More Australian homes access solar power with solar battery and Solar Sharer

Australia is about to do something very unusual in the energy world. From mid twenty twenty six, millions of households in selected states will be offered a retail energy plan that includes a block of completely free electricity in the middle of the day, every day, no matter whether they own rooftop solar panels or not. This new regulated offer is called Solar Sharer.

Solar Sharer makes use of a uniquely Australian situation. There is now so much rooftop solar across the country that daytime wholesale prices are often extremely low or even negative. The government wants more people to share in those benefits and to use more power when the sun is strongest so that the grid is under less pressure in the evening.

For households and small businesses that either already have a solar battery or are thinking about installing one, Solar Sharer is more than a headline about free power. It is a structural change in how energy is priced that can make storage even more valuable when it is designed and operated well.

In this article, Solar Rains explains what Solar Sharer is, how free daytime power can work together with rooftop solar and a solar battery, and what this means for installers, retailers and customers who want a practical way to cut bills while supporting the clean energy transition.

What the Solar Sharer offer is and why it matters

Solar Sharer in plain language

Solar Sharer is a new regulated electricity offer that the Australian Government plans to introduce through the Default Market Offer framework. Energy retailers in selected states will be required to offer at least one standing plan that includes a defined daily period where the price of electricity is zero dollars per kilowatt hour.

Put simply, if a household signs up to a Solar Sharer plan and uses electricity during that free window, that portion of their daily usage will not appear on their bill.

Free electricity for three hours in the middle of the day

The media release and supporting material explain that retailers must provide at least three hours of free electricity in the middle of the day, when solar generation is at its highest and wholesale prices are lowest.

Independent commentary suggests many retailers will choose a block around late morning to early afternoon, for example from eleven to two, depending on their portfolio and network conditions. The exact time window may differ by state and retailer, but the central idea is consistent. There is a guaranteed period every day where power is free.

Who can get it and why a smart meter is essential

Solar Sharer will first be offered in the Default Market Offer states, namely New South Wales, South East Queensland and South Australia, from July twenty twenty six, with a possible expansion to other jurisdictions by twenty twenty seven.

Households that want to take up the offer need two things.

1. A smart meter so that their retailer can see when they are using electricity and apply the correct rate for the free window.
2. An ability to move some of their energy use into the free daytime period, either by being at home, using timers, or letting devices charge or run while they are out.

Without a smart meter, the retailer cannot accurately tell which usage happened in the free period, so the customer would not be eligible for Solar Sharer.

What households can use the free power for

The government is very clear that Solar Sharer is meant to be practical. Households can use the free electricity to run everyday appliances and larger loads. The examples given include air conditioning, washing machines, pool pumps, electric vehicle charging and charging home batteries.

For Solar Rains and its partners, that last point is especially important. Free power does not only help people who are at home during the day. With a solar battery in place, the free power can be captured and stored for use in the evening, when electricity is usually more expensive.

From free daytime power to smarter solar battery use

Using free electricity to charge a home solar battery

If a home has a solar battery connected through a compatible inverter and energy management system, Solar Sharer opens up a new charging pathway. During the free window, the system can prioritise charging the solar battery from the grid at zero cost, provided the rooftop solar system has already met on site daytime needs.

In practice, a well configured system might work as follows.

1. During sunny days, rooftop solar covers most daytime usage and any surplus goes toward charging the solar battery.
2. If there is still free capacity in the battery and the Solar Sharer window is active, the system can draw extra power from the grid at the zero price to top up the battery.
3. In the evening, the battery discharges to cover a portion of household consumption, reducing or even avoiding imports at peak or shoulder tariffs.

This gives the solar battery a powerful new role. It becomes a tool for catching both on site solar generation and Solar Sharer free grid power.

Small commercial sites and daytime charging

While Solar Sharer is framed around households, some small business customers on standing offers may also be able to participate, depending on the eventual rules and retailer products.

