Australia is in the grip of a consumer-driven energy storage boom. New figures show that more than 400,000 batteries have been installed nationwide in the past ten months, providing 11.2 GWh of storage capacity.
By ESS news
The Australian government has confirmed that more than 400,000 batteries, representing a combined storage capacity of 11.2 GWh, have been installed in just over 10 months under its Cheaper Home Batteries program.
Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed the milestone this weekend, saying it shows Australians are embracing practical upgrades that make better use of rooftop solar and help build a cleaner, more reliable energy system.
“Yesterday we passed the mark of 400,000 cheaper home batteries,” he said. “400,000 Australian households are reducing their bills very dramatically, but also helping the electricity grid and helping all Australians reduce their bills.”
The pace of rollout is staggering, with Australians deploying an average of 1,250 systems per day since the Cheaper Home Battery grant initiative was formally launched on July 1, 2025.
Bowen said the “remarkably successful policy” has delivered in just over 10 months the same amount of storage capacity as the entire commercial utility sector achieved in a year.
Since launch, a total of 11.2 GWh of additional storage has been recorded under the Cheaper Home Battery policy, while 11.219 GWh of grid-scale batteries have been introduced in the 12 months to March 31, 2026.
It is expected that the Cheaper home battery program will support the deployment of more than 2 million batteries by 2030, with a capacity of approximately 40 GWh;
The AUD7.2 billion ($5.14 billion) program now offers property owners a discount of up to 30% on the cost of installing battery energy storage systems, based on battery size. Under the tiered system, which will be introduced from May 1, the factor for small-scale technology certificates (STC) now decreases depending on the amount of installed capacity.
Batteries up to and including 14 kWh are still eligible for the full subsidy, while the STC factor is applied at 60% for each kWh greater than 14 and up to 28 kWh. This drops to 15% for batteries from 28 kWh to 50 kWh.
Stunning support commensurate with battery size would encourage more households to buy the right size battery, Bowen said, and allow more Australians to install batteries in their homes.
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