Record-breaking year for battery installations across Australia in 2023
Australia has witnessed an unprecedented surge in battery installations, setting new records in 2023. According to the 2024 Annual SunWiz Australian Battery Market Report, a staggering 57,000 battery systems found their way into Australian homes, representing a remarkable 21% growth from the previous year.
This surge in installations resulted in a record-setting 656 MWh of residential battery capacity coming online.
Shifting Landscapes: Reshaping Energy Supply
SunWiz managing director Warwick Johnston highlighted that the landscape of energy supply is rapidly transforming. He noted that 2023 marked the year of the “big battery,” with deployment levels doubling compared to previous records.
Moreover, grid-scale projects, affectionately known as big batteries, saw a record 1,410 MWh of capacity installed.
Home Front Heroes: Resilience at the Heart of Communities
The report underscores the pivotal role of home energy storage systems, which remain the largest cumulative source of battery capacity in Australia.
With 254,550 home battery systems installed from 2015 to 2023, totalling 2,770 MWh of residential storage, Australian households are increasingly embracing energy autonomy.
Home batteries, soaking up excess solar energy during the day, offer not just economic benefits but also contribute to stabilising the grid and mitigating the impacts of climate-induced extreme weather events.
Charting the Path Forward
As Warwick Johnston points out, the economic value of batteries is on the rise, especially as power companies’ electricity charges diverge from what they pay for excess solar energy.
The proliferation of batteries signifies a democratisation of energy storage akin to what solar power achieved in electricity production.
With a record-breaking 2,468 MWh of battery capacity deployed in 2023, Australia’s energy landscape is undergoing a profound shift. This surge not only reflects a growing appetite for sustainable energy solutions but also positions Australia at the forefront of the global energy transition.
