Solar battery uptake surges in NSW following Minns government’s Peak Demand Reduction Scheme installation initiative

Solar battery uptake in NSW is surging with more than 7800 batteries installed across the state since the Minns government launched its incentive scheme. See the areas where batteries are booming.

NSW solar battery uptake is making leaps and bounds with more than 7800 batteries installed in homes and businesses across the state since the Minns government launched its incentive scheme last year.

The Northern Beaches has been home to the highest battery uptake with 402 households installing the technology to cut down energy bills, followed by the Central Coast, City of Blacktown and Shoalhaven.

While smaller regional areas including Uralla, Gwydir and Cobar have only had one to two installations in total, more than half of the batteries being taken up outside the Sydney region and reaching 90 per cent of all Local Government Areas across NSW.

Under the scheme launched last November, eligible households and businesses can access an upfront discount to shave thousands of dollars off the cost of battery installation.

The incentive comes as part of the NSW Government’s Peak Demand Reduction Scheme to slash the peak electricity demand in NSW, by encouraging the more than one-third of NSW homes with rooftop solar to store energy for later use, maintaining grid stability during periods of high demand and reducing the grid’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the uptake was making the grid more sustainable. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said the early support for the batteries was making a big difference to households and the wider energy system.

“NSW has set a cracking pace for battery adoption across the country, and we only see this momentum picking up,” she said.

The top 15 Local Government Areas (LGAs) for battery uptake since November last year.

The initiative aims to use encourage household solar batteries to ease pressure on the energy system. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

“These installations are providing cost of living relief through lower energy bills and are making a valuable contribution to a more sustainable and secure energy system.”

According to government figures, a typical household with an annual electricity of $1850 can save about $1500 per year by installing solar and a battery.

Larger batteries attract bigger discounts with the typical 13.5 kilowatt battery saving $2000 on installation on both new and existing solar systems, through one of 600 installers working with government-accredited suppliers.

Households will also be able to receive an extra discount and further revenue by signing their new and existing batteries up to a Virtual Power Plant, allowing excess energy that households have stored in batteries to be sold back into the grid.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the scheme was putting “money back in people’s pockets”. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“We know there is a lot more work to do to reduce cost of living pressures but schemes like this are putting money back in people’s pockets in a way that is good for energy reliability and good for the environment,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said.

While Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said the uptake proved “what we have long been saying – that Australians will jump at the chance to cut their power bills and climate pollution if they’re given some help”.

It comes after the government announced a new $25m program in February to incentivise apartment residents to install rooftop solar by covering up to 50 per cent of the cost of installing shared solar systems on apartments or other multi-unit dwellings.

Originally published as Solar battery uptake surges in NSW following Minns government’s Peak Demand Reduction Scheme installation initiative