Where have the cowboy solar panel spruikers gone? Home battery storage
The roll-out of renewables to households has been a success. But it has come with a dark side, with dodgy operators taking advantage of ill-informed customers.
Solar panels being installed onto a Sydney rooftop. Government subsidies have helped the number installed pass 4 million. Bloomberg
It has been a decade-long problem. Unscrupulous rooftop solar panel spruikers taking advantage of ill-informed consumers to overcharge for low-quality systems and poor after-sales service. Now, it’s coming to plague the next must-have energy system for households: batteries.
Generating renewable power and storing it at home is one of the holy grails of the transition away from fossil fuels. At its best, it could be a cheap way of generating electricity where it is needed. So it is no wonder that state and federal governments have long incentivised the installation of solar panels at home. Increasingly, they are supporting the roll-out of batteries too.
Angela Macdonald-SmithSenior resources writerAngela Macdonald-Smith writes on the resources industry with a focus on energy, including gas, oil, electricity and renewables. Connect with Angela on Twitter. Email Angela at amacdonald-smith@afr.com
