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From solar panels and electric vehicle chargers to microgrids and biogenerators, explore some of the new energy tech our standards cover below.
Australia is a world leader in rooftop solar. Over 3 million Australian households now have solar panels, providing approximately 8% of the country’s electricity needs. Solar photovoltaic (or solar PV) panels on roofs convert sunlight directly into electricity, which can be used to power the home, stored in batteries or fed back into the grid for a ‘feed-in-tariff’.
Consumers have access to a good range of solar PV products, services and suppliers, together with strong government incentives and finance options. Make sure you're getting the best system for your needs by checking out our Solar PV Consumer Information Product below, developed by Energy Consumers Australia.
Many people who install solar are now also installing batteries so they can store the electricity for use when the sun isn’t shining. Installing a battery storage system can reduce your reliance on energy from the grid and help you save money on your electricity bills.
New energy tech providers offer an increasingly wide range of battery energy storage products and services. There are also a number of financing options and government incentive programs which may assist you to install a battery energy storage system for your home or business. Make sure you understand your home battery options by reading our Battery Consumer Information Product below, developed by Energy Consumers Australia.
Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for only 2% of new car sales in 2021 but could rise to 50% by 2030. EVs are typically cheaper to power and maintain than conventional vehicles and can reduce emissions to zero.
While some owners top up their EVs slowly through conventional power plugs at home, wall-mounted chargers can allow full charges overnight. Bi-directional chargers and vehicles are also coming into the market allowing users to power appliances and homes from their vehicles.
EVs Consumer Information Product - COMING SOON
"The electricity system is experiencing change on an unprecedented scale. The transformation is driven by customers"
ELECTRICITY NETWORK TRANSFORMATION ROADMAP - Energy Networks Australia and CSIRO
While solar PV is by far the most popular form of small-scale renewable energy generation in Australia, some households and small businesses choose to use other technologies including wind turbines, hydro and bioenergy generators.
These can offer similar benefits by reducing energy bills and emissions but may offer greater performance, reliability, affordability or ease-of-use in certain circumstances, particularly in regional areas. If you're looking to go off-grid our Off-Grid Consumer Information Product below contains some important things to consider.
Australian homes are getting smarter thanks to technologies that can help monitor and manage energy usage. Typically, Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) allow consumers to monitor and manage their energy usage via a smart phone app. They can then automatically turn on or off connected appliances or even manage battery storage and electricity use from the grid. If you're looking at a home energy management system, take a look at our Energy Monitoring Consumer Information Product for things to watch out for.
Note the NETCC program does not cover simple, low cost or off-the-shelf energy tech like LED lightbulbs and smart appliances.
With electricity generation and storage increasingly shifting from big power plants to households, efficient new ways to share and trade energy locally are emerging. For example, some households are choosing to share energy from their solar panels with each other in Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), some small businesses are using Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to buy renewable energy from local projects, and some communities are developing local ‘microgrids’ of connected NET products.
New energy tech is not always new. Solar PV has been on Australian rooftops for over two decades! Understandably therefore new energy tech sometimes requires repairs, maintenance and even removal.
View our guides on using solar and batteries for maintenance tips:
From saving on energy bills to reducing emissions and moving off-the-grid, there are many reasons why Australians are increasingly purchasing New Energy Tech.
Share your new energy tech goals on social media with #newenergytech
