Shiny Shiny
In October last year we attended All Energy Show where all the biggest companies from all over the globe had their shiny new off grid and grid connected toys on display. Every stand had a better offering than the next, their product was the highest quality, the cheapest and the best value for money. Well, I will be honest and say that most of them were rubbish. Once you moved past the sexy brochure and the flashy phone app…the technical details of most were questionable.
I asked questions like … so how long after installation can I add batteries? Most, if not 90% of them told me I had up to 18 months, maximum if I wanted to add extra batteries. After that…it wasn’t advised.
Another question, what is your humidity rating? Many were only up to 80% relative humidity. We can’t sell them to customers in Queensland.
Or what battery DC voltage do you run? 600V to 900V of DC voltage is some of these new power systems.
WOW…and they sit that on the ground beside your house. No way in hell I would let my kid play under a garden hose anywhere near that thing. That’s just dangerous!!!
But hey, plenty of installers out there will just fall for the shiny brochure and not take the time to fully understand what it is they are actually selling. At least my readers will know a few questions to ask when they are getting quotes.
As at the time of writing this column, the eligibilty criteria for the “Cheaper Home Batteries Program” has still not been put through the Parliament.
They would want to hurry up as the program is supposed to roll out on the 1st of July.
They have released some information, and there are a few little pineapples (parts that are not nice, like the rough end) in there. Like the fact that if you live within 1km of powerlines, and you want a rebate for off grid batteries, you have to prove that it would cost more than $30,000 to have the power connected to the dwelling.
Or my personal favourite is that if you want to claim for grid connected batteries, the power system must be compatible with virtual power plant (VPP). This means that down the track they will be able to take power back from your batteries, when they need it.
So like all things in life, just check all the facts before you sign up.
The off grid systems we monitor are showing all the signs of winter with many days of poor solar in late May and a cold snap that has been requiring a higher load on batteries. Batteries and systems are working hard to keep up with the energy demand. So adding some more batteries to your system can help take the pressure off.
Megsy Out .
Written by Jason Marshall
July 2025