The total amount of behind-the-meter energy storage capacity installed in Australian homes and businesses has ballooned by 25 per cent since the July launch of the Cheaper Home Batteries rebate, and soared to a new high.
Federal energy minister Chris Bowen marked a new and “significant milestone” for the game-changing rebate over the weekend, as the number of discounted batteries installed through the scheme passed the 50,000 mark.
At a press conference held at Penrith Solar Centre in Sydney, Bowen said the average installation rate of “consistently 1,000 a day” showed policy was working “just as we hoped and intended it would.”
“So 50,000 batteries today and we’ve also, since July 01, increased the capacity of Australian home batteries by 25 per cent. So 25 per cent more capacity, today. across home batteries in total than there was on July 01.”
Bowen again noted that the biggest take-up of the rebate, so far, had been in the regions and outer suburbs, led in New South Wales by the electorates of Gilmore and Page and followed by Richmond, Macquarie, Hunter and Riverina.
“They know that the pathway to net zero is one that creates prosperity. They know that what’s good for the planet is also good for your pocket,” he said.
Bowen also noted that “many people” participating in the rebate were looking at joining a virtual power plant (VPP), with batteries installed through the scheme required to be VPP compatible.
NSW, like Western Australia, offers additional state-based incentives for Cheaper Home Batteries participants who go that extra step and enrol their battery in a VPP.
As Bowen stressed on Saturday, “that’s entirely up to them as to whether [they] do that or not.” But recent research has shown that the combination of savings from the federal rebate and from joining a NSW VPP can cut the average battery payback period to as little as four years.
“A big part of this transition is saying [to] Australian households, you’re now in charge,” said Bowen.
“Your roof is a power station, your garage stores energy, your driveway stores energy, and the battery in your car.
“You’re in charge about whether you use that power all yourself, you sell some into the grid. It’s giving Australians a whole lot more choices about their energy future and the country’s energy future.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
