Sun sets on another state's solar home battery rebate
The scrapping of a $2500 solar panel sweetener has been defended by a state energy minister after critics labelled the move a "slap in the face".
As a federal battery subsidy kicks in on July 1, NSW will replace its home battery installation rebate with a smaller incentive to create more virtual power plants.
The move comes as other states power down their own battery incentives.
Virtual power plants connect solar-powered batteries owned by households and small businesses to the grid, allowing owners to generate ongoing revenue by selling the excess energy stored in their battery when demand is high.
The NSW government argues households and businesses will benefit by stacking the new scheme - worth up to $1500 - on top of the federal program, which slashes up-front costs by about 30 per cent.
"The real value of virtual power plants is that we don't waste energy that's in the batteries," NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe told AAP on Thursday.
But renewable energy advocacy group Solar Citizens said ditching the state battery subsidy on June 30 was a "slap in the face" for solar panel owners.
They were promised up to $2500 in addition to the federal program if they invested in a home battery.
"This surprise decision is a blow to solar-home owners planning to buy a home battery in coming months," the group's chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said.
She described the rebate's removal as a "betrayal" of the Labor government's election promise of the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program, which can be topped up with state rebates.
"We designed the Cheaper Home Batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," a spokesperson for Energy Minister Chris Bowen told AAP.
The $2.3 billion federal government scheme will subsidise the up-front cost of installing eligible small-scale battery by about 30 per cent from July 1.
In Western Australia, solar battery customers are still able to receive both federal and state battery subsidies starting from July.
But NSW follows other states turfing battery sweeteners.
Victoria ended an interest-free solar battery loan worth $8800 in May while Queensland closed its $4000 battery rebate in December.
Australia has the highest take-up of rooftop solar in the world, with panels on more than two million homes providing about 13 per cent of electricity needs for the national grid in the past year.
The nation could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a Climate Council report found.
The scrapping of a $2500 solar panel sweetener has been defended by a state energy minister after critics labelled the move a "slap in the face".
As a federal battery subsidy kicks in on July 1, NSW will replace its home battery installation rebate with a smaller incentive to create more virtual power plants.
The move comes as other states power down their own battery incentives.
Virtual power plants connect solar-powered batteries owned by households and small businesses to the grid, allowing owners to generate ongoing revenue by selling the excess energy stored in their battery when demand is high.
The NSW government argues households and businesses will benefit by stacking the new scheme - worth up to $1500 - on top of the federal program, which slashes up-front costs by about 30 per cent.
"The real value of virtual power plants is that we don't waste energy that's in the batteries," NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe told AAP on Thursday.
But renewable energy advocacy group Solar Citizens said ditching the state battery subsidy on June 30 was a "slap in the face" for solar panel owners.
They were promised up to $2500 in addition to the federal program if they invested in a home battery.
"This surprise decision is a blow to solar-home owners planning to buy a home battery in coming months," the group's chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said.
She described the rebate's removal as a "betrayal" of the Labor government's election promise of the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program, which can be topped up with state rebates.
"We designed the Cheaper Home Batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," a spokesperson for Energy Minister Chris Bowen told AAP.
The $2.3 billion federal government scheme will subsidise the up-front cost of installing eligible small-scale battery by about 30 per cent from July 1.
In Western Australia, solar battery customers are still able to receive both federal and state battery subsidies starting from July.
But NSW follows other states turfing battery sweeteners.
Victoria ended an interest-free solar battery loan worth $8800 in May while Queensland closed its $4000 battery rebate in December.
Australia has the highest take-up of rooftop solar in the world, with panels on more than two million homes providing about 13 per cent of electricity needs for the national grid in the past year.
The nation could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a Climate Council report found.
The scrapping of a $2500 solar panel sweetener has been defended by a state energy minister after critics labelled the move a "slap in the face".
As a federal battery subsidy kicks in on July 1, NSW will replace its home battery installation rebate with a smaller incentive to create more virtual power plants.
The move comes as other states power down their own battery incentives.
Virtual power plants connect solar-powered batteries owned by households and small businesses to the grid, allowing owners to generate ongoing revenue by selling the excess energy stored in their battery when demand is high.
The NSW government argues households and businesses will benefit by stacking the new scheme - worth up to $1500 - on top of the federal program, which slashes up-front costs by about 30 per cent.
"The real value of virtual power plants is that we don't waste energy that's in the batteries," NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe told AAP on Thursday.
But renewable energy advocacy group Solar Citizens said ditching the state battery subsidy on June 30 was a "slap in the face" for solar panel owners.
They were promised up to $2500 in addition to the federal program if they invested in a home battery.
"This surprise decision is a blow to solar-home owners planning to buy a home battery in coming months," the group's chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said.
She described the rebate's removal as a "betrayal" of the Labor government's election promise of the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program, which can be topped up with state rebates.
"We designed the Cheaper Home Batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," a spokesperson for Energy Minister Chris Bowen told AAP.
The $2.3 billion federal government scheme will subsidise the up-front cost of installing eligible small-scale battery by about 30 per cent from July 1.
In Western Australia, solar battery customers are still able to receive both federal and state battery subsidies starting from July.
But NSW follows other states turfing battery sweeteners.
Victoria ended an interest-free solar battery loan worth $8800 in May while Queensland closed its $4000 battery rebate in December.
Australia has the highest take-up of rooftop solar in the world, with panels on more than two million homes providing about 13 per cent of electricity needs for the national grid in the past year.
