern Victoria leading Melbourne in household solar uptake.
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Data from the Australian Photovoltaic Institute reveals that local government areas across the Goulburn Valley consistently outperform metropolitan suburbs in the percentage of homes fitted with solar panels.
Greater Shepparton has solar installed on 41 per cent of homes, while Strathbogie and Moira both sit at 44 per cent.
Campaspe follows closely at 43 per cent, with Benalla on 39 per cent.
By contrast, Melbourne’s suburban LGAs continue to lag.
Melbourne’s eastern suburbs of Boroondara and Monash both record solar uptake of around 27 per cent, while Whitehorse sits at 25 per cent and Brimbank at 27 per cent, despite many areas having reasonable roof space and fewer shading issues than inner‑city neighbourhoods.
Map of Victorian LGAs around Melbourne City and Shepparton, showing percentage of houses with solar units installed. Australian PV Institute Solar Map, funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, accessed from pv-map.apvi.org.au
A spokesperson for Solar Victoria told Country News that regional Victorians were among the earliest and most enthusiastic adopters of rooftop solar.
“More than 30 per cent of Solar Homes rebates and loans have been taken up in regional Victoria, and some regional towns now have more homes with solar than without,” the spokesperson said.
UNSW School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering senior research fellow Mike Roberts said several factors were holding back solar adoption in metropolitan areas.
“Inner‑city houses are, on average, smaller than regional houses, and therefore have smaller roof areas,” Dr Roberts said.
“Larger regional houses also tend to have higher electricity consumption, so the benefits of solar are more significant, and perhaps more necessary.”
Dr Roberts said the concentration of medium and high‑rise buildings in urban areas could limit rooftop solar opportunities, along with the higher proportion of rental properties.
“There is also a large proportion of rental properties, around 25 per cent in those areas,” he said.
“These properties can be challenging because the landlord needs to make the solar investment, but the benefit of reduced bills is enjoyed by the tenant.”
Greater Shepparton has a similar rental rate of around 25 per cent, suggesting other factors are driving stronger regional uptake.
Goulburn Valley Community Energy chief executive Geoff Lodge told Country News the region’s strong solar resource was a key motivator.
“There is a direct correlation between solar resource and solar uptake,” Mr Lodge said.
“People are doing the sums and seeing there are practical benefits to solar and better returns on investment.
“It’s great that we are normalising the idea that renewable energy — whether it’s on roofs or in paddocks — brings real benefits to the region.”
Farmers for Climate Action chief executive Verity Morgan‑Schmidt said regional Australians were motivated by practicality.
“Solar saves you money, country people know it, it’s that simple,” Ms Morgan‑Schmidt said.
“We’re practical people in the country, and we don’t care about the elite media’s feelings or ideology about energy sources.
“Solar saves you money and solar is practical, so country people install solar.”
The trend extends beyond Victoria.
Data published by Farmers for Climate Action shows nine out of the 10 electorates leading solar installations in NSW are rural.
Despite strong uptake in regional areas, Victoria overall continues to trail other states, ranking third‑lowest nationally for household solar penetration.
Currently, 31.6 per cent of Victorian homes have rooftop solar, jumping from 15 per cent since the government’s Solar Homes Program was introduced in 2018.
Queensland leads the nation, with 55.4 per cent of homes using solar, followed closely by South Australia at 54.4 per cent.
Nationally, clean energy continues to expand.
The Australian Energy Market Operator reports that 50 per cent of electricity supplied to the national grid during the December quarter came from clean energy sources, bolstered by nearly 200,000 home batteries installed since June 2025
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