Australia will soon become the first place in the world to slap a net tax on electric vehicles – a move that will derail the fledgling industry and keep polluting cars on the road for longer. 

In the lead up to the October 2020 Queensland election, solar citizens across the state got active to pressure all sides of politics to back more ambitious renewable energy policies. Together, we won some exciting commitments!

We’ve just released an exciting analysis showing a whopping 51,000 construction jobs and almost 2,500 ongoing jobs will be created across Queensland if all the large-scale clean energy projects under development go ahead. That’s a game-changer.

Meet Tom. His sheep graze under Neoen's Dubbo Solar Farm and he reckons the panels have made the land more productive, especially in the drought.

With solar panels and a solar battery powering their home, Terry and his wife are part of a small but growing community of Australians who are ahead of the energy curve, taking energy production into their own hands.

According to CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia, up to 45% of the country’s future energy generation will be local and customer-owned. Right across the country we’re transitioning to a more distributed energy system, and everyday people are leading the charge for cleaner environment and lower bills.

Community energy projects help everyone make the most of the renewable revolution – including renters, people living apartments and low-income households that might otherwise miss out on slashing their bills with rooftop solar.

Here are some examples of community initiatives that are helping slash electricity bills and driving Australia’s transition to 100% clean, renewable energy. Communities everywhere are taking action!

Bendigo Sustainability Group

The Bendigo Sustainability Group (BSG) have undertaken many projects aimed at making Bendigo more self-sustaining, including providing advice to individuals and businesses about installing solar systems. The group has been appointed host for the Community Power Hub Bendigo, which is a Victorian Government initiative to foster community energy in pilot locations.

In this capacity, the BSG has also organised the installation of solar systems in the community. They entirely crowd funded the installation of panels on the City of Greater Bendigo library, and more recently, a 30kW system over eight social housing units. The group raised an impressive $30,000 from individuals, local organisations and businesses for just the social housing project.

So how does it work? The BSG owns these installations. The Council pay the BSG for the electricity produced from the solar on the Library, and in the case of the social housing project, the tenants pay for electricity as part of their rent and from now on will pay about $500 less per year.

The group has more community projects in the works – they’re even looking at developing a 2MW community solar farm in Central Victoria!

SolarShare

SolarShare in the ACT is planning to build Australia’s largest community-owned solar farm. SolarShare is a member-owned business with the goal of including anyone who wants to be part of the shift to a renewable energy economy, through owning a share in local renewable energy generation.

A community solar farm is a solar power plant which is co-owned by members of the nearby community. Investors in the solar farm have a closer relationship to local energy, the environment and the community while choosing a sustainable investment with a financial return.

SolarShare allows residents to purchase shares in the solar farm and receive a financial return on their investment when energy is sold to Canberra’s power grid. This project is an opportunity for people to own part of a solar farm, when they may have difficulty getting their own residential solar panels, including those renting, living in apartments or other buildings without a suitable rooftop, or with limited finances.

SolarShare’s flagship project is a 1 MW solar farm that will be built in the Majura Valley, behind Canberra’s bushy Mount Majura. Once complete, the solar farm will generate enough clean energy to power 250 homes, preventing some 1,700 tonnes of CO₂ a year from polluting the atmosphere.

Our climate is changing and so too is our society. This unique project is part of the shift to an economy where communities have an important part to play in our energy choices.

Written with contributions from Solar Citizens volunteer Peter Youll, the Bendigo Sustainability group and SolarShare.

Written by Solar Citizens volunteer Peter Youll.

If you have a smart meter in NSW and are on a standard, flat electricity rate, it might be time to look at changing to time-of-use rates.

Time-of-use rates mean you pay less for the electricity you use during off-peak and shoulder times and more for it during the peak periods.  

From the 1 July 2018 Ausgrid, the distributor serving metropolitan Sydney and the Hunter Valley, has changed the hours that peak, shoulder and off-peak charges apply for electricity use. The biggest change is that the hours actually reflect when peak consumption hours occur—amazing— and will vary with the seasons.

For households on the Ausgrid network, there will be no peak hours during autumn (April and May) and spring (September and October), and the winter peak hour will be shorter and apply later than before.

With Ausgrid’s change, it means the higher peak rates won’t be charged by retailers at all for a third of the year. Retailers should pass on the savings resulting from there being no peak hour charges during April, May, September and October, and for a shorter period during June, July and August. However most do not, as shown by the below table. 

If your retailer has made the shift, there's still the question of if switching to time-of-use rates is right for you.

First up you need to have a smart meter. Secondly, you need to be able to adjust your electricity consumption habits to avoid using lots of power during the peak periods. If you’re home during the day or able to run your appliances on the weekend, it will be easier for you to do things like putting on the dishwasher or washing machine in the middle of the day when you know your solar panels are producing power and not in the evening.

Have a look at the Ausgrid explanation, then check how much power you use and when to work out the changes you should make. Some retailers (Powershop, Origin and AGL) make this easy by providing detailed consumption numbers from your smart meter on demand via their website.

For a detailed explanation about smart meters, have a look at this article from Choice. 