For small commercial sites with a solar battery, such as cafes, workshops or offices, the same logic applies. Free midday electricity can help charge the battery and run equipment, while the stored energy supports operations later in the day. As with homes, the value depends on usage patterns and tariff structures, which is why Solar Rains encourages businesses to seek advice from qualified energy professionals.

Making the most of both rooftop solar and Solar Sharer

Australia already has more than four million rooftop solar systems, and total rooftop capacity now exceeds the remaining coal fired generation fleet. Solar Sharer is not a replacement for those systems. Instead, it is a way to share some of their benefits with more people and to encourage better use of that daytime solar output.

For households that already have rooftop solar, a solar battery allows them to capture even more of their own production. Solar Sharer adds a further layer. When the rooftop system is producing less than usual or when there is extra capacity in the battery, the system can use the free grid power window to top up.

For households without rooftop solar, a solar battery still has a role, although the economics can be more complex. In some cases, a battery may be sized and configured mainly to soak up free power and support cheaper evening use. Any system like this should be modelled carefully by an experienced installer.

How a charged solar battery cuts evening and overnight costs

The basic value of a solar battery under Solar Sharer is easy to describe.

1. Energy stored in the battery from solar or free midday grid power can be used later instead of buying electricity at higher evening prices.
2. Over time, this can cut bills for suitable households that can shift enough load and have a battery that is correctly sized and managed.
3. A charged battery also provides resilience during outages when installed with an appropriate backup configuration.

Solar Rains does not provide financial advice, and real world savings will always depend on the specific home, tariff and system design. However, the combination of rooftop solar, Solar Sharer and a solar battery is clearly an opportunity worth exploring for many customers.

How Solar Sharer changes the solar battery conversation

More Australian homes getting access to solar powered benefits

The headline promise of Solar Sharer is more Australian homes gaining access to the benefits of cheap solar powered electricity, even if they cannot install panels themselves because they rent or live in apartments.

From a storage point of view, this means the potential market for solar battery systems that work alongside grid offers rather than only rooftop generation becomes broader. The solar battery becomes a bridge between free daytime energy and cheaper nights.

Households without rooftop solar joining the clean energy story

Solar Sharer is designed to ensure that renters and households that have not been able to install rooftop solar can still benefit from the national investment in solar capacity.

These households may not all rush to buy a solar battery. For many, simple load shifting with timers and smart appliances will be enough. But as awareness grows, some will look for more ways to lock in their savings and control their energy use, and a well sized battery may be part of that discussion.

Why flexible loads and solar battery capacity are valuable to the grid

From the grid perspective, free midday power is a tool to shift energy use away from the busy evening peak. Solar Sharer encourages people to run more load during the solar rich window. A solar battery adds extra flexibility. It can absorb energy when the grid has too much and supply it back inside the home when demand is higher.

This is good for the system because it smooths the load curve, reduces the need for costly network upgrades and limits the number of times expensive peaking generators need to run. A home battery fleet operated responsibly can be part of the solution, not a problem.

How this fits into wider Default Market Offer reforms

Solar Sharer is not a stand alone measure. It sits inside a broader set of Default Market Offer reforms which aim to strip out unnecessary costs from standing offers and make retail energy pricing fairer and easier to understand.

The role of Solar Rains in a Solar Sharer world

Solar battery options for homes and small businesses

Solar Rains works exclusively with installers and trade partners to supply solar battery systems that are suitable for Australian conditions and regulatory settings. In a Solar Sharer world, those systems need to be not only safe and reliable, but also smart enough to respond to time based pricing and free power windows.

Solar Rains focuses on products that

1. Integrate cleanly with leading inverters and energy management systems.
2. Offer clear local warranty support and transparent performance data.
3. Allow flexible charge and discharge schedules that can be aligned with Solar Sharer windows where appropriate.

Helping installers design around rooftop solar and Solar Sharer

A good design process for a home with rooftop solar, a solar battery and Solar Sharer will typically start with the customers goals and usage patterns. Solar Rains supports installers by sharing practical guidelines on how to think about

1. Daily demand and how much can realistically be shifted into the free period.
2. Rooftop solar output across the year.
3. Solar battery capacity needed to store a useful amount of midday energy while still cycling in a healthy way.

