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The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Australia's surge in household battery installations is ‘off the charts' as government subsidy program powers up
A federal government program that gives a 30% subsidy on home batteries has sparked an 'off the charts' surge in installations, with more than 11,500 applications to the scheme in its first three weeks. Industry analysts said the battery boom was reminiscent of the surge in rooftop solar 15 years ago, and that it was ushering in a second revolution in home electricity. According to data provided to Guardian Australia by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER), 11,536 batteries have been installed since the government's $2.3bn Cheaper Home Batteries Program opened for connections on 1 July. More than 1,000 batteries were being installed every day. The managing director of solar consultancy SunWiz, Warwick Johnston, said on some days more battery systems had been registered than stand-alone solar systems – a first for Australia. Sign up: AU Breaking News email 'Before the scheme was announced, there were about 75,000 battery installations in 2024 compared to 300,000 solar PV systems. So to go from one in six, to one [for] one, shows this [program] has unleashed a wave of interest,' he said. The CER data showed about 40% of the installations since 1 July were in New South Wales, 20% in Queensland, 17% in South Australia and 12% in Victoria. Residents in NSW can also claim hundreds of dollars against a battery from a state-based scheme if they connect it to a virtual power plant provider that aggregates available power and then uses it to keep the electricity system stable. The CER data showed the average size of the batteries under the scheme was 17 kilowatt hours, which Johnston said was much bigger than the ongoing average of 10-12 kWh. Eligible batteries are between 5 kWh and 100 kWh, although fees under the program are only paid up to the first 50 kWh. The chief executive of the Energy Efficiency Council, Luke Menzel, said interest in the battery program was 'off the charts'. 'It underlines just how hungry households are for solutions that can help them manage their energy costs,' he said. In recent months companies have been allowed to sell and install batteries under the scheme, as long as they were not turned on until after 1 July. Andre Scott, a director at solar and battery installer 1KOMMA5, said in May and June, total sales of solar and batteries were up 76% on the same period in 2024. 'We've also seen a significant spike in battery-only purchases – a 459% increase. If we include July, the demand has been at unseen levels across the board,' he said. Scott said the surge in battery-only installations had come from people with existing solar systems. Typical prices for a battery were between $1,000 and $1,200 a kWh before discounts, he said. Most batteries were installed in a way that would provide homes with back-up power in the case of outages. The director of analysis and advisory at Green Energy Markets, Tristan Edis, said the 'demand for batteries has gone nuts'. He said if the current rate of installations was maintained then within five years there would be about 10,000MW of battery capacity installed. 'That's a big deal when you think we have 20,000MW of coal capacity [in Australia]. He said adding batteries in homes would help to spread the use of solar energy into the evening and cut electricity demand during peak periods – a time, he said, when gas turbines traditionally ramp up. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion '[The boom in batteries] completely destroys the business case for a gas turbine and also the high evening prices that coal generators rely on.' Johnston said the levels of interest in home batteries was reminiscent of a period between 2008 and 2010 when the rooftop solar boom took hold. 'There's been a latent interest in batteries and people have been waiting for them to get cheaper. This program has improved the financials of it,' he said. Since the solar boom, the amount that households are paid for feeding electricity back to the grid has dropped significantly. The general manager of distributed energy at the renewable industry's Clean Energy Council, Con Hristodoulidis, said it had taken four years to accumulate 185,000 installed batteries, but that figure could be at 300,000 by the end of the year. 'Solar was the first wave with people realising they could have energy independence. I think this is the second wave of a revolution,' he said. Menzel said Australia had become a world leader in the adoption of rooftop solar with more than 4m systems now installed. 'The early interest in home batteries echoes the early ramp up in solar. 'This is a sign that with the right support the suburbs will step up again to invest in the efficient, electric technologies that will help them drive down their bills.' But he said considering the demand so far, it was 'very unlikely the $2.3bn that has been allocated by the government will last through to 2030 as advertised.' The government allocated $2.3bn in forward estimates for the program, and a further $1.2bn to 2030-31. The discount value per kWh will fall each year as battery prices are also expected to fall. In a statement, the federal energy minister, Chris Bowen, said more than 10,000 people had already claimed on the scheme 'to cut their power bills for good – slashing up to 90% off their energy bill from day one.'
