FFS. We had 12.75kw of panels installed on the roof and a 13.5kw battery in the garage six months ago, and we weren't under any illusion as to the money we'd get feeding back into the grid. It was literally the last thing on our minds. We use all the power we can during the day (washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer all set to come on at about 11am), cook the big meal on the induction hob at lunchtime, run the aircon all day long. On sunny days the battery's full before midday. In the evening the battery kicks in and sees us through to about 11pm if we've been running the aircon and right through to the next day if not. Zero expectations in this household for earning money from the electricity we produce.
this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
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I get narky about this.
the tariffs were to encourage people to take up solar at a time when it was a lot more expensive. It made it a lot more economically feasible. This isn't the case any more so the tariffs have dropped. Ok. That bit is fine.
The companies using the generated power and selling it at a several thousand percent markup can get fucked tho. As is their gold plated supply charging.
Also: The number of people who say that it's not worth getting solar because the tariffs are nothing makes me want to get stabby stabby stabby. That is not the fucking point you grot. Oh no I get fuck all for excess power generated.
Excess I can show you my powerpal where there is a literal hole in my grid usage between 7am-7pm. Zero grid usage. That is the point, you mincing fl00ns. Why the fuck do I care about getting .03c a kw when I've just saved a shitload more by simply not purchasing any electrical power AT ALL, and not rape the planet while doing it?
Over here in Florida, I shock people when I show them my actual bill from the power company is exactly the minimum service fee every month. I don’t “get” paid for my excess but I don’t have to pay over night so I’m sure as hell happy for that arrangement.
I’ve also blown some people’s minds by framing it as equity building too. You pay a mortgage and own your house eventually. Why not roll solar into that and get equity into your energy as well instead of renting it from the power company?
A wide range of experts, including a former RBA deputy governor, are calling for the federal government to introduce household battery subsidies to encourage uptake.
This is suggesting that we use taxpayer funds to offset the installation costs of people who own a house and likely a solar setup already - further reducing their running costs.
But as battery uptake increases, there will be less demand on the grid, so the per kW/h and daily connection fees are going to increase.
So any tax paying renter gets to benefit from this by... paying more for their electricity?
To paraphrase Joe Hockey (and the broader Liberal party), I guess "Poor people don't use much electricity."
Ooh, to quote that ~~ball of shit~~ honourable former MP again, maybe they should "Get a good job and buy a house".
Crisis Averted \s
This is where I really really wish we had more takeup on the Neighbourhood Battery Scheme in vic. It's fucking brilliant. Excess is poured into the batteries from surrounding houses, they can island in the event of a grid failure, it deals with the irregularities in a PV feed in a way that constant-current transformers can't and it means that the haves make things a little cheaper for the have nots.
But as battery uptake increases, there will be less demand on the grid, so the per kW/h and daily connection fees are going to increase. So any tax paying renter gets to benefit from this by… paying more for their electricity?
Are connection fees going to increase? It's not like most households with solar + battery storage are going to disconnect, right? And the peak demand will decrease with uptake of solar + battery storage, so households without solar will benefit from lower peak prices.
As the price to remain connected increases and more and more people have batteries, more people will choose to go off grid. It makes the economics even better, so long as you have enough storage.
Lower peak prices will have corresponding higher peak prices.
Part of the reason we have the current extreme lows is because the coal that we currently need cannot be turned off and on easily.
In the long term, when we have sufficient storage to time+geo-shift the required cheap renewables to where they are needed, yes, everyone will benefit.
In the next 10-15 years, I predict massive problems as the existing coal infrastructure is run way past end of life, regardless of our eventual goal being Nuclear or Firmed-Renewables.
The only certainty is that coal is a shambling zombie.
I do predict the connection fee going up, and if enough people disconnect (which they will at a certain price point), I see the connection fee being rolled into people rates like the local bin collection - you'll pay whether you use it or not, just because it goes past.
Increasing both grid energy and overnight reliability will increase energy prices?
I'm not sure your math is right.
The people that set the price floor currently are the coal burners.
The contracts that they sign with AEMO is why AEMO keeps curtailing the large wind and solar farms, this is why various jurisdictions are getting the ability to stop houses from exporting power.
The maths of supply and demand are tricky when you can literally curtail your competitors supply.