{"id":93802,"date":"2025-08-12T06:17:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:47:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=93802"},"modified":"2025-08-12T11:49:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T02:19:26","slug":"alinta-solar-battery-mb3245","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/alinta-solar-battery-mb3245\/","title":{"rendered":"Alinta Energy Launches ‘No-Cost’ Solar And Battery Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Solar<\/p>\n

A partnership between energy retailer Alinta Energy and NRN (National Renewable Network) is offering households complete solar and battery systems with no upfront cost, no financing, and no repayments. So, how does this work?<\/p>\n

After a pilot last year with 50 customers in New South Wales, ‘Solar Together<\/a>‘ is now available across NSW and South Australia, with plans to expand into Victoria and Queensland in the months ahead.<\/p>\n

Solar Together involves having a solar and battery system installed at zero upfront cost and the customer being put on a special Alinta Energy power plan (a bundled NRN partner plan), with *all* electricity consumed by the household charged under that. These systems are also connected to a Virtual Power Plant (VPP)<\/a> operated by NRN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe built this platform to be flexible, fast, and scalable,\u201d said Alan Hunter, NRN founder and CEO. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve proven it. This is what the next phase of the energy transition looks like, shared systems, aligned interests, and smarter infrastructure.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s nothing to monitor, tweak or manage. Alinta Energy<\/a> pays for the installation and upkeep, and NRN takes full responsibility for maintaining, monitoring, servicing and end-of-life management of the system. But Solar Together customers don’t receive any solar feed-in tariff or have any control over the system. Customers just essentially host the system for 12 years in exchange for (hopefully) cheaper electricity bills, before owning it outright.<\/p>\n

I was under the impression that taking ownership after this period wouldn’t involve any costs, but the NRN FAQ page<\/a> stated:<\/p>\n

“If, after twelve years, you choose to continue with the NRN plans, we will upgrade your battery and inverter at no extra charge. Alternatively, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase or remove the system if that suits your plans.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Added:<\/strong> NRN have confirmed you can either keep the system for no charge or have your system upgraded with a new battery and inverter, and continue with NRN. They’ve also since updated their FAQ to reflect this.<\/p>\n

And it’s worth noting the battery warranty will likely be over by that time as most battery warranties are 10 years<\/a>; (added<\/strong>: although under this arrangement, it’s 12 years).<\/p>\n

Alinta’s Solar Together page is a bit light on detail, but NRN provided the following additional information.<\/p>\n

System Sizes Available<\/h2>\n

The smallest system starts at 6.6 kW of solar panels and 15.4 kWh of battery storage, while the largest is 17.6 kW of solar and 31.2 kWh of battery storage. The optimal size is gauged for each customer based on roof area and the household’s energy usage.<\/p>\n

Equipment Brands<\/h2>\n

Current suppliers include:<\/p>\n