Hundreds tap Northern Territory home battery grant scheme

A Northern Territory grant scheme to drive home battery storage uptake in Australia’s Top End has attracted more than 300 applications in its first round and delivered an estimated $7 million boost to the economy, the NT Labor government has said.

The Home and Business Battery Scheme (HBBS) was launched by the Territory government in April of this year, offering a $6,000 discount on either solar and battery storage, or battery storage, alone, when added to an existing PV system.

At the time, the Gunner government committed an initial amount of $800,000 for the scheme, funding grants for about 130 batteries. But in a statement on Tuesday, Territory minister for energy Eva Lawler said more than 230 battery “vouchers” had been cashed in.

“Local businesses, and local families are benefiting from this scheme – whether it’s receiving the work now to install the PV and battery system, or whether it’s a cost saving measure in the future – this is a win-win for the Territory,” Lawler said.

As One Step reported in April, the scheme was intended to drive battery uptake to both reduce grid electricity consumption and costs for Territory homes and businesses, while also boosting grid stability and cutting power system costs by replacing evening peak demand for gas-fired with solar energy generated and stored during the day.

To this end the government had also committed to build a $30 million big battery to stabilise the Darwin-Katherine grid and reduce the amount of gas burned as “spinning reserve” – both considered key strategies underpinning Labor’s target of 50 per cent renewables by 2030.

“We want Territorians to have access to the latest and best technology as we build a stronger and more resilient power system for Territory households and businesses,” Lawler said this week.

“The HBBS $6000 solar and battery vouchers will see even more Territorians choose the sun and lower power prices – and create more jobs.”

The government said that the economic impact of works from the HBBS was being estimated at more than $7 million, so far, and that the scheme had “energised” the Territory’s battery installation industry, building understanding of local markets, supply chains and technical requirements.