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First Post
11-07-2025
- General
- First Post
Australia's Aboriginal delegation urges UNESCO to protect ancient rock art
Murujuga, a remote location in Western Australia, is one of the thousands of sites under consideration. According to estimates, there are over one million petroglyphs – engravings that might date back 50,000 years read more Aboriginal site preservation signs stand near the entrance to Deep Gorge on the Burrup Peninsula in the north of Western Australia, close to the site of some one million pieces of Aboriginal rock engravings several thousands of years old and considered by some to be the greatest concentration of such ancient art in the world. File image/ AFP A team of Aboriginal Australians has come to Paris to seek UN support for the conservation of a cultural monument in their native country, which they claim is under threat from damaging mining. Since the beginning of the week, the global Heritage Committee at UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural organisation, has been discussing on which sites to include in the most recent edition of the body's global heritage list. Murujuga, a remote location in Western Australia, is one of the thousands of sites under consideration. According to estimates, there are over one million petroglyphs – engravings that might date back 50,000 years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It's possibly the most important rock art site in the world,' said Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia. 'We should be looking after it.' The site is located on the Burrup peninsula, home to the Mardudunera people, and under threat from nearby mining developments. Making the UNESCO's heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites. It does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action. 'It's absolutely crucial that the Australian government takes it more seriously and regulates industrial pollution in that area more carefully,' Smith said. Giant mining corporations have been active in the resource-rich Pilbara region for decades. 'Keep our culture thriving' Australian company Woodside Energy operates the North West Shelf, an industrial complex that includes offshore platforms, undersea pipelines, and hydrocarbon processing facilities. The project consistently ranks among Australia's five largest emitters of greenhouse gas, according to figures from the country's Clean Energy Regulator. 'These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,' said Mark Clifton, a member of the three-person delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'This is why I am here.' Environmental and indigenous organisations argue the presence of mining groups has already caused damage with industrial emissions. They are 'creating hundreds of holes in the surface. And that is causing the surfaces with the rock art to break down,' Smith said. In an emailed statement to AFP, Woodside Energy said it recognises Murujuga as 'one of Australia's most culturally significant landscapes'. It added that, according to independent peer-reviewed studies, 'responsible operations' could help protect the heritage. Woodside had taken 'proactive steps', it said, 'to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly'. In May, the Australian government extended the operating licence for the liquefied gas plant by 40 years, with conditions. Australia insists that extending the plant – which each year emits millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas – does not tarnish a pledge to reach net zero by 2050. 'Measures of protection' But activists, saying the government is not taking their concerns seriously enough, demand that UNESCO make any decision to put the site on the world heritage list contingent on the government offering adequate protection. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Delegation leader Raelene Cooper told AFP she wanted guarantees. 'There needs to be, at the highest level, safeguards and measures of protection,' she said. The Australian government has sent a separate delegation to Paris, also comprising members of the region's Aboriginal population, to push for the site's recognition. Australia's strong presence at the heritage committee meeting 'is a meaningful opportunity to support the protection and conservation of some of the world's most important cultural and natural sites,' Environment Minister Murray Watt said. Icomos, a non-governmental organisation partnering with UNESCO, said it was urgent for the Australian government to oversee 'the complete elimination of harmful acidic emissions that currently affect the petroglyphs'. UNESCO is expected to announce its update to the list by Sunday.
AU Financial Review
01-07-2025
- Science
- AU Financial Review
Biomethane and the net-zero transition – why waste could be a prize asset
Without making any changes to infrastructure, biomethane produced at scale could be easily deployed to reduce emissions in industries that are hard to electrify – from brick kilns that need constant high temperatures to food processors that can't get sufficient power from regional electricity infrastructure. It could also fuel heavy vehicles and could be a cheaper and less disruptive decarbonisation option than electrification for existing large buildings such as some shopping centres, hospitals or apartment blocks, Davis says. And it could play an important role in responsive power generation, providing a reliable, renewable source of energy to complement intermittent sources such as wind and solar. 'We sometimes sit in silos in terms of electrification and gas, but we've got to look at this as an energy system transition. Just like electrons can come from renewable sources, so can molecules – we've just got to determine where the best value is for them in the system.' Support needed Made by breaking down organic waste in an anaerobic digester, biomethane is identical to natural gas in composition – except that it comes from a renewable source, and is not a fossil fuel. Both natural gas and biomethane release carbon dioxide when they're burned. But while the carbon dioxide that natural gas adds to the atmosphere has been locked up out of harm's way for millions of years, biomethane is simply recycling carbon dioxide that was recently taken from the atmosphere by plants, as part of the 'short carbon cycle'. This is why, when it is combusted, biomethane is considered to be carbon neutral, or as the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) defines biomethane, 'a methane-rich, net-zero carbon emissions natural gas substitute'. By using waste products such as slurry and crop residues, biomethane can also reduce the methane that they would produce if left to rot, and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their disposal. It can also provide farmers with an income and even return nutrients to farms through biosolids or digestate – byproducts of the production process. 'We've seen enormous support for green hydrogen,' Davis says. 'But biomethane can play a much more near-term role. It is a drop-in fuel that can help our manufacturing sectors to reduce emissions efficiently.' Davis would like to see some of the policies that support green hydrogen – such as the NSW renewable fuel scheme and federal government tax concessions – also applied to biomethane. 'Hydrogen is going to play an important role in the distant future. But right here, right now, biomethane is ready to start supporting the decarbonisation of hard-to-electrify sectors, delivered by existing infrastructure. 'It astounds many industrial gas users that we talk to that hydrogen has market incentives that biomethane can't access, despite biomethane being a direct substitute for natural gas and currently far cheaper to produce that green hydrogen. This ultimately holds back the development of this market and the emissions reduction options of many Australian businesses.' While Australia has been a laggard in the biomethane market, we're well placed to grab the benefits of that overseas market development over the past 20 to 30 years, Davis says. 'Biomethane is a low-hanging fruit. It has an existing pathway as a drop-in fuel that provides benefits not just to the energy system, but to the wider management of organic waste and the circular economy. This is an enormous opportunity for Australia.'
