Essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Observa – Happy exploding transformer day: “… very high levels of consumption during the free-power period … may lead to increases in network costs. …”
Shared solar: Labor’s “free power” plan to have daily cap to stop abuse by EV and home battery owners
Giles Parkinson
Jan 23, 2026Any thoughts that Labor’s proposed Solar share offer would deliver unlimited free power to fill their EVs and home batteries have been dashed, with the federal government proposing a 24 kilowatt hour cap.
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Federal energy minister Chris Bowen wants retailers to be required to offer three hours of free power to customers, enabling households who do not have access to their own rooftop solar to share in the benefits of the solar surplus that regularly pushes wholesale electricity prices below zero.
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However, there are caveats. Among the six proposed “guidelines” for the Australian Energy Regulator to consider as it weighs up the design of the scheme, the government proposes a “reasonable use” criteria that would cap the daily consumption of free power to 24 kWh.
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Submissions also highlighted that, in the absence of specific safeguards, very high levels of consumption during the free-power period could create localised network impacts that may lead to increases in network costs.
Read more: https://reneweconomy.com.au/shared-solar-labors-free-power-plan-to-have-daily-cap-to-stop-abuse-by-ev-and-home-battery-owners/
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You couldn’t make this up. If say half or even a quarter of the population took up this offer, supplying those people would require concentrating an entire day’s worth of electricity into a few hours. No existing grid could take that kind of load.
Entire suburbs would black out as overload breakers tripped. If you are lucky. Otherwise you might lose a few transformers and power lines, along with anyone unlucky enough to be walking underneath when the grid started falling apart.
Let’s hope the government finds a free supply of high voltage electrical cable, to go with their free supply of electricity.
Any retailer who tries to recover costs by say jacking up evening electricity tariffs would likely face immediate price controls. The current federal government has proven to be very quick on the trigger with market interventions when their disastrous energy policies cause visible problems – which when exercised lead to even greater problems, more borrowed money subsidies and payouts to producers to cover up the mess.
Maybe politicians should have talked to a few killjoy engineers before getting all excited and announcing policy. But our energy and climate minister Chris Bowen has a track record of not seeking or listening to advice before opening his mouth.
And Who will cover the cost of the required storage…Consumer…Taxpayer…they’re the same person either way aren’t they 🤔🤔🤔
What required storage? The power is either used or wasted. The issue is a surplus of energy during midday so rather than paying people to use it (as is what happens now since the price goes negative) they are capping the minimum price of electricity. So this is actually a price hike.
This was related to the Squizz X post
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Regarding Storing Renewable energy (excess renewable generation)
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It doesn’t simply go to waste though. Not sure if things are similar Down Under as they are Up Over but curtailing Solar in the Up Over requires paying the Solar Generation for unused power. So it generates money paid to the Solar Panel Owners. So Only a Waste of Money…like Solar really is…Just a waste of Money!!!
How is solar power a waste of money? Given the cost of electricity compared to the cost of solar panels, installing solar panels on your roof will save you money over the life time of the panels. And with panel prices going down and electricity prices going up the payback time is getting less and less.
In Australia the feed in rebate is so low it takes 4-5 years to achieve payback. Against that you have to have the cash upfront and your purchased system must have no problems during the 4-5 years and you pray the manufacturer is still in business for warrantee.
The cost of a solar system is also getting more expensive each year.The purchase rebate is also gradually being phased out. It is reduced on the 1st of January every year until it goes to zero in 2031. If you are getting your solar next year you will get less rebate than this year. The date used in determining your rebate is the date of installation, not the date you place the order.
A standard 6.6kW system, was around $2,900 after rebates it will be $3,100 this year assuming the system costs don’t increase. That doesn’t include installation that is system only.
So fully installed costs is currently
Panels Only upfront cost $5,000 – $9,000 payback 3–5 years
Panels + Battery upfront cost $13,000 – $22,000 payback 8–12 years
I don’t want an entire solar system, just Jupiter will do for me.
Again this just proves the point about how cost effective solar panels are in Australia. They have a lifetime of somewhere between 25 and 30 years and if the payback time is 5 years that still means you are getting 20 years of free power. How is that a waste of money?
They don’t save you money if they catch fire.
In 2024 UK Fire Services faced blazes involving solar panels and their batteries once every 2 days a 60% rise in 2 years according to insurance company QBE.
They also found that fires were increasing at twice the rate of new installations. There are a lot of ‘cowboys’ out there.
Government can make things free by saying they don’t cost anything… once.
Later on you’ll have to pay it a hundred times back one way or another
And one get’s an idea how shitty something is if the government tries such a kind of bribery.