Not in Sydney or Newcastle? While Ausgrid are the only distributor who have introduced different peak times for each season, going on to time-of-use rates might still be worth it for your house, have a look at the rates and distribution times.

Written by Abby Bower, Solar Citizens intern.

The storage revolution is here!

And it’s coming to homes across Australia. Home battery storage is looking better than ever - in fact, nearly 21,000 Australian households installed a solar battery in 2017. Both the cost and size of batteries are shrinking, and the variety of makes and models is increasing. It is predicted that Australian households will install 1 million batteries by 2020.

So whether you’re considering installing home battery storage, already have it or you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here are 10 things you should know about batteries and the storage revolution:

1. Home batteries allow solar owners to store energy generated by their solar PV system during the day

The big appeal of home battery storage is that it makes solar energy available when the sun isn’t shining. Batteries store excess energy produced by a solar PV system during the day, which can then be used at night or at peak times when buying electricity from the grid is more expensive.

This flexibility means battery owners can save money on their energy bills, maintain some independence from the grid and increase their energy efficiency. Plus, with a few add-ons, a battery may also offer protection against blackouts and power outages. Remember, for a solar and storage system to work during blackouts, you need a hybrid system that isolates the installation from the main grid.

2. Home battery prices are dropping

In 2018, the average cost of home battery storage in Australia was around $650 to $2400 per kWh capacity, plus installation. For context, residential batteries usually have a capacity of 3-12kWh, though smaller units are becoming more popular.

Prices are falling, and they're falling quickly. Consumers are already seeing the benefits of these plummeting prices; battery enthusiasts were thrilled when Tesla’s Powerwall 2 stayed the same price as its predecessor while doubling in capacity. 

What prices are out there? This table gives 2017 prices for a some popular battery products in a variety of sizes.  

3. It’s all about the payback period

With prices dropping, batteries are on the cusp of becoming cost-effective for more and more Australians. In fact, the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) predicted that they would be economically attractive by 2020. 

You can determine whether or not installing a home battery makes economic sense for you by looking at its payback period – the amount of time it takes for the savings created by battery storage to equal or exceed the installation cost of the system. Generally speaking, a battery will save you money if its payback period is shorter than its warranty.

Battery warranties are a bit tricky to compare because they’re not standardised yet. While there are a few resources that help you compare warranties in detail, a rough baseline for home battery warranties is three to 10 years. The most common type of new batteries, lithium ion batteries, last about 10 years on average.

Under the right circumstances, payback periods will be shorter than the 10 year average warranty. A variety of factors influence the length of a payback period, including the location of the battery owner, the amount of energy you’re using and when you plan to use it. It’s a good idea to have a think about all of these before you decide on your storage system.

Of course, payback periods aren’t everyone’s top priority. If you’re less worried about the savings and more focused on the other advantages of battery storage, you might want to consider the battery technology that best suits your needs, whether your battery can be wall mounted and how much independence you’d like from the grid.

4. Some cities are more battery friendly than others

Location, location, location! Due to differences in feed-in tariffs, weather and solar PV prices, certain cities are currently more economically favourable for battery storage than others. Australia’s best city for battery storage at the moment is Perth, followed by Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney. It’s worth doing some research on your town before deciding if battery storage is right for you.

5. Knowing how much energy you use and when you use it will help you get the most out of a battery storage system

In general, batteries make the most economic sense for homes that consume a large amount of electricity. Using Sunwiz’s PVSell software, Solar Choice calculated that households that consume 30kWh of energy per day consistently see better returns and shorter payback periods for batteries than those that consume 20kWh daily. The average Australian household uses about 18kWh per day. You can install a device to monitor how much energy you're using and when, so you can make an informed choice about what battery system is right for you.  

It also matters when you use the most energy. Solar Choice also found that consumers who use energy late in the day with an evening peak - likely households with a home office - are the best candidates for batteries.

Source: Solar Choice, March 16, 2017

6. Battery technology isn’t one size fits all

Batteries store electrical energy and then release it through a chemical process, but not all batteries do this in the same way. There are a few different types of batteries on the market. The most common are lead acid and lithium ion (Li-on). A few less commonly used technologies are nickel-based, flow and sodium ion. 

In the past, lead acid batteries were the standard for home storage systems and electric vehicles, but they’re being surpassed in popularity by lithium ion batteries.

Lithium ion batteries are made of lithium and a mix of other chemicals that usually includes aluminum, cobalt, nickel or phosphate. They have a high energy density, so they are smaller and lighter than their lead acid counterparts. They are expected to dominate the storage market in coming years due to their versatility, potential for recycling and a projected drop in production costs.

Other technologies are rare in Australia right now, but they’re worth keeping an eye on since battery storage is evolving so quickly.

7. Battery inverters differ from traditional solar inverters

Solar systems change the direct current (DC) power generated by a solar panels into alternating current (AC) power for household use using an inverter.

When you add a battery into the mix, you have to add a battery inverter or upgrade to a solar and battery hybrid inverter. Unlike traditional solar inverters, battery inverters can convert DC power into AC and visa versa, which allows the battery to be charged from the solar sytem and discharged to power the load in your home.