The Advertiser
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
The solar battery rebate has arrived: here's what you need to know
The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system. The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030. The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries. ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12. His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025. Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise. "A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said. "It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour. "So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour." A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels. To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge. Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list. The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website. To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1. Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up. However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards. The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system. The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030. The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries. ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12. His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025. Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise. "A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said. "It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour. "So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour." A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels. To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge. Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list. The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website. To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1. Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up. However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards. The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system. The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030. The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries. ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12. His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025. Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise. "A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said. "It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour. "So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour." A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels. To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge. Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list. The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website. To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1. Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up. However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards. The federal government's solar battery rebate opened on July 1, and, in a land of plentiful sun, many Australians are asking if it's worth adding to their energy system. The solar battery rebate offers 30 per cent off the cost of installing batteries from July 1, 2025, with the discount decreasing annually until the end of the program in 2030. The rebate is part of the federal government's $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries Program, encouraging households and small businesses to install solar batteries. ACT installer SolarHub's chief executive Benn Masters said solar batteries had become a more worthwhile investment, with the systems now paying for themselves in five to six years rather than 10 to 12. His team had been run off their feet in the lead-up to the start of the rebate program, with some local businesses already booking installations into October 2025. Feed-in tariffs for solar have dropped substantially due to increased supply during the day, but the cost of energy in the evenings continues to rise. "A battery changes [the loss of feed-in tariffs] dramatically," Mr Masters said. "It allows you to charge the battery during the day and then discharge it at nighttime when you're paying those really high-peak rates, which can be upwards of 40, 50 cents a kilowatt-hour. "So rather than getting 6 cents a kilowatt-hour for your solar, you're getting 50 cents a kilowatt-hour." A kilowatt-hour measures the amount of electricity produced by solar panels. To be eligible for the program, a battery storage system must be in the range of 5 to 100 kilowatt-hours in nominal capacity. The nominal capacity is the maximum amount of energy a battery can store at full charge. Electric vehicles are not eligible battery systems for the program, and the chosen battery system and the inverter must be listed on the Clean Energy Council-approved product list. The cash payout for the rebate depends on the battery's capacity, with calculations available on the program's website. To be eligible for the rebate, battery systems must be installed on or after June 1. Some Canberra businesses have raised concerns about an increase in "cowboy" businesses entering the solar market, selling batteries at low cost and disappearing once the rebate wraps up. However, a Clean Energy Regulator spokesperson said the agency, which was administering the rebate program, would be monitoring the market to ensure all products and installers met the minimum safety and quality standards.
Straits Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Australia approves 40-year extension for contentious gas plant
Protesters are seen outside the Woodside Annual General Meeting at Crown Towers Perth, Burswood, in Australia on May 8. PHOTO: REUTERS SYDNEY - Australia on May 28 approved a 40-year extension to a major liquified gas plant, brushing off protests from Pacific island neighbours fearful it will inflame climate damage. The North West Shelf is a sprawling industrial complex of offshore rigs and processing factories pumping out more than 10 million tonnes of liquified gas and petroleum each year. Run by resources giant Woodside, it is one of the world's largest producers of liquified natural gas – and one of Australia's biggest polluters. Originally slated to close in five years' time, Environment Minister Murray Watt on May 28 approved an extension to keep it running until 2070. In a statement, Mr Watt said he approved the extension 'subject to strict conditions' designed to limit the impact of emissions. Neighbouring Pacific islands, already seeing their coastlines eaten away by rising seas, had urged Australia to shut down the plant. 'Pacific leaders have made it clear – there is no future for our nations if fossil fuel expansion continues,' said Tuvalu Climate Change Minister Maina Talia. 'The North West Shelf extension would lock in emissions until 2070, threatening our survival and violating the spirit of the Pacific-Australia climate partnership,' he said ahead of this week's decision. Australia insists that extending the plant – which each year emits millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas – does not tarnish a pledge to reach net zero by 2050. But it poses an awkward diplomatic problem as Australia seeks to host the UN climate conference alongside Pacific island nations in 20 26. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said liquified natural gas – a fossil fuel – would bridge the gap while more renewables were plugged into Australia's power grid. 'You can't have renewables unless you have firming capacity. It's as simple as that,' he said this week. 'You don't change a transition through warm thoughts.' The Woodside plant straddles Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, a region home to some of the country's best-preserved Aboriginal rock art. Spewing 'toxins' A monitoring programme is still trying to determine if industrial air pollution was degrading the engravings, some of which are thought to be 40,000 years old. Mr Watt said 'adequate protection for the rock art' was central to his decision. Aboriginal leaders have tried in vain to stop the extension. 'The toxins that spew out, we see this on a daily basis,' Ms Raelene Cooper said ahead of the government's decision. 'No one had a say when all this happened. Government never come to us. Woodside never come to us.' The project consistently ranks among Australia's five largest emitters of greenhouse gas, according to figures from the country's Clean Energy Regulator. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap heat as they collect in the atmosphere, fuelling climate change. AFP Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
