Five islands in Tonga run entirely on solar panels and batteries. Backers of a new global rooftop solar initiative cite them as proof that the model works in the Pacific, the region where Australia’s climate and energy minister chose to launch it this week.
Chris Bowen endorsed the Global Rooftop Solar Declaration at the 2026 Pacific Pre-COP meeting in Fiji on 8 October. The meeting is a preparatory gathering ahead of the UN climate summit. Australia is the first country to endorse the plan to double the number of homes with rooftop solar by 2030. That means going from around 150 million homes expected by the end of 2026 to 300 million. Bowen is Australia’s climate and energy minister and also President of Negotiations for COP31, so he helps steer the talks.
The declaration is a policy toolkit, not a binding treaty. It is a roadmap for governments to make home solar and battery systems easier and cheaper to install by cutting red tape, offering affordable finance, upgrading power grids and training local workers. Signatories would collaborate on policy design, household finance models, grid integration and storage, consumer protection, workforce standards, deployment tracking and access for low-income communities.
The initiative behind it, called 300 Million Solar Homes, comes from the Global Solar Council, an industry body. Its partners include Smart Energy Council Australia and Solar Citizens, and they have asked governments at national, regional and local level to follow Australia. Estimates cited by TaiyangNews put 300 million systems at roughly 2 terawatts of capacity, potentially benefiting nearly 1 billion people.
The scale of the task is the central argument. Global Solar Council chief executive Sonia Dunlop said it took the world around 30 years to reach the first 150 million solar homes. “We want to add the next 150 million in just four years.” Other outlets give a different figure for how long the first 150 million took, so the timeline is worth treating with some care.
Australia’s own record is the selling point. Solar sits on more than 40% of its homes, and rooftop systems supply about an eighth of its electricity. Bowen put the household share at 35% in Fiji, so published figures differ. “We’re working with other countries to spread rooftop solar more around the world,” he said.
The wider market is moving in the same direction. Rooftop solar and battery storage are expected to deliver 42% of solar growth and 34% of all renewable energy growth by 2030. The declaration asks governments to put that growth on their agendas before the summit.
No second country has signed yet. COP31 takes place at the Expo Center in Antalya, Turkey, from 9 to 20 November 2026, and campaigners want more signatures before it opens.
