The South Australian government has pledged to match Adelaide City Council funding to provide incentives for businesses and households to install energy storage and energy efficiency solutions, as well as solar PV.
The initiative announced by state climate change minister Ian Hunter will double the amount available for the incentives, which include $5,000 available to homes and businesses to install rooftop solar PV with battery storage (another $5,000), electric vehicle charging points ($500) and energy efficiency initiatives. (See details below).
It follows an initiative last week in which the state government said it wanted to install battery storage on some of its key buildings in the Adelaide CBD, including Parliament House, its major art galleries and museums, and some train stations and school properties it owns.
Earlier, Adelaide City had announced its $5,000 incentives to boost the uptake of battery storage in a city and a state that is leading Australia, and indeed the world, in the installation of rooftop solar PV.
According to numbers crunched by the council and the state government, the combined $300,000 funding to be provided by the two bodies could result in about 600kWh of energy storage; or 1,700kW of solar PV.
Currently, there is 2,970kW of solar PV already installed in the Adelaide City area.
Based on a 50 per cent rebate on battery storage (assuming a price of around $1,000kWh), that would attract $600,000 of private investment, or around $3 million of private investment in solar PV, based on 1,700kW at $1.75/watt.
The initiative has already sparked interest from battery storage suppliers, and Australian company Reposit Power has announced it will open its “Grid Credits” – which uses battery storage and smart software to trade in electricity markets – scheme to Adelaide residents.
“This commitment effectively doubles the opportunity for more people in the Adelaide city area to invest in technologies that reduce carbon emissions and energy use,” Hunter said in a statement.
“The State Government has a goal for the city of Adelaide to be carbon neutral, and this ambitious target will require a change in the way the city operates and is used.”
© 2015 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
