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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2026/may/31/cheaper-energy-bills-battery-revolution-climate-crisis>
"The timing was rich with symbolism. As intense heatwaves pummelled Europe and
Asia, and oil markets around the world leapt and sputtered, the two big
chimneys of one of Australia’s largest power stations were being demolished.
Meanwhile, the Australian energy minister was holding a media conference to
hail a fall of up to 10% in the benchmark electricity price in parts of the
country.
Quietly, and with surprisingly little fanfare from the rest of the world,
Australia is pioneering a revolution in home renewables and battery use,
proving what is possible with the right policies. The country was already one
of the global leaders in domestic solar power, with panels on one in three
homes. It also remains, however, a major contributor to the climate crisis
through its vast fossil fuel exports. But it is batteries that are giving
Australia a new burst of speed.
Nearly 60% of the household-scale battery capacity installed across almost 200
countries – every nation except China - this financial year will be in the
southern continent, according to a recent analysis. Since July, about 415,000
have been connected. It is roughly one unit for every 25 Australian homes.
Industrial-scale batteries are being built nearly as quickly, with Australia
(population: 27 million) trailing only China (1.4 billion) and the US (350
million) in new capacity after connections more than doubled last year. The
increase in battery usage big and small is starting to bring down the cost of
electricity from the nation’s spindly power grid, which includes more than
40,000km (24,850 miles) of transmission lines and cables between tropical
far-north Queensland and the southern island state of Tasmania.
“It’s amazing,” says Tristan Edis, the author of the analysis and a director
with the consultancy Green Energy Markets. “It shows again that if you go big
with a technology, and you kick it off big from the start, you can make a
really significant difference. If you’re a battery manufacturer focused on
residential right now you really must be focused on Australia.”
Batteries counter the long-used arguments against renewables – that they are
unpredictable and intermittent and therefore put extra burdens on a national
grid which must have an expensive backup power source such as gas in place.
Instead, batteries mean solar power can be stored and used when it is needed."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
