Rooftop solar photovoltaics continue to be the mainstay of jobs in the industry, making up just shy of half of them. Its share has dropped back from a peak of 74 per cent in direct renewable industry jobs in 2011-12 - as installations of panels break records almost on a monthly basis - as solar farms have grown even faster. Loading The release of the jobs figures comes as one of the country's biggest banks, Westpac, said on Wednesday it would source all of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025. The bank's announcement included a 10-year plan to buy a quarter of the output of the Bomen Solar Farm near Wagga Wagga. Construction on the 120-megawatt plant is scheduled to begin this quarter, with power - enough to meet the needs of about 36,000 homes - to be supplied in about a year's time. It will cost around $180 million to build. Gary Thursby, the bank's chief operating officer, said Westpac had long recognised that climate change was "one of the most significant issues set to impact the long-term prosperity of our

economy and way of life".

The tumbling price of renewable energy provided "a great opportunity" to transition away from fossil fuels in "a cost-effective way", he said. Solar farm builder Renew Estate’s Simon Currie said solar farms are providing a boon for regional areas. “Projects like Bomen – in Wagga Wagga – are showing the way for the future, by using localised labour, and it paves the way for how the renewable workforce is used in the future,” Mr Currie said. Solar farm jobs soared from 930 in 2016-17 to 2880 last year, topping hydro's 2020 jobs and 1890 employed in wind farm developments, the ABS said. Solar's jump made up almost half the extra jobs in the sector last year. A wind farm near Ararat in western Victoria. Growth in large-scale renewables provided Victoria with a big jump in jobs. Credit:Ararat Wind Farm

All states reported an increase in jobs, with Victoria's employment in the sector rising the most in percentage terms, at 47 per cent, or 1020 additional jobs. Queensland saw the next largest increase in proportional terms, rising 44 per cent, or 1550 jobs, while NSW added 950 jobs, for a 27 per cent addition last year. According to ABS, about one in four homes deemed suitable for solar PV have them. Queensland leads the way with 36 per cent, narrowly ahead of South Australia's 34 per cent rate.