Solar…the power so lousy that have to give it away.
Wait ’til charging of EVs is termed “abuse” every day of the week under a green grid so deficient in reliability that it can’t handle that. But wait, there’ll be an “out” – EV owners can qualify for subsidies when they permanently sideline them under the category of “carbon sequestration units.” (a.k.a. government bribery to prevent widespread violent protests / government overthrow after the total collapse of the all-green energy grid)
TANSTAAFL
Well, sometimes there is, just not where gov’t is concerned.
Would it be accurate to say, “It’s free until the bill comes due.”?
When governments interfere in the market there are unexpected consequences. Are they really unexpected if we can predict they will happen?
Destroying price discovery is part of the plan.
Another shoot – ready – aim from the government. Someone comes up with a hair brained idea to mollify the people suffering under increased electricity costs due renewable schemes and bang! It’s adopted. Meanwhile they’ll broadcast their “solution” to the country and use the people as their guinea pigs.
24 KWh is less than one-quarter of a Tesla battery charge. Since it is negative charge electricity, that comes about $12 in taxes to pay for the 24KWk at current Aussie electricity prices. Since at least 10% is lost in charging and discharging, and translated into $/gallon about $6 per gallon of regular or about 30% higher than the current at the pump price.
Not a good deal no matter how you slice it.
But, Australians have already swallowed so much energy propaganda, that this will change nothing.
Of course, you will be away at work at the time to make enough money to pay for all the vote buying. That’s not even getting to the cost of bad public policies enacted in other topics after the elections.
Albo and Bow-wow intend to put everyone out of work….. See problem solved !
Politicians all over the western world are low intellect narcissistic psychopaths with no clue how anything works.
You underestimate them. It is their GOAL to make things not work.
Certainly seems that way, doesn’t it. !
Here’s an idea: Every day, say between Noon and 1:00, everyone gets to shake the Free Money Tree, and keep whatever falls out, but only for 5 seconds at a time before the next person in line gets a chance. There would also be a limit per person of $100 that you can pick up, to keep things from favoring bigger and stronger people.
A Free money Tree is the printing press. The more you print the more you need to buy the same stuff. Inflation is just that, inflating the fiat money supply. What would happen to the price of tomatoes if you would inflate the market with tomatoes?
Government should not be involved in the energy production and transmission business, any questions?
sure. how will the northeast buy canadian hydropower?
With US dollars.
Wind is inexpensive…until you add the equipment you need to make useful.
Somewhat related…
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/scientists-pioneer-reverse-solar-panels-create-energy-night
So by emitting IIR radiation into the atmosphere, power can be made? Huh? Thermodynamics, anyone?
well, considering there should be extra capacity after they mandated everyone switch to LEDs, they should be ok.
kudos to australia for encouraging the use of what would otherwise be lost opportunity.
again, i watch huge wind farms in MN sit idle on windy 30F days. genius.
the only thing dumber than building them, is building them and letting them sit idle
How old are the windmills? Their life expectancy is way overrated; bearings and gearboxes fail with a few years. And not a cheap, easy or safe undertaking.
I would wager that those windmills need repair and the operator isn’t wllling to spend the amount it costs to repair them.
it’s a vast windfarm. go to skyvector.com and find worthington in sw MN. kotg. they’re not that old. there are many hundreds. it’s vast.
“the rain doesn’t always fall either, but we manage to store the water – we can store the renewable energy if we have got hold of all your money to pay for it.“
They have to ration the free because the price is too low, cap the market price because it is too high and subsidize creating more supply. Unfortunately, it makes sense the same way a 4yo can make sense.
It makes sense when your goal is to de-industrialize the west.
Heavy industry in Australia has already been encouraged to soak up as much of the excess excess lunchtime generation as possible at wholesale level to take advantage of the negative prices.
For example, some have invested in large water heating systems for low quality heat storage that adds to their lunchtime demand but makes a slight reduction during the periods of peak demand. It lowers their energy prices but stresses the grid assets at lunchtime..
It is not really an issue for heavy industry because they do not have a future in Australia. The country will be run off rooftops and clapped out coal plants for the foreseeable future. The huge investment in grid scale wind and solar is all wasted. It will not be replaced when it falls over or catches on fire..
Australian industry was internationally competitive when it could get electrical energy at under $40/MWh. It is now $110/MWh. All intensive users have been socialised, which guarantees lower living standard for all. NetZero is a synonym for misery.
The poor put upon Australians. How much sharper than a serpents tooth is the idiocy of inadequate politicians?
p.s. When will the ENSO meter make a comeback?
Again, not idiocy. It’s all part of the plan.
The insanity will continue until sufficient damage is accrued.