Victorian solar rebate program expands

THE state government’s Solar Homes Hot Water Rebate has seen a surge in applications, with 975 households participating in Greater Geelong to date.

Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio announced the addition of 8,000 rebates in response to the soaring demand.

“More Victorians than ever before are taking advantage of our rebates and switching to efficient electric technology – saving thousands of dollars and driving down emissions,” she said.

“We’re helping more Victorians to save on the upfront cost of installation of heat pump or solar hot water systems and slash their energy bills every year after.”

The program enables participants to save $1,000 on installing a heat pump hot water system.

It can also lead to up to $400 a year in electricity bill savings, and when paired with rooftop solar, savings can increase to $1,400 a year.

More than 350,000 Victorian households have benefited from rebates or loans for energy-efficient appliances since 2018.

Building on this success, the Victorian government is now supporting the installation of 100 neighborhood-scale batteries to improve energy reliability and provide storage capacity for locally generated solar power.

In the initiative’s first round, the Bellarine Peninsula, specifically the areas of Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff, was announced as a beneficiary.

Bellarine MP Alison Marchant, highlighted the plan to install four neighborhood batteries, aiming to inject 400kW/1000kWh of energy storage into the local grid.

“Congratulations to the broader Queenscliff community for their advocacy for a green energy transition,” Ms Marchant said.

“I am proud to be able to support their efforts in working towards a renewable future.”

This initiative, which secured $1.2 million in funding, is the beginning of a broader effort to deploy 25 similar battery systems across Victoria, spanning 20 towns.

These projects will collectively add more than 4.2MWh of storage capacity, enhancing the reliability of local energy networks and supporting more households in their shift to rooftop solar.

By absorbing excess renewable energy during peak production times and redistributing it when demand is high, neighborhood batteries are expected to lower energy costs for the entire community, benefiting not just solar panel owners but all residents.