Battery installations under the Cheaper Home Batteries Program have well exceeded initial operating capacity of Australia’s largest grid-connected battery, according to the Clean Energy Regulator (CER).
Included in insights provided by the CER’s Q2 Quarterly Carbon Market Report (QCMR), which provides analysis on Australia’s carbon markets and associated programs, findings clearly show that the Cheaper Home Batteries Program is off to a strong start.
More than 55,000 applications have been tabled since the scheme commenced in July, rivalling the number of applications for rooftop solar panel installations over the same period. The 55,000 applications represent over one gigawatt-hour (GWh) of storage capacity, surpassing the initial operating capacity (0.7 GWh) of the Waratah Super Battery, the nation’s largest in-service battery.
Just under half of the batteries installed are concurrent with either a new rooftop solar system or an upgrade to an existing system, suggesting the Cheaper Home Batteries Program is helping to accelerate rooftop solar uptake.
The Q2 2025 QCMR also reports strong momentum in large-scale renewable energy investment, with 2.6 gigawatts (GW) of new large-scale solar and wind capacity approved so far in 2025. Based on current approvals and the project pipeline, the CER has revised its projection for total approved capacity in 2025 to 3.0 to 3.5 GW, up from the 2.7 to 3.1 GW forecast in the Q4 2024 QCMR.
CER Chair David Parker said the performance of the program and rising number of installations reflect the on-going success of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program.
“Households are not just adopting clean energy; they’re leading the charge and taking control of their electricity. The combined capacity of these home batteries already rivals that of major grid infrastructure, which benefits all energy users by improving grid stability and reducing peak electricity demand,” Parker said.
Renewable penetration continues to grow, with the renewables share of generation across the National Electricity Market (NEM) averaging 37 per cent in Q2 2025, a quarter two record. This brings the average share of renewables in the NEM to 40 per cent for the first half of 2025, up from 35 per cent for the same period in 2024.
With the second half of the year typically bringing favourable conditions for renewable generation and new renewable assets continuing to come online, the share of renewables in the NEM is on track to meet the CER’s projection of 44 to 46 per cent in 2025.
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