A new report from the Clean Energy Council (CEC) has highlighted the importance of a national home battery rebate amid the continued growth of rooftop solar in Australia, with more than 300,000 households and businesses installing systems in 2024.
The CEC’s bi-annual Rooftop Solar and Storage Report (Jul–Dec 2024) found that rooftop solar generation contributed 12.4 per cent of Australia’s total electricity supply last year, up from 11.2 per cent in 2023.
Despite this, only 28.4 per cent of new solar installations in 2024 included a battery, leaving 3.8 million Australian households with solar but no storage.
Battery sales grew significantly in 2024, with 74,582 home battery units installed—up from 46,127 in 2023.
The report identified New South Wales as the leading state for home battery installations (14,686), followed by Victoria (10,996) and Queensland (8555).
Clean Energy Council General Manager – Distributed Energy, Con Hristodoulidis, noted that battery storage could significantly enhance household energy savings but remains financially out of reach for many.
“In a cost-of-living crisis, it’s clear the upfront cost of purchasing a home battery, which averages around $12,000–$15,000, is a barrier to entry for many people, and this is why we need a national battery rebate scheme,” he said.
The CEC has proposed a national rebate of up to $6500 per household as part of its ‘It’s time to back batteries’ campaign, which it argues could not only reduce individual energy bills but also deliver system-wide benefits. According to the council, wider battery adoption could lower overall energy costs by $190 million by 2030 and help create a more flexible and resilient grid.
“Batteries that are integrated into the grid (also known as orchestration, or virtual power plants) have the added advantage of supplying electricity to the grid when it is needed most, reducing costs for everyone and creating a more resilient energy system,” Hristodoulidis said.
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