Use Renewable Power
Solar Panels and Home Battery Storage for Households
Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems harness the sun’s energy to generate electricity for your property. Any excess electricity that is not consumed is fed into the main electricity grid.
To maximise savings, it is beneficial to align your electricity usage, like running washing machines, dishwashers, or heating and cooling, with periods of peak solar generation. This way, you can reduce reliance on electricity from the grid and lower your electricity bill.
Integrating home battery storage with your solar PV system allows you to store the surplus energy generated during the day. You can then tap into this stored energy during the night or on cloudy days when solar generation is limited.
Subsidies and Feed-In Payments
When purchasing an eligible solar PV system, the Australian Government subsidises its cost through small-scale technology certificates (STCs). These certificates represent the electricity the system generates over its lifetime, offsetting your property’s grid electricity grid consumption. The more electricity your solar PV system can produce, the more STCs you’ll receive.
You can trade your STCs to reduce the overall cost of your solar PV system. The most common way of claiming STCs is to assign them to your installer or retailer, who will give you a point-of-sale discount on your system in return. It's a bit like a rebate, except you get an immediate discount instead of paying a larger amount and then needing to claim money back.
Your electricity retailer may offer you a feed-in tariff for any excess electricity your system generates and exports to the electricity grid. Contact your energy retailer for more information. If you already have a solar PV system and considering a battery installation, speak to your retailer about how it may affect your existing feed-in tariff.
Energy, Solar, Batteries, EVs - How Do They Work Together?
Watch this informative talk delivered by Jenny Paradiso from Suntrix, filmed at the Sustainable Homes Expo hosted at Campbelltown in 2022.
Sourcing energy from the sun can be a smart move, for your wallet and the planet. This step-by-step guide from Resilient East and Energy Consumers Australia, outlines what to look out for, what questions to ask and how to make the right choice for your home.
Home batteries allow you to get even more out of your solar power system. This step-by-step guide from Resilient East and Energy Consumers Australia, outlines what to look out for, what questions to ask and how to make the right choice for your home.
If you are considering installing solar panels and/or battery storage and want more information, visit the Clean Energy Council website. This website provides information about buying, installing and maintaining solar and battery storage for your home or business.
Useful information about solar panels and battery storage is also available on the sa.gov.au website.