Here’s a plan to put the profit back into solar energy for consumers.
Rising energy prices have continued to put pressure on everyday Australians, and Sunbank Solar has established a new program in a bid to improve the trading power of solar owners across the east coast, South Australia and Tasmania.
While many consumers jumped on the solar wagon to take advantage of subsidies and high returns on surplus energy produced, solar customers are now facing diminishing returns as feed-in tariffs drop from $0.60 to $0.06 per kWh.
Developed over the past three years, the solar + battery members plan will allow customers to take back control of their rooftop solar systems to markedly improve their return on investment.
The Solar + Battery Members Plan will give Australians 100 per cent of the profits from their energy with no upper limit on how much they can earn, a minimum feed-in tariff that will never fall below the industry standard, complete flexibility with no lock-in contracts, and a simple daily membership.
Rod Woolley, Solar SG chairman, said, “For too long, the big energy companies have reaped the benefits of the investment of everyday homeowners.
“We knew that if we were going to continue to make rooftop solar and battery systems attractive to consumers, we had to find a way to make them better value for money.
“The new solar energy trading network gives complete control to homeowners who will once again see the major benefits of their solar batteries,” Mr Woolley said.
He said the plan would give customers a significant increase in return on investment and speed to payback, so they can break even faster on their solar investment.
It features energy management software from Evergen and provides greater control solar systems and uses real-time data to ensure a home’s solar and battery performance is optimised.
The minimum feed-in tariff is guaranteed, however, automation technology will ensure that excess energy will be sold back to the NEM at the highest rate and maintain a minimum of 20 per cent capacity in solar batteries.
According to Ben Hutt, Evergen CEO and managing director, renewable energy is the cheapest and greenest form of energy and expects this to be reflected on members energy bills.
“We are giving Aussies more power to reap the benefits when the spot price is high during summer peaks, while having the security of a minimum selling price when there is less demand for their energy,” Hutt concluded.
The members plan is now available and the VPP will be open for all solar companies to access for their customers in 2021.