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Renae Gasmier
Head of Customer Assets
2nd of August 2024
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs said: “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat.”
What’s so exciting right now is that tens of thousands of Australian households see the opportunity to change our century-old energy system and they’re getting on with small-scale innovation to create our clean energy future.
Thirty years ago, you needed billions of dollars if you wanted to get into the electricity-generating game. Now households can do it themselves with rooftop solar. That change is happening faster than ever. Last year rooftop solar was Australia’s largest source of growth in renewable energy.
And Aussie households are smart. They know their small innovations, such as installing rooftop solar, electrifying their homes, or switching to energy-efficient appliances, are allowing them to take control of their energy costs.
Now, it’s the turn of battery storage to drive the next round of innovation by allowing households to store their excess solar for use at night or at times of peak demand. Home solar systems with batteries are growing rapidly. There are also over 200,000 electric vehicles parked at homes with batteries that can store enough energy to power an average household for around three days. It’s a game changer.
But there’s more to small-scale innovation than individual households. Some households can’t install rooftop solar let alone a battery. Think about people who rent or live in an apartment, or simply can’t afford a home solar system. So, now neighbourhoods are getting in on the action with community batteries.
Community batteries are located in local neighbourhoods. They are medium-sized and can store excess energy from a significant number of nearby homes with rooftop solar panels. This energy is stored for use by everyone who’s participating in the community battery project to use during times of peak energy demand.
Everyone benefits. For households with solar, it helps maximise the value of their solar investment. For those planning to install solar, it reduces upfront costs by avoiding the need for their own battery. For others without rooftop solar, it helps them use more renewable energy. And for everyone else, it helps lower electricity prices by reducing the need for network upgrades.
It's a big win-win for our clean energy future and for more affordable energy. That’s why the Federal Government is getting behind community batteries through the Community Batteries for Household Solar Program which is administered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
At EnergyAustralia, we’re at the forefront of this innovation. We are excited to work with Ausgrid to utilise their new, first-of-its-kind community battery network tariff. The goal is simple: to accelerate the use of renewable energy and unlock hundreds of dollars in savings for customers.
We will also soon offer virtual battery products that allow eligible customers to benefit from community batteries across the Ausgrid network just as they would if they owned their own household battery.
Community batteries and our new virtual battery products are initiatives to help our customers accelerate the clean energy transition with small-sale innovations that change our energy system for the better.
If you live in the Ausgrid area and are interested in the benefits of renewable energy, joining our community battery program could be the answer.
To find out more, go to EnergyAustralia’s website https://home.energyaustralia.com.au/community-batteries and let us know you are interested, and we’ll be in contact.
