Battery rebate launches to much rejoicing and huge demand, as installers “deluged with inquiries”

“Energy Independence Day.” National “Battery Day.” The consumer energy “wedding” of the year. A “game-changer for energy bills.” Call it what you will, July 1 has arrived, and with it the launch of the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries rebate.

And the people are rejoicing, we are told.

As reported on Renew Economy’s sister site, One Step Off The Grid, yesterday, the landmark policy arrived in a cloud of dust, with the final tweaks to the final draft of the amended Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) legislation signed off by the Governor-General on Saturday.

The $2.3 billion plan, unveiled just weeks before the federal election, is designed to dramatically boost home battery uptake by cutting the up-front cost of installation by an average of around 30 per cent – potentially, thousands of dollars – for homes and businesses.

And it looks likely to hit the ground running. On Monday, federal energy minister Chris Bowen said the Cheaper Home Batteries websites had had “many, many hundreds of thousands of hits,” while installers around the country had been “deluged with inquiries.”

“This is a good day for Australia,” said Bowen on Tuesday, at the home of a family in Brisbane that is having a discounted battery installed.

“Australia leads the world in rooftop solar …we have the highest rooftop solar in the world. But only one in 40 Australian houses has a battery,” the minister told reporters.

“That’s because they’ve been very expensive. This 30 per cent rebate makes it an economical choice. It makes it a sensible choice for families like Robert and Michaelia and families right across the country.”

Standing beside the minister, the Smart Energy Council chief John Grimes said it was a “red-letter day” for the country.

“The revolution, the Australian revolution, the household rooftop revolution, is well and truly underway,” said Grimes, who with the rest of the SEC has lobbied long and hard for a federally funded home battery rebate.

“What we’re seeing in Australia is a unique Australian rooftop revolution. This is the Australian way. We’re unlocking the transition, the rapid transition; we’re unlocking bill savings. We’re putting control back into the hands of consumers. And that’s a very good thing.

“We’re also seeing the market absolutely responding,” Grimes added.

“Demand is high, competition amongst products is high, and that is actually leading to falling battery prices, and that’s a really good thing.

“Quality, well-controlled, professional installers through a well-regulated process, actually unlocking savings and benefits to all households, is a very good thing indeed.”

“[This is] more than just a subsidy,” writes Warwick Johnston from rooftop PV data analysts SunWiz. “It’s a statement: That Australians deserve to store their own solar power, that grid independence is achievable, and that the energy transition is entering a new, decentralised chapter.”

On LinkedIn, Johnston is getting into the spirit of national “Battery Day” by launching a contest to see who will be the first to officially claim the rebate.

“Now the race is on… who will be the first to register a battery STC? I guess we will need to wait until sunrise to get the first selfie and electrical sign off. The winner will be declared here,” he writes.

Over at the Clean Energy Regulator, which will oversee the battery rebate as part of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), the mood is a little more sombre, perhaps in anticipation of a very busy time ahead.

“We expect demand for batteries to be high during the roll-out of the program,” a statement says. “Consumers can expect that there may be longer than usual wait times for both ordering a new solar battery, or having a new solar battery installed.

“Solar battery retailers and registered agents can expect delays in processing STCs while we establish our systems.

“We have planned a measured and phased roll-out to make sure only certified products and accredited installers are involved.”

By contrast, the mood at Solar Citizens – another hard-working industry group that has waited a long time to see this day come about – is positively giddy.

“Solar Citizens is proud to announce the much awaited wedding of Ms Solar Panel with Mr Battery,” a press release said on Tuesday, accompanied by photos and a video of a life-sized battery and solar panel being married by …the Bachelor’s own Osher Guinsberg.

“Ms Solar Power, you’ve powered our energy grid with your clean sun power so valiantly, resulting in more solar energy than ever being generated during the day,” said Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas.

“Mr Battery you’ve come along to soak up that clean solar energy so that it can be released at night to power your love and firm our grid, bringing down power prices for all of us.

“This is a happy day for all Australians, with the marriage of home solar and home batteries. Their union will bring us all cheaper home power bills and a safer environment!”

“These two powerhouses have long been destined for the other,” adds SEC interim chief advocacy officer Tim Lamacraft. “One stands proud in the sun, the other charges into the night. Hand in hand, they’ll shower us with 24-7 solar power.”

“May your marriage always stay fully charged with zero discharge disputes,” toasts the Clean Energy Council’s general manager of distributed energy, Con Hristodoulidis.

“As you unite on the rooftop of love, may your days be sunny and your nights backed up with seamless storage. Here’s to a lifetime of balanced loads, peak performance and never hitting gridlock in your relationship.”