This dataset provides Australian Bureau of Statistics mesh block boundaries with integrated census demographics for Kalgoorlie-Boulder, enabling aggregation of building-level solar potential to standard statistical geography units for policy analysis and planning.
The dataset contains 530 mesh blocks - the finest-resolution census geography - enriched with 2021 Census dwelling and population counts, complete hierarchical statistical area codes (SA1-SA4), and topographic classifications. Mesh blocks serve as the fundamental spatial unit linking building-level solar estimates to Australian statistical datasets, enabling integration with census, health, transport, and other ABS data collections.
Key applications include analysing solar potential per capita across neighbourhoods, identifying areas with high rooftop capacity relative to population density, evaluating equity in renewable energy access across socio-economic areas, and aggregating building-level results to SA2 or SA3 regions for regional planning. This geography enables comparative analysis with other Australian cities using standardised ABS boundaries.
Target users include policy analysts requiring census-compatible spatial units, researchers linking solar potential to demographic or socio-economic variables, and government planners developing place-based renewable energy strategies. The hierarchical statistical area codes enable flexible aggregation from mesh blocks (finest scale) through SA1-SA4 to the state level.
Mesh block boundaries reflect 2021 Census geography and differ from 2016 Census in some locations. Use the "changed since 2016" flag to identify modified boundaries. Population counts represent usual residence on Census night, not daytime presence relevant to commercial solar usage.
Comprehensive technical documentation, including data dictionary, usage examples, and processing methodology, is available in here; software stack details and calculation workflows are documented in here.