UP TO 40,000 South Australian households will have access to $100m in subsidies from October this year to pay for the installation of home battery systems.
The State Government has revealed details of its home battery scheme, which will directly reduce electricity costs for households and reduce demand on the network.
Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan this week signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Commonwealth Government Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to deliver a $100m funding package to support the scheme.
“In working with the CEFC, we expect to be able to further assist households overcome the upfront financial barriers to accessing storage technology by offering households competitive, flexible loans where needed, in addition to the subsidies,” Mr van Holst Pellekaan said.
While the subsidy will be applied to the battery component only, households will be able to apply for finance to assist with the purchase of new or additional solar panels.
The subsidy will be available to all households and will be capped at a maximum of $6000.
South Australian energy concession holders will be able to access a higher subsidy, ensuring households on low-incomes are supported to access the technology.
A set of minimum technical requirements for battery systems has been developed to ensure the batteries are safe, reliable and capable of being recruited into a virtual power plant.
To supply and install eligible home battery systems under the scheme, industry providers will be required to first qualify as a system provider.
Businesses interested in becoming providers can register their contact details on the Department for Energy and Mining website, to be notified when the accreditation process is announced.
System providers that commit to selling locally manufactured or assembled battery systems will be afforded a nine-week exclusivity period when the scheme launches in October.
