Australia has one natural resource that every visitor feels from the moment they arrive: Sunshine. Many Australian cities bask in extensive hours of sunlight a year, with up to 11 peak hours of uninterrupted sunshine a day.

Not surprisingly, the country’s remarkably high levels of solar radiance are being widely harvested for solar power to help address the issue of climate change and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions.

The trend for rooftop solar panels has gathered momentum in recent years, driven by reduced costs, better storage technologies, and government financial incentives. Payback periods for rooftop solar panels are now just 3.4 years for a 7-kilowatt (kW) system, encouraging thousands more Australians to switch to solar to cut their energy bills.

More than 310,000 households installed rooftop solar systems in 2022 alone, bringing the total number of Australian homes powered by rooftop solar panels to around 3.4 million, or one in three households, according to the Melbourne-based Clean Energy Council. Rooftop solar panels now account for more than a quarter of the national renewable energy generation.

The spread of rooftop solar panels has put Australia on course to generate an impressive 82% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030 as more consumers move away from fossil fuel-reliant forms of energy.

Customers who take up the offer get a high-quality system, which includes tier one rooftop solar panels, an inverter, and a 10.1kWh battery valued at a total of around A$15,000. Customers pay a competitive usage rate for the electricity they use from the system or the energy grid which is fixed for the life of the plan. Ownership of the infrastructure transfers to the customer at the end of the seven years.

Keeping it simple

Customer David Rowlinson from Sydney’s North Shore says he always wanted to use renewable electricity but was put off by the upfront costs before the Solar Home Bundle.

 “We’ve got an amazing solar and battery system installed with no financial outlay. EnergyAustralia did all the hard work for us. What could be better than that?” he asks.

“Powering our home with the sun feels absolutely fantastic. I work for an environmental foundation, so to have at least two thirds of our energy produced by solar energy is a really fantastic outcome.”

EnergyAustralia Chief Customer Officer Mark Brownfield says the desire of customers to go green without an expensive and complex transition means now is the ideal time to improve their access to solar energy and battery power.

“Australians have for some time faced a significant barrier to their renewable energy aspirations,” Mark explains. “Buying solar energy and batteries outright has been cost-prohibitive, not to mention confusing for many people.”

The Solar Home Bundle overcomes those hurdles for customers. “It puts transitioning to a solar and battery system in the home within reach,” Mark says.

EnergyAustralia uses smart software to balance the supply of electricity to customers from the grid and from solar energy and batteries. The batteries also feed into EnergyAustralia’s Virtual Power Plant network of batteries that support the grid during times of high demand.

 “Our customers have told us this is a terrific initiative, especially for families with adults working from home and kids who love their devices,” says Mark. “They love that they’re being environmentally friendly by powering their home with the help of the sun.”  

The Solar Home Bundle has been warmly welcomed by customers and is a milestone in EnergyAustralia’s efforts to help build a more sustainable future in a country blessed with sunshine, positivity, and a determination to use natural resources to light the way to a brighter, greener tomorrow.