Recently, the 20-30% increase in the price of electricity has hit the family hard. Some are installing solar panels and batteries on rooftops to reduce or even eliminate dependence on energy suppliers.
However, it is ideal to carry Australian home batteries after a rooftop solar system. The main reason is that batteries are expensive.
A home battery stores the extra electricity generated by your solar system. You can use it later when the solar energy cannot meet your needs, such as at night or on cloudy days. This reduces the amount of energy you draw from the grid.
But how long does it take for the battery to pay for itself through lower energy costs? The answer is different. Among other things, it depends on where you live, the size and design of your solar system, how much electricity you use and how often, grid tariffs and the amount of excess electricity you can feed into the grid.
Our ongoing research project has identified cases in Western Australia where solar and battery systems can save money. But the situation in Australia is different. What you should pay attention to before buying.
Read more: Solar restrictions are the new challenge as Australia pushes for solar rooftops
A difficult transition for consumers
A third of Australia has a rooftop solar array - the tallest in the world. Households can now generate electricity on a large scale.
This ability is the key to clean energy transfer. However, if solar systems do not produce enough electricity, households must purchase electricity from the grid or batteries.
Battery prices vary by brand, size, and location. On average, you pay about $1,420 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to install 1-5 kWh of storage. That's down from $1,710 per kilowatt in 2017. For most homes, it is reasonable to buy a battery for about $700/kWh (a lithium battery with a 10-year warranty).
At current prices, online recommendations indicate that the warranty will expire before the battery pays for itself. Therefore, consumers may conclude that it is better to just buy solar systems and wait for battery prices to come down.
This is not always the case. Our simulation payback time is shorter than the guaranteed time in Perth in at least two cases: 50 kW/d with a 13.5 kW solar array and 13 kW Tesla Powerwall 2 battery, and 30 kW/d with a 6 kW-Solar system (0.6 kW ). solar system. LG Chem RESU 6.5 kWh battery. These batteries cost $12,900 and $5,300, respectively, plus installation.
According to our research, while there may be other reasons to buy a battery, most people think about the financial benefits. But this is not an easy decision. Some conditions are good for batteries, but most people can't use them effectively.
The level of solar radiation and electricity costs where you live are also very important.
In many cases, batteries may require government subsidies.
Read more: Think of solar panels like apple trees - we need to be fairer with what we use and sell
What you need to know to design the best system
Installers usually recommend the size of solar array and battery that best suits them. For this, installers need to know:
- Household load profile - energy consumption at different times of the day and year
- Daily load is the average total energy consumption of a household over 24 hours.
- Tariff – how much a household pays for electricity from the grid, with higher tariffs applied at times of need.
- Online Selling Restrictions . Households can be billed for the energy they feed into the grid. However, retailers can limit export volumes, change access rates at different times of the day, and block access to maintain network stability.
Most households do not know their installation profiles. Even if that were the case, it could change how utilities respond to demand-side programs and create incentives to significantly reduce household electricity consumption.
An optimally sized system may not last long either. And once installed, systems are difficult and expensive to replace.
In addition, consumers cannot control price changes and sales restrictions in the network. This can have a significant impact on returning to your solar system.
If all of these factors are not considered, households can end up with an unsuitable solar panel and battery system and never recoup the cost.
All this means that consumers need a reliable source of information. The problem is not the lack of information, but the abundance of information from different sources. It can be difficult to distinguish who is interested in promoting a particular choice and who is providing independent advice.
Many consumers leave the decision to their installers. Then he must choose his installer carefully.
Read more: How to maximize savings and lower your electricity bills from your solar home system
how to fix it
Homeowners aren't the only ones benefiting from the widespread use of solar panels. Network operators do the same.
WA has one of the most isolated electricity grids in the world. It also has high solar gain on the roof. This puts grid stability at risk when solar power increases and exceeds grid processing power. As a last resort, network operators are allowed to disable equipment installed after March 14 last year.
Read more: Using electric water heaters for renewable energy storage could replace 2 million household batteries and save billions of dollars.
If many households install batteries, they can store excess energy that will stabilize the grid. But families want to make sure it's a good investment. As recommended by Energy Consumers Australia, a trusted 'one stop shop' is essential to provide consumers with independent and personalized advice and direct them to government programs and policies.
Retailers and installers should equip homes with easy-to-use technologies such as home energy management systems, including smart meters, to help them understand and manage energy consumption.
The family should also be informed of the alternative. One possibility is public batteries that store energy and deliver it to neighboring homes using solar panels. Other virtual energy generators are energy exchange networks connecting thousands of household batteries.
With all this information, consumers can make more informed decisions about investing in the energy transition. Until then, many will delay the decision. And this can increase both family and network costs.
Read more: Thinking of buying a battery to power your home? Here's what you need to know:
