Is home solar battery storage worth it in 2017? (August update)

Since 2015 Australians have been talking about home battery storage being on the cusp of financial viability. Are home batteries worth the investment in 2017? We’ve crunched the number for all of Australia’s capital cities to find out.

This article was originally published in February 2017. It was last updated on 7 August 2017 to take into account changing grid electricity prices, solar feed-in tariff rates, battery installation prices and solar PV system installation prices.

Battery storage & payback periods in Australia

Batteries are in high demand thanks to the promise of energy self-sufficiency and back-up power in the event of blackouts. Battery storage system prices are coming down quickly and the number of households opting to install battery storage has risen dramatically compared to just a year ago. The analysts at SunWiz anticipate that 2017 will be an even bigger year for batteries.

Previously we’ve looked at the topic of when battery storage will become a ‘no-brainer’ investment. In that article, we said that the ultimate goal post is the point at which the addition of batteries actually reduces the payback period of a solar PV system – rather than lengthening it (see the table below).

If we assume that the batteries are charged only with the sun, by our estimates battery storage pricing needs to come down to about $200-$300 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of storage capacity (for a lithium battery with a 10-year warranty) for it to make sense purely from an investment standpoint. Paybacks could be faster if tactics like tariff arbitrage, Reposit GridCredits and spot price trading are implemented. Currently, the lowest prices we’re seeing are about $750-$800/kWh of storage capacity.

Battery payback generic comparison

Being ‘worth it’ vs ‘breaking even’

We’re still a few years off from hitting this much anticipated price milestone, so for the time being we’re mainly looking at whether a solar & battery system will pay for itself before it the battery warranty expires – breaking even.

Please note that throughout this article we refer to solar & battery storage systems as ‘whole’ systems. In fact, the vast majority of the value delivered comes from the solar PV portion of the system, not the batteries. Solar PV systems (without batteries) generally have payback periods as low as 3-5 years depending on the situation; because batteries deliver less value and cost more, adding them to a solar system will inevitably lengthen the payback period for the system as a whole. If your primary goals are greater energy independence and reduced electricity bills, then batteries can help you achieve them – but batteries on their own may not always be fantastic from an investment point of view.

Lithium batteries are shaping up to be the most popular battery chemistry for residential applications, with about 80% of the emerging products on the market using some lithium variation. Most of the (good quality) lithium battery banks have a 10-year warranty, and when we talk about batteries here that’s generally what we’re referring to: a lithium battery with a 10-year warranty. (For reference, solar panels usually have 25-year performance warranty, and warranties for solar inverters are typically 5-10 years.)

While the batteries will almost definitely continue to perform after the warranty has expired, you’ve got no concrete assurances that they will. Also keep in mind that a battery’s performance may be diminished at the end of the warranty term (read about battery ‘end of life’). We therefore suggest that anyone intent on getting batteries should at least aim for a system that will break even over its 10-year warranty period.

Whether simply breaking even within the warranty term is ‘worth it’ is a subjective question, but the growing uptake of home battery storage systems (nearly 7,000 last year) indicates that – for many people – it is.

Also note that throughout this article we have not taken into account the cost of finance, instead assuming that solar & battery system purchasers pay for their systems out-of-pocket.

Solar & battery payback periods in 2017: 3 battery sizes, city by city

Every city has a different set of circumstances when it comes to the amount of sunlight, grid electricity rates and the price of solar PV systems. This variability means that – like solar – battery storage will hit viability at different times in different places. We tried to take as many of these factors into account as possible. Here’s what we did:

  • Using SunWiz’s PVSell software, we created scenarios for all of Australia’s capital cities, assuming that the home in question uses 30kWh of energy per day on the ‘day focus’ usage pattern – common amongst families with young children and/or a home office.
  • Using EnergyMadeEasy.gov.au, we found some of the most competitive retail electricity plans on offer in each city (both flat/block rate and TOU) and plugged them into our scenarios in PVSell. The figures we ended up using are detailed in the table below. (Important to note that electricity retailer discounts (pay on time, etc) are not incorporated in this modelling.)

Electricity rates by capital city, based on most competitive plans available on EnergyMadeEasy.gov.au. **Daily usage charges for Adelaide TOU include demand charges of 47c/day (summer) and 20c/day (winter) for electricity usage in excess of 1kW. We were unable to model these in PVSell, which means battery payback periods may in fact be shorter for TOU customers in Adelaide.

  • We then plugged in average solar system prices from our August 2017 Solar PV Price Index for each capital city, using 7kW for the ‘large’ scenario, and 5kW for the ‘medium’ and ‘small’ scenarios (plus an additional $1,000 on the solar system cost for ‘battery-ready’/hybrid inverter).
  • We chose three lithium battery products with 10-year warranties, each of a different size category. (Please note that we are not aiming to pit battery manufacturers or products against one another in this analysis – battery products here were chosen for their size and relative price-competitiveness.)
    • For the ‘large’ battery system, we used Tesla’s Powerwall 2, which has a usable energy storage capacity of 13.2kWh;
    • For the ‘medium’ battery system, we used Alpha ESS’s Storion Eco, which has a usable energy storage capacity of 8.64kWh; and
    • For the ‘small’ battery system, we used LG Chem’s RESU3.3, which has a usable storage capacity of 2.97kWh.
  • We chose to ignore battery degradation, which happens naturally over time to lithium batteries. This could lead to longer payback periods than those detailed below but is not currently modelled in PVSell. Battery degradation is an important factor to keep in mind for anyone shopping for a battery storage system.
  • We’ve also ignored most of the auxiliary benefits that batteries promise: Tariff arbitrage (for TOU customers) and compensation for exporting stored energy with systems like selective export programs like Reposit’s GridCredits. These benefits will have a positive impact on battery payback times where they are available.
  • We haven’t taken into account incentives for battery storage available in Adelaide and Canberra.
  • We assumed that each battery system would have the same price tag regardless of the city where it was installed.

Results by size

We’ve created the the following tables so anyone can quickly work out whether battery storage may be worthwhile for them – and if so, what size battery bank will offer the best returns.

The first table below sums up the results in one place (hover cursor to see numbers), while the following sections show the results in more detail.

Battery storage payback periods by battery system size, city and tariff type. (Click to enlarge.) 

Large: Tesla Powerwall 2 (with a 7kW solar system)

tesla-powerwall-2

Tesla’s Powerwall 2 is one of the most in-demand home battery solutions available in Australia. It has 13.2kWh of usable energy storage capacity, with an end of life retained capacity of 70%. Installations commenced this year and ordinarily cost about $12,000 (n.b. we’ve upped our estimate from the $10,500 figure we used in previous analysis because of market prices we’ve been seeing). Because of Powerwall 2’s large capacity, we’ve coupled it with a 7kW solar system in our modelling.

Tesla Powerwall 2: Detailed infographics by city & tariff type

Medium: Alpha-ESS Storion Eco (with a 5kW solar system)

Storion Eco

Alpha-ESS’s Storion Eco has a maximum storage capacity of 8.64kWh (usable), making it a great ‘middle of the road’ battery option in terms of size. It has an end of life retained capacity of 60% and retails for about $8,800 installed.

Alpha-ESS Storion Eco: Detailed infographics by city & tariff type

Small: LG Chem RESU3.3 (with a 5kW solar system)

LG Chem's RESU3.3 - Silver

LG Chem’s RESU3.3 has a usable storage capacity of 2.97kWh, making it one of the smallest units on the market. While the battery is modular and can be ‘stacked’ with other LG Chem units for added capacity, we wanted to see how it performed as a entry-level battery bank with a smaller price tag than the ‘medium’ & ‘large’ options above. The battery has an end of life retained capacity of 60%. We estimate that it retails for about $3,500 installed as a battery-only solution, and that there will be an additional $1,000 to the solar system for a hybrid/battery-ready inverter.

LG Chem RESU3.3: Detailed infographics by city & tariff type

Results by city

The table below shows payback periods on batteries for each capital city (payback times averaged across all three battery sizes/products). In a nutshell, Perth was the best city for battery storage systems of all sizes, followed by Brisbane & Adelaide (virtually a tie). Sydney and Melbourne were also looking pretty good, while Canberra was the least attractive (mainly because of low grid electricity prices). Meanwhile, the numbers for Hobart are surprisingly good for Australia’s southernmost capital city.

Results for Darwin are not included because the high feed-in tariff rate on offer there means that installing battery storage actually results in an increase in energy bills (vs solar alone).

Read more in-depth city-by-city analysis in this article.

Estimated solar & battery system payback periods by capital city and tariff type. Note that payback periods for solar only systems will be shorter in all instances, as the ‘solar’ component of the system provides most of the value.

Ready to shop for solar & batteries? Compare solar & battery quotes from installers in your area.

Compare Solar & Battery Quotes

© 2017 Solar Choice Pty Ltd

James Martin II

Comments

  1. Yes I’m also a little confused. I’m trying to work out if I would benefit from a battery installation. At present I have essentially 2 systems on my roof, 1) 1.5kw single phase old existing system on the n/e roof and 2) new 6.5kw 3 phase evenly distributed over east and west roofs, this is consistently outputting around 25kw/day. I’m yet to receive a bill showing the new system component P.s. I’m in Sydney

  2. What is main considerations being first time Solar Buyer. 3×1 house for retirees. Also run a kidney dialysis machine 4-6 hours, 3 times a week.
    How do we starts tinting size to buy in Solar please?

    1. Hi Joan,

      Not exactly sure what you mean by ‘3×1 house’ but happy to discuss your needs if you give us a ring on 1300 78 72 73.

      As long as you’re not expecting backup power from the solar system (for when there’s a grid blackout), then it would almost certainly help to offset the costs of running a dialysis machine that frequently.

      Best of luck.

  3. Hi,
    I am new to this batteries storage system. I just bought a house which has a 5kw solar panel which I think being installed 3 to 4 year ago. I am consider of installing a storage batteries system so I can use it during night time. Is it worthwhile for me to install a medium size batteries and what type of batteries do you recommend please. Also how much do you think it should cost? Thank you.

    1. Hi Lian,

      Feel free to give us a call on 1300 78 72 73 to discuss (there’s bound to be a lot to talk about!) or refer to some of the other resources linked to from the other comments in this article.

      The short answer to your question is that you could probably get some benefit from installing a small to medium-sized battery bank, but it makes sense to install some kind of energy monitoring/management system before you make the leap.

  4. I find most of the comment is in regard to going to battery storage whilst on the grid.
    What I would like to see is a greater emphasis on the purchase of property that is not connected to the grid, with the possibility of being stand alone.
    With grid connection at a minimum starting price around $25k for a rural property in NSW, I would like to see how the numbers stack up.
    Thank you for a great source of information.

    1. Hi Ian,

      That’s definitely a question we get a lot! It depends very much on how much energy your home is likely to end up needing.

      Here’s some further reading/resources on going off grid:

      Off grid with solar & storage: How much capacity do you need?
      Thinking about going off-grid? Keep these points in mind.
      Can you go off grid with a 10kW solar system & batteries?
      Quick guide to solar & battery system sizing (includes table with info about ‘energy independence’)
      Off grid solar & battery system sizing estimator tool

      Hope this helps!

    1. LG Chem is the branch of LG that makes the batteries currently being marketed in Australia. LG is a huge company and a household name, which personally gives me a fair amount of confidence in them. The specs on their batteries are also pretty good and their warranty is honest & fair. Additionally, lots of solar installers have them on offer. All in all, it’s safe to say they are a good brand.

  5. Choosing an appropriate battery has been difficult due to conflicting pricing, size to use and long payback periods. Still working through this but have noticed price of Powerwall 2 on your website is $11,000 installed. I note that Tesla is not giving delivery times any more and also I am seeing installers wanting $15,000+ to provide these, which makes them a non solution as far as my 10 kW system is concerned.

