Transforming solar solutions

Consumer demand for home battery storage is on the rise, paving the way for cloud-based monitoring solutions in both new and retrofit applications.

Around 1.5 million Australian households already have solar panels installed, according to figures from the Australian Energy Council. The reasonably high uptake levels — around 16.5% of households — are largely due to a combination of mandatory renewable energy targets and feed-in tariff programs, which varied from state to state.

The end is nigh for tariffs

As many of those programs draw to an end, consumer demand for a way to save and store one’s own energy is on the up. According to Bradford Solar, a division of CSR Bradford, six out of every 10 enquiries are from existing solar customers looking to upgrade existing systems and to transform the way they store and consume their energy. The company offers the Tesla Powerwall solution in conjunction with a 3.5 kW SolarEdge inverter, with the entire package installed and ready to monitor in under 4 h.

CSR Bradford Executive General Manager Anthony Tannous says the increased interest is because there were relatively few available options for home owners until fairly recently. 

“Until now, there have been few suppliers providing Australian home owners with the option to do this. We have partnered with SolarEdge to provide existing solar owners with the missing piece of their energy solution,” he said.

Existing solar users who have already taken charge of their energy use currently enjoy free energy during the day. By upgrading their system, they now have the power to store the electricity generated during the day to run their home at night.

A typical Australian house consumes around 21 kWh per day. Tesla Powerwall is capable of storing 6.4 kWh per day, which is enough to support the average home’s evening energy use.

With the end dates for selected feed-in tariffs in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia looming, it is anticipated that demand will continue to rise.

“For many home owners, government-led rooftop solar feed-in tariff programs have provided significant financial incentives for installing solar systems. With these programs now coming to a close, many residents will be looking to save and store their own-generated energy, rather than selling it back to the grid.

“For example, residents in New South Wales had the potential to receive $0.60/kWh, allowing them to effectively offset much of the cost of their solar investment. When the feed-in tariffs end in December, they will receive as little as $0.06/kWh from energy shared back to the grid,” said Tannous.

The average household that installs the retrofit upgrade can achieve significant savings.

“A family in Sydney using a 5 kW solar PV system and consuming most of their energy at night could save up to $1390 per annum with the battery installed. Those with a PV system and no battery would save just $806,” said Tannous.

Opportunity in new builds

Demand is not confined to retrofit applications either, with many new home owners electing to reduce their reliance on the grid. Victoria-based Arden Homes has recognised the shift in consumer sentiment and partnered with CSR Bradford to offer the Tesla Powerwall as a standard inclusion in new home builds, with a view to extending the techology offering across more property ranges in the near future. 

Arden Homes Director Dean Morrison says that consumers are driving the change.

“Home owner expectations around home design are changing — customers want better-performing homes that are comfortable, beautiful and efficient,” he said.

Consumer group One Big Switch says that Victorian home owners have been subjected to energy price hikes of more than 120% in the last decade.

“We know that through intelligent home design solutions we can maximise a home’s performance,” said Morrison.

“With rising energy bills, it’s no wonder that home owners are looking for ways to gain more control of their energy management and live a lower-impact life. This is one of the reasons that prompted us to introduce this initiative.

“Consumers want to be less dependent on the grid and have greater control over their family’s energy use. This solution allows them to achieve this, making a home more attractive to buyers.

“We know there is a growing curiosity around alternative energy sources as consumers become savvier about how these solutions can create energy savings [and] increase a property’s resale value along with the obvious environmental benefits,” added Morrison.

This thinking is backed by a recent Enigma survey of potential and current home buyers, with 90% of respondents agreeing that solar power allows them reduce energy costs and 76% indicating that they would be more likely to consider a builder who offers solar power as a standard inclusion.

Managing consumption

Tracking and controlling consumption is just as important as storage. The cloud-based monitoring system allows consumers to monitor their energy usage via a mobile device or home computer, giving home owners the freedom to track and control solar consumption, energy production and energy use at any time. This facility gives consumers the power to manage their household’s efficiency and energy costs by helping to load shift electricity.

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