There are two big drivers of Australia’s economic growth – but shape matters as much as size

Income from rooftop solar panels helped Australia’s economy grow 2.1% over the past year, while household spending was the biggest driver of growth. Photograph: Lucy Hughes Jones/AAP

Australia’s economy grew 2.1% over the past year, and with that came improved household living standards – in part due to income from rooftop solar panels.

But another big driver of economic growth was investment in datacentres, which hinders emissions reductions from renewable energy.