About Finn PeacockI'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it’s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last "real job" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I’ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.
You’re likely sick of the headlines by now: “Three hours of free power for everyone!”
Most readers of those headlines will assume three free hours of energy are about to land in their current plan, like magic. They won’t. Instead, it looks like the plan is to force each retailer to offer at least one “free-hours” plan among all their others.
Solar and batteries are great. But they’re not a get-out-of-jail card for bad houses.
Today I saw someone ask online:
“Should I spend $20k on double glazing or $20k on solar + battery and run the air-con 24/7 when necessary?”
I was talking to a doctor who does those big-ticket “executive medicals” the other day. Think $2,000, three-hour deep dives that cover everything from fitness to bloodwork to mental health. He said it was sad how many people with financial success tell him they come home to an empty penthouse every night. They achieved financial and professional success at the cost of their happiness.
I was watching the NRL Grand Final with the lads on Sunday. Cracker of a game. Afterwards, we flicked over to the Singapore Grand Prix. Boring as batshit. So we started talking cars. Out of five of us, three had Teslas – me included. The other two owners love their cars. Cheap to run, great drive, no servicing. But both said they wouldn’t buy another. One reason: Elon’s turned into an arsehole.
A few years ago I was invited to an “energy roundtable” hosted by the South Australian government. The idea was we’d all sit around and hatch some big ideas to push the energy transition forward. This was peak excitement in SA – Elon had recently cut the ribbon on the Big Battery in Jamestown.
Last week, I mentioned a bloke who was beaming after placing his order for a new 30 kWh home battery. The plan was simple: charge it with solar during the day, then use it to both run his house and charge his EV at night. He reckoned he was set for energy independence.
REC solar panels on my roof.
Australia increasingly loves cheap solar panels. This has led to rumours swirling around the solar industry that premium solar panel maker REC is considering giving up on the Aussie solar market and leaving it to the budget brands.
I used to worship efficiency. For years as a control systems engineer, I sweated over fractions of a percent, shaving seconds off processes and optimising production lines.
Now I look around and realise: efficiency is dead. Killed by cheap solar and ever-cheaper batteries.
A battery covered in stickers.
Last month, the Government hosted a Productivity Summit. Tristan Edis summed it up in one brutal line:
“If introducing a road user charge for electric vehicles is the best we can do out of the Productivity Summit, then God help this country.”
I was on a panel at Electrify Adelaide last week, sat next to Saul Griffith, who was promoting his brilliant new book Plug In. During audience questions, someone asked how important Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) would be in the years ahead.
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