It’s easy to add a battery inverter to many existing PV systems - so you might already be battery ready. If you’re adding a new system entirely, you might consider getting a hybrid inverter that can manage both.

8. A variety of battery brands and products are available in Australia

If you’re in the market for a home battery system, you’re spoilt for choice! More than 150 different products are offered in Australia and there are some great online tools to help you make sense of them all.

There are plenty of professionals who can help you out, too. The Clean Energy Council has a list of accredited installers who can answer your storage questions.

9. Regulations on batteries are being developed right now

Home storage batteries are widely considered to be safe - no riskier than keeping a car with a tank full of petrol in your garage. Batteries do, however, pose the same risks as any other electrical system. You can avoid risks of fire or leakage with regular maintenance and by keeping batteries in well-ventilated areas that are separate from living spaces in a household.

10. The benefits of batteries are still secondary to the benefits of solar itself

Batteries offer a great deal of potential, but they still act as an add-on to PV systems. If you’re not producing any solar power, it doesn’t matter how much storage you have! Batteries don’t generate power on their own, and studies show that batteries are most beneficial for those who are already using their solar systems effectively. 

Solar power is already an economic no-brainer in Australia. The standard warranty on a rooftop PV system is 25 years and most solar owners see a payback period of about three years. So if you want to get solar with batteries, you might as well get the panels now and install your storage later, when it makes economic sense for you. Find more info about going solar here and a free tool which estimates the economic feasibility of a solar-battery system here.

So, where does that leave you?

So if you’re already a part of the rooftop revolution, joining the storage revolution might be your next move. For those who aren’t yet ready to become early adopters of home storage, know your battery basics. And keep an eye out, because battery technology is charging ahead!    

Resources

Alternative Technology Association
Australian Battery Recycling Initiative
Australian Energy Market Operator
Australian Solar Council
Clean Energy Council
Solar Choice
Solar Quotes
Standards Australia
Australian Solar Quotes
One Step Off the Grid
Choice
Renew Economy
Gizmodo Australia Battery Guide

Written by Pauline Tan, Solar Citizens volunteer.

After the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) proposed to cut the benchmark solar feed-in tariff (FiT) in NSW from 11.9-15c/kWh to 7.5c/kWh, the Sydney Solar Citizens group sprung into action to get solar owners a fair go.

With IPART considering slashing the solar feed-in tariff, it’s clear that solar owners and supporters aren’t being listened to. Solar owners are tired of doing the legwork and not seeing any gains. Why should solar households be punished for lowering wholesale power prices and reducing peak demand with their clean power? To make sure that our message was cutting across, we decided to make some noise outside of the NSW Parliament House.

Solar citizens turned out in front of Parliament House bright and early on Tuesday morning to say enough is enough: it’s time to lift the feed-in tariff, not reduce it! The Keep Solar FiT stunt involved performing an aerobics routine in bright, yellow sweatbands and tracksuits to the motivational beat ‘Walking on Sunshine’.

Choreographed by Kristy, the NSW Community Organiser, the dance movements and gym attire were definitely eye-catching. Pumping dumbbells and barbells emphasised how solar owners and supporters are doing the heavy lifting and reducing the cost of electricity for everyone.

To see everyone get involved in the theme of the stunt made getting up early in the cold morning totally worth it. The energy generated from all the volunteers was infectious and actually made you want to do a couple lunges and bicep curls. With all the flexing and ‘blue steel’ looks, solar power has never looked better.

Tamara Smith, the Greens Member for Ballina, and Adam Searle, the NSW Shadow Energy Minister, also came along. Even though they themselves didn’t wear tracksuits, they both demonstrated their support for a fair feed-in tariff. The Greens also took the opportunity to announce their intention to introduce a Private Member’s Bill to mandate a minimum fair price for solar.

With 12,107 signatures on our Fair Price for Solar petition, and the overwhelming benefits of solar power for energy savings, health and the environment, it’s time for the NSW Government to recognise solar owners for their heavy lifting and mandate a minimum fair price for power exported to the grid.

Want to know more about the action? Watch our video here.

We’re excited to report that Solar Citizens has a new National Director!

Joseph Scales has been appointed by the Solar Citizens board as our new National Director and will be starting with us at the end of April.

Joseph has been a champion in the union movement for a just transition for coal communities. He was most recently the Secretary of the South Australia and Northern Territory branch of the Australian Services Union (ASU) since 2013, where he led the ASU work on the Repower Port Augusta campaign. ASU members were directly affected by the crisis of a lack of transition strategy in Port Augusta with the sudden closure of the town's coal-fired power station, and so the campaign pushed to have one of the world’s biggest solar thermal plants with storage built there.

Joseph has also been a long time campaigner for LGBTIQ rights, including for the reform of parenting rights in South Australia, through to marriage equality, including being a YES Equality Campaign senior staffer in the successful 2017 postal survey and legislative reform.

Joseph has many other strings to his bow, and will add enormous value to our small but mighty organisation. He's passionate about solar and renewable energy, and is looking forward to joining all of us from Monday 30th April campaigning for a sun-powered future for Australia.