Many of our customers have solar storage batteries and realise it goes way beyond having lights on in the evening. You become your own ‘power plant’, have free electricity and the opportunity to be an active part of Australia’s Clean Energy Future. Our customers feel they are ahead of the game because solar batteries have gone up in price since they bought their battery and there is no evidence that prices will drop.
However, people do still have concerns. Here is some food for thought on the most common issues raised with us and some of the latest initiatives for solar battery owners like optimisation and joining Virtual Power Plants (VPP).
Waiting for solar storage battery prices to come down
Prices have not dropped in the last six years. Like any other commodity batteries are subject to inflation and prices go up. In some cases, they have doubled. Contrary to internet chatter, we see no evidence of any dramatic price change for years to come. Even if there was a price drop, waiting is costing more. For many of our customers their battery is saving them at least $2000/year in electricity costs. Just think how much the people who purchased the first batteries in Australia have saved.
Waiting for solar battery technology to improve
The breakthrough has already happened when lithium-ion batteries became widely available. This was also when the big price drop occurred. Yes, there will continue to be improvements such as onboard computers to download firmware for function upgrades. With some batteries these improvements are done for you as they become available. For example, since 2017 our first Tesla Powerwall customers have automatically received three function upgrades which means the battery does three things now it did not do when first purchased in 2017 at no extra cost.
Most batteries can now be optimised for performance enhancement and all have Apps so you can check your status and load shift. This is all most people need.
Upfront cost of a solar battery
There comes a point in solar power generation when you are losing money by not having a battery. When our customers reach that point, we encourage them to purchase one. There are batteries with different capacities and price points. We crunch the numbers with our customers and we will advise against a battery if their power generation is too low or the battery too large. In some cases taking out a loan makes financial sense.
No deposit green loans for solar storage batteries
The loans are repaid from electricity savings and customers are increasingly telling us that even with the interest they are financially better off. Similar to a home loan being paid for with rent.
Solar Battery Optimisation
We can arrange for your solar battery to be optimised. This typically reduces your energy bill by 26% on top of existing savings. The Intelligent Control software learns the patterns of your energy use combined with external factors. This same software gives you the option to join a VPP.
Virtual Power Plants
The network of connected homes in a VPP join to support our aging electricity grid, either by releasing power onto it or storing power from it. In return, participants are paid each time their battery storage is required. VPPs provide a cloud-based bridge between renewable energy and the coal-based electricity grid, enabling better demand management and lower electricity prices for all Australians.
Speak to one of our Solar Specialists to discuss your solar battery options.
