Should You Take The Battery Rebate Bait And Join A VPP?

Charing solar batteries from the mains grid

Today’s a big day for Virtual Power Plants (VPPs): a federal rebate for VPP-capable batteries is coming online, while two states are offering incentives that require joining one.  So why are multiple layers of government teaming up to tempt you into handing over control of your battery to a VPP operator, and should you take the bait?

[Read more…]

Australia’s Home Battery Rebate — It’s Launch Day!

It’s July 1 and the big day has finally arrived. Here’s a round-up of everything you’ll need to know to access and get the best from the federal government’s battery rebate. [Read more…]

Battery Rebate Triggers Seismic Solar Market Shift

Australia's home battery market

One of the biggest events in Australian home solar will formally kick off tomorrow, but the federal government battery rebate has already made some major changes to the local market. [Read more…]

Federal Battery Rebate Rules Locked In

Energy minister Chris Bowen spruiks Labor’s battery election promise.

The federal government has scrambled to the finish line just in time for its $2.3bn Cheaper Home Batteries Program, amending regulations to make official a plan to reshape Australia’s energy grid with the install of one million batteries by 2030.

[Read more…]

Battery Rebate Backflips Trigger Petitions & Mass Refunds

A battery rebate petitionHundreds of homeowners and installers expecting to stack the federal battery rebate with cancelled state schemes have been left in the lurch, launching petitions and scrambling to get their deposits back as they ask the question: is it still worth getting a battery with the federal incentive alone?

[Read more…]

Battery Rebate Safety: These Key Tests Are Essential

A battery after a fireWith the launch of the Federal Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Rebate Scheme, we’re about to see a serious uptick in grid-connected battery installations across Australia — and authorities will be ramping up inspections to make sure these are done safely. Here’s two key tests installers must undertake on new systems.

[Read more…]

Your Guide To Living With A Home Battery

Got a solar battery? Here’s how to ensure it keeps doing its job (and safely) every single day to maximse your electricity bill savings. [Read more…]

Phase Shift: Buying a Battery? Don’t Be a Tightarse

An illustration of a man thinking about money and another man thinking of happinessWith the federal battery rebate kicking in from July 1, demand for home battery quotes has gone ballistic.

It’s not hard to see why. Thousands of dollars in subsidies. Rising grid prices. More households with solar. And batteries finally starting to feel like part of the modern home, not a science experiment bolted to the garage wall.

[Read more…]

Home Battery Rebate Regrets: Quotes And Deposits

A sad home battery buyer looking at a quote

With state home battery incentives suddenly vanishing or slashed and federal rebate ‘stackability’ issues remaining, what now in terms of quotes already accepted and deposits taken? [Read more…]

Phase Shift: Boycott The Products, Not The Progress

It’s okay to boycott Tesla products.

If Elon Musk’s tweets make your teeth itch, if his politics repulse you, or if his general vibe just gives you the ick, fair enough. Buying something is emotional and if seeing a Tesla logo in your garage would make you miserable, you shouldn’t buy one. [Read more…]

Get the latest solar, battery and EV charger news straight to your inbox every Tuesday