A staggering 40 per cent of all Taree households have installed rooftop solar PV making it one of the top solar regions. They join a rapidly growing group of more than 1.1 million Australians who are reducing their power prices and their impact on the environment.

"Taree is embracing renewable energy at a staggering rate. It is out in front leading the nation in solar uptake," says Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie.

"It's great to see Taree residents are taking matters into their own hands, taking control of their power bills and reducing their carbon emissions at the same time.

"It's a big trend: 15,000 new solar PV systems are installed each month across the country and in Queensland a quarter of all households are now solar homes.

However a recent Climate Council report found that locally led energy innovation is in stark contrast to our national electricity sector, which is ageing, inefficient and unprepared to meet Australia's energy needs in the future. Australia's coal-fired power stations are some of the oldest in the world and will need to be retired or replaced in coming decades.

"The traditional energy sector is responsible for 33 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions - the main driver of climate change.

"Clean energy such as wind and solar PV are getting cheaper every year while existing coal-fire stations needing to be replaced.

"Taree households already know that renewables make sense economically and environmentally, now it's time for the rest of the country to catch up."