Solar sharer or solar sinker? Ten reasons why homeowners may or will still want to get rooftop solar

At face value, the Solar Sharer announcement – three hours of free power every day for everyone that wants it – is a fantastic policy initiative. At last, everyone can get a slice of the action and the whole world (except perhaps some National and Liberal Party MPs) will finally see the transition to renewable energy is a transition to cheaper energy. BUT, following rapidly on the heels of this announcement, the sceptics have come out: retailers will go bankrupt – or simply charge more elsewhere to recover the costs – and it will be the death of rooftop solar, the goose that lays the golden egg. Why would anyone install rooftop solar when they can get three hours of free power off the grid at prime solar production time?

Here are ten reasons why homeowners may/will still want to install rooftop solar:

1. To get the battery rebate: If nothing else, Solar Sharer should increase the uptake of batteries because they are the easiest and most convenient way to make the most of the free power offer. To be eligible for the generous Cheaper Household Battery Scheme rebate you need to have rooftop solar, new or existing – it’s as simple as that.
2. To power the rest of the day: Yes, you probably could get a super-sized battery to power your way through 21 hours of the day and night when you won’t be getting free power but, depending on your energy use, that might end up being a very big battery. A 1 kilowatt solar panel will produce up to 5 kWh per day;1 kW of storage can only store 1 KWh of power at a time. Dollar-for-dollar it may well make sense to get a mix of rooftop solar (to supply your daytime needs outside the free period) and a battery for when neither solar nor the free power window are available.
3. To use your battery storage to trade and/or consume at night: Instead of squandering your battery storage on daytime use outside the free window (if you have no solar), you could use any spare battery storage to export to the grid at peak evening times when the spot price for power is generally most lucrative. Selling surplus power to the grid is the only way to reduce or eliminate the fixed charges in your energy bill.
4. To maximise your gain from any improvements in feed-in tariff rates: The basis for the Solar Sharer policy is the huge amount of renewable power being curtailed (wasted) during the middle of the day – when rooftop solar production is at its peak. Should the Solar Sharer initiative really take off and if/when more batteries large and small are in operation to soak up currently curtailed production, demand in that period might grow so much as to generate a higher feed in price for rooftop solar even in the middle of the day – we haven’t seen that for a while!
5. To avoid contributing to the super profits of big energy companies: It’s always a winner, being your own powerhouse able to bypass any crazy changes in power costs. Who doesn’t love beating the big energy companies at their own game – I know I do!
6. To keep the lights on in the event of an outage: An off grid capable battery and solar storage system will operate smoothly and continuously in the event of a power outage – and who isn’t expecting more power cuts in the following years?
7. Future proofing: Does anyone seriously believe the Solar Sharer policy will last for ever or the cost of the policy will not simply be recovered somewhere else on your bill? Installing a solar-and-battery system right for your current and future needs will minimise your exposure to whatever’s coming next for electricity bills.
8. To maximise the cost-benefit of your installation:  If you’re paying for an electrician to come round and install a battery why not get the best value out of that visit by right sizing your solar installation at the same time? It saves calling them back out (for another fee) when things change and additional solar is again the best solution out there.
9. To help save the planet: Whilst some actors may (or may not) be aiming for net zero by 2050, I have the option of getting to real zero right now simply by following the Electrify Everything prescription – rooftop solar, storage and electric appliances for everything (including the car).
10. To make our peace with the regions: It’s no secret some people in regional Australia are unhappy about bearing the brunt of the energy transition “for the cities”. Australians – regional and urban – have some of the best uptake of rooftop solar in the world and since July this year battery mania also seems to have arrived with vigour. We are all doing our bit and the more we continue to do so, the cheaper and less politically loaded this monumental transition to renewable energy will be.

Of course, none of this affects ongoing interest in rooftop solar in the commercial and industrial sector where the greatest potential for growth exists.

Clearly the next items on the agenda for governments are to continue to support batteries (including portable batteries) for renters, apartment dwellers and social housing tenants and to target rapid growth in storage and solar solutions on big roofs. And, of course, double down on the runaway success of the household battery rebate scheme.