The newly elected Country Liberal Party government in the Northern Territory have delivered on a key election promise to boost the home and business battery scheme bonus from $5,000 to $12,000 and to lift the rate of the feed in tariff.
The increase was one of the core election promises of the CLP campaign which saw them deliver a decisive defeat to Territory Labor in August. The NT grids are struggling with growing amounts of rooftop solar, and authorities are desperate to encourage more household and grid scale storage to help manage it.
The Home and Business Battery Scheme provides Northern Territory homeowners, businesses, or non-profit organisations a grant to buy and install batteries and inverters. It can also be used to install a rooftop solar system for those who do not already have one.
From December 1, those eligible will be able to access a grant of $400 per kilowatt hour of useable battery system capacity up to an increased total of $12,000.
The grant will be available from December 1 for 12 months, or until the newly increased $6 million funding pool is fully subscribed.
“As promised, we are more than doubling the battery bonus for Territorians,” said Gerard Maley, the Northern Territory’s minister for renewables, who said that the decision was part of his government’s commitment to deliver practical outcomes.
“We understand the challenges power prices present, and this increase will provide an accessible entry point for households and businesses looking to make the switch to renewable energy.
“This is about providing practical solutions to ease affordability pressures while also providing greater energy grid stability.”
The CLP also said they were following through on another election promise to double the solar feed-in tariff at peak times in a bid to further encourage households to install rooftop solar.
Available between 3pm and 9pm throughout the entire year, the peak feed-in tariff will sit at 18.66c/kWh for electricity exported to the grid from July 1, 2025. The peak hours indicate that battery storage will be required to take advantage of the new tariffs.
“Supplementing grid supplies with household and business solar batteries means we can reduce the peak demand on gas-fired generation, increase energy reliability and cut emissions,” said Maley.
