Thousands sign up for a last-minute bid to get $6000 home battery deal
It may have been a slow started but the State Government’s home battery scheme is suddenly generating a lot of buzz.
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The state’s much touted $100 million home battery subsidy scheme has surged in the past five weeks.
In that time more than 5000 people have signed up to the State Government’s Home Battery Scheme (HBS) before the maximum subsidy was cut from $6000 to $4000.
The scheme, launched in October 2018, took 12 months to reach 5000 applicants. The total number of subsidies now stands at 12,334.
Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan told The Advertiser SA was light years ahead of the other Australians states when it came to the adoption of environmentally friendly home batteries.
He said the $100 million scheme, the largest of its type in the world, had multiple benefits.
“The massive uptake of the scheme has created a mini jobs boom for home battery installers at the very moment we need as much work as we can possibly get in South Australia.
“The installation of the remaining 6700 batteries and associated solar panels will sustain 150 full-time jobs in the growing green energy industry in South Australia during the next six months.”
The increase in solar and battery capability comes at an important time for the state with recent reports highlighting the vulnerability of the energy sector as it waits for an interconnector between SA and New South Wales.
SA wholesale power generators are being ordered almost daily to provide back-up generation to help keep the lights on.
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Data showed Commonwealth watchdog AEMO (Australian Energy Market Operator) intervened in the SA energy market 122 times between July 5 and December 26 last year.
SA Senator Rex Patrick said the data raised questions about the capability of the energy mix in the SA – a sentiment shared by the State Government.
Mr van Holst Pellekaan said SA will have 146 MWh of additional storage when the 12,334 home batteries are installed.
He said the success has resulted in a surge in the number of Virtual Power Plants, allowing householders to strike deals with energy retailers to use their battery to supply power to the grid for a fee.
“By getting on the front foot South Australia has been the big winner in this area, delivering massive cuts to participating households’ electricity bills … and helping to stabilise the grid,” he said.