    The life of batteries is an issue and there is a lot of blue sky out there with claims (much) longer life if batteries are not fully drained each cycle. Some manufacturers provide the number of cycles they guarantee and others do not. Tesla even claims unlimited cycling in the warranty period and I am not sure this may be legit.
    I think some of the claims out there need to be scrutinised a bit closer so that consumers are not sold something which is being misrepresented to gain a sale. Not as though batteries are cheap so consumers need surety, not commercial spin.
    What are your thoughts James?

    1. Hi Michael.

      Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

      Different retailers/installers are free to charge what they want to installation of the Powerwall. The $11,000 figure is what we decided to use when we put this article together a while back as that was the price that was being floated around by – among others – Tesla themselves. Since then, through our national network of installers we have seen Powerwalls being sold in that range as well as higher (including $15,000, as you’ve noted). We encourage anyone shopping for batteries to make sure they have a good understanding of the market before they make a decision on a product – or whether to get batteries at all. When it comes to choosing between different Powerwall offers, as we’ve noted in this article it comes down to getting down to details of exactly what is being provided and how offers differ from one another – as well as the amount of trust they have in the installer.

      As for battery life, we’ve looked into this topic a lot. You’re absolutely correct that there’s a lot of muddle and sales-speak still out there as this market matures. Cycle life is one of the most confusing terms out there, which is why we feel it’s important that people look at ‘energy throughput‘ as well – or possibly as an alternative to cycle life.

      As for Tesla, their warranty says effectively covers unlimited cycles – as long as you’re only charging with the sun. Since the sun only rises and sets once a day, you’re not going to get more than 1 cycle per day this way. If you do ‘pre-charging’ with the grid (as some households on time of use billing may wish to), Tesla does set a limit on the energy throughput – which again effectively limits use to once cycle per day.

      Batteries are complicated, and we are trying to both explain their benefits as well as be clear about who they are for. At this point in time, solar is already a ‘no-brainer’ investment if you’ve got the roof space and a modest budget. Batteries are getting there as well, but for the time being they’re going to be more attractive to people who are more interested in energy independence than as an investment. In the meantime, there is a need for cutting through the ‘spin’ – and we’re trying to help bring some clarity to the matter.

      There’s no question that – if properly sized – a battery bank will save a household money on their electricity bills. The question is whether they would have saved more money in the long-run by putting that money elsewhere (e.g. a term deposit, stocks, etc). Batteries are also a good way to hedge against rising electricity prices (if, for example, someone is convinced that they’re going to go up even more in the near future).

      Our experience so far is the capital investment is also a big factor in whether or not someone is willing to go ahead with a battery bank – most homes do not want to pay more than $10,000 on a decent-sized battery, full stop. Most would only be willing to pay around 2/3 or 1/2 of that – with solar included. The best situations we’re seeing for batteries so far are systems that use hybrid inverters.

      We’ve got a new, more sophisticated battery sizing & payback calculator in the works which we’ll be releasing to the public in the near future. This tool will help people to decide for themselves in at a relatively high level of detail whether batteries are worth it for their circumstances. Keep an eye out!

  6. Hi,
    I am very new to this whole concept of batteries. Read the article and started asking for quotes for batteries from some firms in Perth. One firm suggested that I should buy LG Chem. Is it a good brand? Is it reliable?

    Please let me know, thank-you

  7. The article is good, if a little confusing, there was not explanation of storage vs size of panels. The net result of reading the information I came to the same conclusion. Installing a battery system was not worth my while.

    I have a 1.5 Kwh roof system, I was one of the original installations and get a good subsidy, now at 67c Kwh under a contract that last me until 2023. In Victoria, where I live, if I was on the current 5c Kwh, then it would be a different story, it would pay me to have batteries.

    1. Hi Graham,

      Glad you found the article useful (if a little confusing). We were basically looking at things here from a ‘new build’ perspective – first time solar & battery storage system ownership. In your case, where you’ve got a smaller system and one of the best solar feed-in tariffs still running in Australia, we wouldn’t recommend batteries (you get more benefit from exporting your solar to the grid). Increasing your solar system size is likely to void your existing feed-in rate unless you go with a partial off-grid system (which isn’t really an attractive option for everyone).

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