This helps trade partners build systems that are grounded in real data, not just optimistic assumptions.

Prioritising rooftop solar first, then topping up from free grid power

From both an environmental and financial point of view, it usually makes sense to use rooftop solar generation first. A typical priority order might be

1. Use rooftop solar for live daytime loads.
2. Use surplus solar to charge the solar battery.
3. If the Solar Sharer window is active and the battery still has room, top up from the grid at zero cost.

Solar Rains works with partners to ensure product settings and control strategies can support this hierarchy, while still respecting any constraints in the specific inverter or energy management system.

Support on inverter settings, EMS and charging schedules

Not every household will want or need a complex schedule. Some will simply set their main appliances and chargers to run during the free period. Others, especially those with a solar battery, may benefit from more advanced configuration.

Solar Rains provides technical documentation, training and troubleshooting support so that installers can confidently

1. Set up charge windows for the solar battery.
2. Coordinate with any demand response or virtual power plant programs the customer participates in.
3. Adjust settings over time as tariffs and Solar Sharer implementation details evolve.

This hands on assistance supports long term system performance, which is a key part of building trust.

Insights for installers and retailers

A new three part story for customers

Until now, many installer conversations have focused on a simple pairing of rooftop solar and sometimes a solar battery. With Solar Sharer, there are now three building blocks to discuss

1. Rooftop solar as the source of cheap, local generation.
2. Solar Sharer as the retail mechanism that offers free midday power from the grid.
3. A solar battery as the device that captures solar and free grid energy for later use.

Solar Rains encourages partners to present this clearly and honestly, with visual diagrams where helpful.

Talking about rooftop solar, Solar Sharer and solar battery together

A practical way to frame the discussion is

1. Solar Sharer shares the benefits of national rooftop solar, even if you do not have panels.
2. If you do have rooftop solar, Solar Sharer gives you a second way to access cheap power.
3. A solar battery lets you hold on to both your own solar and the free grid power, instead of letting that value disappear when the free window ends.

This approach helps customers see how the pieces fit rather than treating each element in isolation.

Identifying which households are best placed to benefit

Not every home will be a perfect candidate for a solar battery under Solar Sharer. Good candidates often include

1. Households with flexible schedules, home based work or retirees who can shift usage.
2. Homes with existing rooftop solar and a desire to lower evening bills.
3. Households that already have or plan to buy an electric vehicle and want to use free daytime power for charging.

Installers should still assess each case individually and make clear where a solar battery may not yet be a priority. Respectful, transparent advice is central to long term customer relationships.

Managing expectations and keeping advice responsible

Solar Rains recommends that installers

1. Use conservative assumptions in payback models.
2. Explain that free power windows, tariffs and program details may change over time.
3. Emphasise that solar battery systems are long term infrastructure, not short term speculation.

Solar Sharer, solar battery and what comes next

Why free midday power is now a real opportunity

Thanks to Solar Sharer, free midday power is no longer just a marketing phrase from a single retailer. It is becoming a regulated feature of the retail energy landscape in several states, with potential for national expansion.

This is an exciting moment for households, but it also requires thoughtful system design and honest communication.

Solar battery as the missing piece that stores free energy for later

A solar battery is not mandatory to benefit from Solar Sharer, but it is the technology that turns a three hour free window into a longer lasting advantage. By storing energy and releasing it later in the day, a battery can help flatten bills, support the grid and enhance comfort.

When combined with rooftop solar and Solar Sharer, the battery becomes the glue that holds the whole system together.

How Solar Rains partners with installers for long term performance

Solar Rains is committed to supporting trade partners through this shift by

1. Supplying proven solar battery products suitable for Solar Sharer ready homes.
2. Sharing clear, referenced information about policy changes and technical implications.
3. Standing behind products with training and ongoing technical support.

For installers and retailers, the goal is not only to respond to a new policy, but to design and deliver solar battery systems that will still make sense for customers many years from now.

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