Demand surges for household batteries

One in two Australians are looking to install a household battery alongside a new or existing rooftop solar system, according to the Climate Council’s latest report, ‘Battery Boom: Supercharging Australia’s Renewable Rollout’.

This finding comes just before the start of the federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program on 1 July 2025.

The report’s key insights are as follows:

1. There are more than 20 gigawatts of big battery storage in the pipeline; almost double what was planned just a year ago.
2. More than 300,000 households have added a battery since coming onto the market in 2015.
3. Adding two million household batteries would collectively save Australians more than $4 billion a year on their power bills.
4. In Australia, the upfront cost of big batteries has fallen 20% in the last year alone.

Climate Councillor and energy expert Greg Bourne said that about 40% of Australia’s main energy grid is powered by sun and wind. “Batteries are our bridge to a 21st century energy grid; keeping the lights on in our homes, schools and workplaces as our aging coal fleet eventually retires by 2040,” he said.

“We already generate an excess of clean, reliable, renewable energy from Australia’s abundant sun and wind. Rather than simply letting it go to waste and missing out on the savings, batteries will help soak it all up and put it to good use during periods of high demand.

“As our transport fleet progressively electrifies, those batteries can also help our grid and provide extra resilience to the system overall.”

A few states are setting the standard for battery-backed renewables, with South Australia leading the country overall. Western Australia leads in big batteries, with eight projects connected to the grid, while Victoria is installing the largest number of community batteries in the country at 140.

In terms of household batteries, Northern Territory residents are leading the way, with 15.9% of all homes with solar also having a battery.

“Household, community and grid-scale battery storage plays a vital role in Australia’s renewable energy transition,” said Climate Council Fellow and energy expert Andrew Stock.

“States are already making headway in these areas, but we must go further and faster to ensure more Australians can reap the benefits.

“Installing more batteries means more gigawatts of renewable energy we can store. The return on investment for communities: lower bills, less climate pollution from polluting coal and gas, and a more resilient grid.”

Image credit: iStock.com/sefa ozel