A groundbreaking retail electricity trial is offering to pay customers to curtail their rooftop solar exports when prices are negative. Data used to showcase the downward impact of renewable energy on power prices contained a stunning and timely reminder: nothing has crushed household energy bills like rooftop solar. New data shows home battery installations had a bumper second half in 2024 – but still only a fraction of solar homes have invested in storage. The energy industry needs to design products and services that align with how people actually live, rather than expecting them to fundamentally change their behaviour to fit industry models. A groundbreaking retail electricity trial is offering to pay customers to curtail their rooftop solar exports when prices are negative. Nigel Hancock from community energy group Pingala explains how solar gardens work and whether the model can be scaled to empower more communities. Albanese government invests another $50.2 million to get solar, energy efficiency and electrification into social housing across two states. State confirms rooftop solar subsidies for rental properties to be implemented by end of year, in move expected to save renters up to $700 a year. NSW Independent Allegra Spender on her plan for permanent energy bill relief and what's missing from federal Labor's battery rebate. Plus, dispatches from the Smart Energy Conference. Leading Chinese solar manufacturer breaks efficiency record for silicon solar cells, and unveils upgraded solar module with "significantly" enhanced output. You can buy a battery, have it installed, wired up and connected to the grid. But if you want the rebate you’re not allowed to switch it on. What is this madness? China solar manufacturer launches ultra-lightweight module to address one of biggest barriers to C&I PV uptake – load limitations of rooftops. Solar farms aren’t just about generating electricity and cutting emissions – they can also be a game-changer for farmers rural economies. NSW energy minister outlines benefits of home batteries for the grid and households, insisting it is not an "inner city" thing, and that it is accelerating the switch to renewables. The majority of the homes in one village we visited are equipped with 1kW solar systems and are backed up by a state of the art 6MW/13MWh solar battery system on the edge of town. Electricity prices shape how—and whether—households and businesses will invest in the technologies essential for decarbonisation.
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