Back in my engineering days, I designed control systems for everything from nuclear power plants to optical semiconductor fabs. High-stakes stuff, where things not working properly was frowned upon. One thing that became clear early on: the hardware install was just the beginning. The real work started when you powered things up and tried to make them behave.

Which brings me to today’s Phase Shift.

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If the idea of handing control of your home battery over to a Virtual Power Plant operator (VPP) doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps participating in a Virtual Energy Network (VEN) will. [Read more…]

Having noticed a few different hardware retailers and grocery shops making moves into the home battery market, it seems prudent to point out the pitfalls of cheap small systems.

Recently we detailed why bigger isn’t always better, but this time around I’d like to explain how we arrive at just right.

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The federal battery rebate isn’t just for new home battery systems: it can also be used to expand existing batteries. Here’s how to do it.

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Statistics released by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) on Friday indicate Australians wasted no time taking advantage of the federal government’s national home battery rebate. [Read more…]

Extraordinary uptake in response to the federal battery rebate means the scheme is likely to chew through its announced $2.3bn funding pool well ahead of schedule. SolarQuotes can reveal that the Albanese government has earmarked additional funding, but this still doesn’t make up the projected shortfall.

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Failing to understand jargon like the difference between ‘nominal’ and ‘useable’ capacity can leave homeowners with less battery storage than expected and even disqualify their batteries from the federal rebate. Here’s what it all means and why it matters. [Read more…]

Australian hardware and homewares giant Bunnings is broadening its activities in the home electrification arena, backing a new brand offering solar energy and battery packages on a subscription basis or that can be purchased outright. [Read more…]

On the back of the federal rebate, huge batteries are on sale for bargain prices. There’s a catch to many of these deals however: you can’t possibly hope to actually charge these monster batteries to capacity as they are paired with completely inadequate inverters. Here’s what to watch out for.

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The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is triggering a Wild West of misleading ads, dodgy installations, poor-quality products, and fake government websites. We’ve seen this all before with the solar rebate: here’s how to avoid falling for the same traps with the new battery incentive.

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