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Many think we're overdue for a battery storage rebate for Australia for both homes and businesses, but when can we see one come through? Hopefully soon..
In Australia, the subsidy for solar panels, often referred to as the "Solar Rebate" was introduced in 2009 as part
of the Federal Government's Renewable
Energy Target (RET)
scheme.
The RET scheme had two components: the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET) and the small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
In the solar rebate scheme, installations up to 100kW are eligible within the SRES rules where an immediate rebate is paid, and anything over 100kW fall into the LRET domain and receive a rebate based on actual renewable energy generated.
The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) provided incentives for the installation of small-scale solar panel systems,
wind turbines, and solar hot water systems. It was introduced to encourage the uptake of solar power and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The subsidy is administered by the Clean
Energy Regulator.
I understand, but what does this have to do with battery storage rebates in Australia? Well, let's quickly revisit how the last rebate scheme played out in Australia.
The scheme has a sunset clause where the rebate diminishes by 7% each January first until January 2030 when it expires.
It has been this subsidy which has catapulted Australia to being the world leader in areas like rooftop solar and acted to support installation of Solar PV when panel prices were much more expensive than today, to the point of being unaffordable to most Australian residences.
In 2008, a year before the rebate started, the price of solar
panels varied widely depending on the type of panel, brand, and country of manufacture but during that time, the average price for solar
panels in Australia could range from around $4 to $5 per watt. Today thanks to the miracle of mass production, vastly technically superior
modules sell for $0.30 or less per watt.
Interestingly the subsidy of these initially expensive solar panels caused no negative impacts on the Australian economy. In fact, you
could argue that the subsidy rebate spawned the solar installation industry which saw that start of thousands of brand-new solar
businesses providing lots of jobs in the renewable industry - an industry that could be further boosted by the widespread adoption of
battery storage - would a battery rebate do the same?
Customers who purchase an installed Tesla Powerwall 2 gets $500 off! Offer
ends March 31st 2024.
Fast-forward to 2023. Batteries are expensive and likely to remain expensive whilst, driven by the electric vehicle industry economies of mass production, we wait for cheaper batteries.
Meanwhile, the grid, which awaits widespread distributed storage for it to remain stable - a very easy case can be made for battery
storage in homes to complement solar systems already available on the Australian roofs.
The perfect combination of these two technologies emerges from the ability of battery storage to absorb midday overproduction of
solar and return this energy when the sun sets and solar production stops. In the industry this is called “load shifting".
Rooftop solar and storage is the perfect solution when it comes to efficiencies because that energy generated and stored
locally experiences much lower transportation costs in terms of electrical losses than remotely generated and stored energy.
There is a place for all renewable energy sources and storage, but rooftop has its unique place in the scheme of things. A bonus of
course is the double function of the rooftop itself.
We need the RET Heroes desperately to construct a version of the rebate for solar
battery storage
in Australia. Importantly we need the leadership at the political level to be the architects of a scheme to propel Australia to continue
once more to be the world leader in renewable energy, not only in Solar, but also Energy Storage for both residential and commercial
properties.
Not touched on here, is another technology which adds its own element of synergy; a grid with the intelligence to know how to coordinate the energy flows to maintain harmony within the grid. The conduit to allow this intelligence to do its magic is the Internet - it would essentially change the way that energy is generated, stored, and distributed.
We have high hopes that something similar to the RET scheme will be released for battery storage for at least residential properties, and that it will be a successful follow-up to the Solar rebate - until then, we wait.
Both the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory have battery storage rebates, with ACT having a Next Generation Storage Program which offers a rebate of $3,500 (exc. GST) or 50% of the battery price (exc. GST). The Northern Territory's battery rebate allows a rebate through their Home and Business Battery Scheme which offers a $6000 maximum grant for battery storage and inverters.
Hopefully New South Wales will see a battery storage rebate come to light to help kick-start the mass adoption of batteries. Until then, we wait.
As time continues, we are starting to see new initiatives in politics, as well as innovations in energy and renewable technologies which indicate that we are heading into new territory in energy. We can only wait until the Government release a home and/or business battery scheme for properties across New South Wales.
If you want to be notified of any solar rebates, please use the form below. If you're interested in getting a free quote on a battery today, we would love to help you! Simply use the chatbox in the bottom right of your screen, or submit an enquiry form.
We are your Newcastle and Hunter based Battery Storage Professionals, who also specialise in solar
energy installations.
If you are interested in an installation or want more information about a renewable system, please don't hesitate to
contact us. We would love to
hear from you.
A battery for your home to store excess solar energy after a sunny day, or to provide protection against grid outages and high grid power costs.
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