{"id":91919,"date":"2025-05-13T10:24:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T00:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=91919"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:24:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T00:54:16","slug":"bin-solar-battery-rebate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bin-solar-battery-rebate\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Really Need To Bin Your Solar To Get The Battery Rebate?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"OldMillions of solar panels are expected to be chucked out as a result of the federal government’s home battery rebate. But do you really need to throw your system in the bin, and if so, what should you replace it with?<\/p>\n

The buzz around Labor’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program<\/a> was initially all about winning elections, but interest has now switched firmly to storing electrons.<\/p>\n

The Smart Energy Council expects around 15 million solar panels will be thrown out as people upgrade their systems with the battery rebate.<\/p>\n

But does getting a battery mean its time for an entire new solar system? Well, it\u2019ll sound like a mealy-mouthed political answer but, really; it depends.<\/p>\n

Even With The Rebate, Good Batteries Are Expensive<\/h2>\n

Though our promised new government incentive is creating incredible interest, you\u2019ll still need a fair chunk of private investment to secure a good one.<\/p>\n

The labour to install it is a significant chunk of the cost, no matter what size, so you don\u2019t want to blow a limited government incentive on a disappointingly small battery.<\/p>\n

Conversely, if your solar is small and you don\u2019t have enough yield to fill the battery on an average day, the money spent may have an underwhelming rate of return.<\/p>\n

To get the best return, your battery needs to be sized properly to fit your habits now, plus more to meet direct consumption and heat water.<\/p>\n

\"Consumption

Solar monitoring data can provide insights to your current production and consumption, and in turn whether a battery is worth it. In this example, green is self consumption so there’s plenty of teal blue energy under the curve to store for later.<\/p><\/div>\n

Mine Your Solar For Intel<\/h2>\n

If you have some monitoring on your existing solar system<\/a> then it\u2019s a veritable pot of gold that you or your installer can exploit for data.<\/p>\n

Even the most basic solar inverter will have a counter for kilowatt hours produced. Divide that by the number days since it was installed to get an average daily yield. Take away the average daily export which appears on your power bill and the remainder is how much solar you\u2019re self-consuming.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to tell how much of your billed consumption is overnight, but you\u2019ll at least get a feel for the numbers.<\/p>\n

For those with a retail \u201csmart meter\u201d you can contact your utility and they\u2019re obliged by law to hand the data over. Plug that file into our calculator<\/a> for a better result than the back of any envelope.<\/p>\n

Pros And Cons To A Solar Upgrade<\/h2>\n

If your solar power system is old<\/a>, there are still good reasons to leave it on the roof to continue its good work. Throwing things in the bin just because they\u2019re not shiny enough is a curse on us all.<\/p>\n

With an AC-coupled battery like Tesla Powerwall 2<\/a> or Sonnen<\/a> for instance, your legacy system can be a perfectly good solar source.<\/p>\n

\"Solar

Inverters are more reliable than the isolator seen burning here, but age and quality is worth considering when looking at whether to upgrade.<\/p><\/div>\n

If your solar power system is old there are some equally good reasons to replace it, not least of all the chance to get rid of the fire risk<\/a> which is the rooftop isolator.<\/p>\n

New solar comes with a fresh warranty, up-to-date monitoring and greater power density. And of course you can add more panels, because more solar is more. No matter the direction<\/a>, anywhere they’ll fit is good.<\/p>\n

\"roof

Roof Top Isolators are such a terrible idea they were largely written out of the rules. It only took us ten years to get rid of them.<\/p><\/div>\n

Solar Arrays Can Be Kept<\/h2>\n

Assuming they\u2019re good quality, well installed and pass electrical tests, your solar array can have some \u201cminor repairs\u201d in order to connect it to a new inverter.<\/p>\n

Be aware though, some installers are not comfortable to offer a warranty on legacy solar. They deem it a risk to the new inverter and their reputation.<\/p>\n

Electricians can be conservative<\/a> but it\u2019s not wrong to cite Australian Solar Standard AS5033 and point out the rules for wiring through the roof have moved on, so they\u2019ll quote an entirely new, fully compliant, latest-specification system.<\/p>\n

We’ll Lose Some Good Soldiers<\/h2>\n

Even if your solar isn\u2019t terribly old,<\/a> integrating new components and bringing it all up to current standards can be difficult.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in South Australia for instance, new equipment must meet current rules<\/a>. There\u2019s no grandfathering, and sadly, retro integration for flexible exports is likely impossible; unless perhaps you have a Fronius Snap inverter. Fronius take sustainability seriously, so they work hard to make their gear durable and flexible for the future.<\/p>\n

\"Solar

The grey Fronius unit can be updated for full flexible rules compliance in SA, QLD and soon NSW. Sadly the very robust red SMA unit is unlikely to be saved, unless maybe your electrician can develop a custom CatchControl solution to switch it off?<\/p><\/div>\n

Hybrid Inverters Are The New Black<\/h2>\n

For more than a few reasons installers are quoting on new hybrid inverters<\/a> capable of integrating with a battery.<\/p>\n