Independents want rooftop solar scheme to support two million home batteries

The federal independent MP for Indi, Dr Helen Haines, has launched a bid to extend the federal financial incentives for rooftop solar installations to residential energy storage systems, proposing new legislation that could support two million battery installations.

On Monday, Haines introduced the proposed Cheaper Home Batteries Bill to parliament as a private member’s bill, which, if implemented, could reduce the cost of a standard household battery installation by around $3,000. It was seconded by Warringah MP and independent Zali Steggall.

The bill would expand the existing small scale renewable energy scheme, which already provides a financial incentive for rooftop solar and solar hot water systems, to include battery storage systems.

“Cost of living is the number one concern for Australians as we head to the election, and power bills make up a huge proportion of people’s costs. Using an existing government scheme to cover household batteries will allow people to further reduce the cost of their power bills,” Haines said.

“Right now, neither major party has any real policies to help households lower their power bills with renewable-powered batteries. I’d like to see both parties step up and deliver stronger policies that help everyday people see the benefits from renewable energy.”

Under the existing scheme, the financial benefits flow to the system owners as an upfront discount on the purchase cost. Haines pointed to analysis from Green Energy Markets which nfound the new incentives could support the installation of as many as two million additional residential battery systems.

“My policy would deliver 15 times more capacity than the Government will get from the new gas-power station it is building in the Hunter Valley,” Haines said.

“Not only would this save families money, these batteries would act as a massive electric sponge, soaking up cheap solar power during the day and balancing the grid at night. That’s good news for energy security and means a smoother transition to renewables.”

Haines said that boosting the number of residential battery storage systems in Australia would also improve energy resilience, especially for households vulnerable to natural disasters.

“During the 2019-20 fires, the Upper Murray was entirely isolated when the powerlines to Wodonga burned down. That should never happen – we need to support people in remote communities to have a backup power supply in a crisis,” Haines said.

“Wodonga is one of the top postcodes in the state for people being disconnected by their electricity providers. Other towns like Cudgewa and Marysville are also up there. Solar and batteries would make the biggest impact for these households that are already struggling.”

Haines has previously tabled proposed legislation that would establish a new ‘Australian Local Power Agency’ that would support the creation of community-owned renewable energy projects, and provide local communities with an opportunity to purchase an ownership share in nearby commercial wind and solar developments.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Bill was welcomed by the Smart Energy Council, which said the support for households to install battery storage would help reduce energy costs.

“Solar and batteries save money and help Australians take control of their power bills,” Smart Energy Council chief executive John Grimes said.

“Solar batteries allow Australian families to capture the solar energy produced during the day to use that cheap, zero emissions power at night-time on demand.”

“The Independent MP, Helen Haines, understands the best thing Australians can do to reduce their power bills is to get solar and to back that up with a home battery,” Grimes added.

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