According to the Clean Energy Council’s bi-annual Rooftop Solar and Storage Report, more than 300,000 Australian homes and businesses installed rooftop solar from July to December 2024, yet only a third had a home battery.
These findings have prompted renewed calls for a national home battery rebate incentive of up to $6,500 per household.
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Rooftop solar generated a total of 30,178GWh of electricity in 2024—12.4% of Australia’s total supply, which was up from 11.2% in 2023.
Clean Energy Council general manager distributed energy Con Hristodoulidis said, “Over four million Australian households and businesses have now adopted rooftop solar in Australia, saving households more than $6 billion annually on their energy bills.
“Rooftop solar saves an average Aussie family $1,500 on their annual bill, and this almost doubles if you add a battery,” he said.
“However, only one in three rooftop solar owners have a battery storage system installed, despite its capability to save households up to 80 per cent for a combined solar battery system.
“In a cost-of-living crisis, it’s clear the upfront cost of purchasing a home battery, which averages around $12,000-$15,000, is a barrier to entry for many people, and this is why we need a national battery rebate scheme.”
The Clean Energy Council’s ‘It’s time to back batteries’ campaign shows a national rebate of up to $6,500 per household could slash energy bills, as well as lowering system-wide costs for all energy users by $190 million by 2030.
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“Home batteries provide flexibility for rooftop solar owners as to when their electricity is generated, used and stored,” Hristodoulidis said.
“Batteries that are integrated into the grid (also known as orchestration, or virtual power plants) have the added advantage of supplying electricity to the grid when it is needed most, reducing costs for everyone and creating a more resilient energy system.”
