Australia’s Chief Scientist: Financial equation for home PV storage is simple and compelling

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Australia's Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel. Image: Wikimedia user Danimation.

Australia’s energy and environment minister has hailed the country’s accelerating residential energy storage sales as a report has emerged from Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel which says the “financial equation is straightforward” for adding batteries to home PV systems.

Finkel’s office produced reports during 2017 which advised the government on the power market, opportunities and challenges for renewables and decarbonisation and the role of clean energy technologies in boosting the resiliency of energy networks across Australia. At the tail end of the year, he also published a report on the “transformative role” of energy storage.    

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Finkel had said that there should be better market designs to incentivise peak shifting of solar and other forms of generation, which could be done with battery energy storage in those reports. Nonetheless, in an Occasional Paper on energy storage which he has just put his name to, the Chief Scientist has said that it already makes financial sense for home PV system owners to combine them with energy storage systems.

To read the full version of this story, visit Energy-Storage.news.

Read Next

June 11, 2026
Australia’s Queensland has allocated AU$3.2 billion to the CopperString transmission project in its 2026-27 State Budget.
June 10, 2026
Gamuda Renewables has secured an interest in the 450MW Hazelwood North solar-plus-storage project from Latrobe Valley-based developer Manthos Investments.
June 10, 2026
Australia leads the world in residential rooftop solar, but its commercial and industrial sector has deployed only 5.6GW.
June 9, 2026
Ark Energy has been granted approval by AEMO and Transgrid to connect its 435MW Richmond Valley solar-plus-storage project to the NEM.
June 5, 2026
Lightsource has started construction on Queensland's 380MWdc Lower Wonga solar and 281MW/843MWh battery project.
June 5, 2026
Naturgy's Global Power Generation (GPG) has commissioned two utility-scale solar PV power plants in Australia, totalling 360MW.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
June 30, 2026
Sacramento, California
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
August 25, 2026
São Paulo, Brazil
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 1, 2026
Mexico City, Mexico
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 9, 2026