The energy industry in Australia is booming. While we have traditionally relied on generating energy from fossil fuels, solar energy, storage, and other renewable technologies help households return energy to their hands.
Hundreds of thousands of Victorians are already cutting their electricity bills. Solar panel prices continue to decline, and government discounts in Australia are helping households switch to renewable energy.
According to the Clean Energy Regulator, there are approximately 375,000 Victorian households with solar panels, representing approximately 15% of the state.
Unfortunately, solar panels and energy storage systems are expensive. But despite this, the savings you receive can often cover the cost of the system in a few years.
On July 1, 2019, the Victoria government announced the ‘Solar Homes Program’, which aims to further encourage the uptake of solar with an upfront rebate. The government intends to help 770,000 households invest in solar energy while reducing carbon emissions in the state.
Solar Victoria is currently running a pilot battery discount program to help determine the demand and use of batteries in Victoria. In 2019-2020, 1000 discounts will be provided for up to $4,838 for a solar system. With this rebate, people can now purchase Powerwall for just $6,862.
Powerwall Now Approved for the Victoria Solar Battery Rebate$TSLA 🔋 🤟 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/7U1E7c66dL
— S Padival (@S_Padival) March 6, 2020
Victorians currently benefit from some of Australia’s most generous solar incentive schemes. These include Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs), Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs), and the already mentioned Solar Homes Program.
Solar Victoria requires adherence to strict quality and safety standards so that customers who qualify for a discount receive a high-quality product that is reliably installed by a qualified technician. To be able to get a discount, people must use only authorized sellers, installers and solar products. Solar Victoria maintain a regularly updated list of authorized providers, who are required to only use products on Solar Victoria's approved products list. To qualify for inclusion on these lists, suppliers and products must comply with the standards set by the Clean Energy Council, Energy Safe Victoria and other relevant authorities.
Tesla's company is currently on this list, which entitles customers to receive a discount on the installation of the Powerwall battery.
When your solar panels generate electricity and no one can use it at home, the excess power goes into a common electric grid. In exchange for electricity, solar consumers receive a small discount known as ‘feed-in tariff’ (FiT) for each kWh of power exported.
The presence of batteries, like Powerwall, allows houses to accumulate the excess energy produced by their solar panels, rather than being powered by the mains. The electricity stored in the battery can be used later - even at night or through a power outage.
Since the typical supply rate is much lower than the rate you pay for using electricity, households can save even more by saving their solar energy for future use for themselves, instead of sending it to the grid.