The nation could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a Climate Council report found.
The scrapping of a $2500 solar panel sweetener has been defended by a state energy minister after critics labelled the move a "slap in the face".
As a federal battery subsidy kicks in on July 1, NSW will replace its home battery installation rebate with a smaller incentive to create more virtual power plants.
The move comes as other states power down their own battery incentives.
Virtual power plants connect solar-powered batteries owned by households and small businesses to the grid, allowing owners to generate ongoing revenue by selling the excess energy stored in their battery when demand is high.
The NSW government argues households and businesses will benefit by stacking the new scheme - worth up to $1500 - on top of the federal program, which slashes up-front costs by about 30 per cent.
"The real value of virtual power plants is that we don't waste energy that's in the batteries," NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe told AAP on Thursday.
But renewable energy advocacy group Solar Citizens said ditching the state battery subsidy on June 30 was a "slap in the face" for solar panel owners.
They were promised up to $2500 in addition to the federal program if they invested in a home battery.
"This surprise decision is a blow to solar-home owners planning to buy a home battery in coming months," the group's chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said.
She described the rebate's removal as a "betrayal" of the Labor government's election promise of the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program, which can be topped up with state rebates.
"We designed the Cheaper Home Batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," a spokesperson for Energy Minister Chris Bowen told AAP.
The $2.3 billion federal government scheme will subsidise the up-front cost of installing eligible small-scale battery by about 30 per cent from July 1.
In Western Australia, solar battery customers are still able to receive both federal and state battery subsidies starting from July.
But NSW follows other states turfing battery sweeteners.
Victoria ended an interest-free solar battery loan worth $8800 in May while Queensland closed its $4000 battery rebate in December.
Australia has the highest take-up of rooftop solar in the world, with panels on more than two million homes providing about 13 per cent of electricity needs for the national grid in the past year.
The nation could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a Climate Council report found.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
16 minutes ago
- The Age
‘The most unQueensland thing': Miles blasts maroon-to-blue logo change
Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles has taken aim at the Crisafulli government's decision to change the official government logo from maroon to blue, matching the state's new political landscape. In a pre-budget media conference in Brisbane on Monday, Miles said the change was 'the most unQueensland thing I can possibly imagine' during State of Origin season. 'I cannot believe that in the middle of a drawn Origin series, while our boys are preparing to go into camp to fight in the decider, David Crisafulli decided to change our state's colour from maroon to blue,' he said. 'Maroon is our state's official colour. It has been since 2003 when it was officially proclaimed our colour and for David Crisafulli to try to make us all blues in the middle of Origin season, I think is the most unQueensland thing I can possibly imagine. 'Refusing to explain how much this change is costing makes this even worse.' The change to blue matches the government's Delivering for Queensland advertising imagery, and also that of the LNP's branding. On Sunday, Premier David Crisafulli said Labor's interest in the logo change 'shows you where their priorities are' but he would not be drawn on how much the rebranding would cost. 'I'm not playing their silly games,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
16 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘The most unQueensland thing': Miles blasts maroon-to-blue logo change
Queensland Opposition Leader Steven Miles has taken aim at the Crisafulli government's decision to change the official government logo from maroon to blue, matching the state's new political landscape. In a pre-budget media conference in Brisbane on Monday, Miles said the change was 'the most unQueensland thing I can possibly imagine' during State of Origin season. 'I cannot believe that in the middle of a drawn Origin series, while our boys are preparing to go into camp to fight in the decider, David Crisafulli decided to change our state's colour from maroon to blue,' he said. 'Maroon is our state's official colour. It has been since 2003 when it was officially proclaimed our colour and for David Crisafulli to try to make us all blues in the middle of Origin season, I think is the most unQueensland thing I can possibly imagine. 'Refusing to explain how much this change is costing makes this even worse.' The change to blue matches the government's Delivering for Queensland advertising imagery, and also that of the LNP's branding. On Sunday, Premier David Crisafulli said Labor's interest in the logo change 'shows you where their priorities are' but he would not be drawn on how much the rebranding would cost. 'I'm not playing their silly games,' he said.
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Police to get extra $150m as LNP vows no budget austerity
Premier David Crisafulli has announced almost $150 million in extra police funding will feature in his government's 2025-26 fiscal blueprint, as the Labor opposition embarks on a statewide pre-budget media blitz. Treasurer David Janetzki will hand down the first LNP budget since 2014 on Tuesday, which will be delivered with the backdrop of a cut in GST revenue. But both the treasurer and premier were at pains on Monday to assure Queenslanders austerity was not on the agenda. 'Today's announcement, $147.9 million into the services of the front line, is a perfect example of the kinds of investment that we'll be discussing tomorrow,' Janetzki said. 'This investment into the front line, supporting the work of our brave men and women on the front line, is exactly the kind of investment that needs to be made and is the targeted and focused point of delivery for our government, and I look forward to sharing more tomorrow.' Speaking at Wacol on Monday morning, Crisafulli said the extra money would go towards police equipment, such as tasers, body armour, tire deflation devices, body-worn camera and tactical first aid kits. 'This money wasn't budgeted,' he said. 'It will be now and it will be into the forwards. It will be there to make sure that when police go out to do their job, they know that they have the equipment to do their job.' Labor frontbenchers, meanwhile, fronted media in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and the Gold and Sunshine coasts in an 11th-hour push for local projects and services.
