One of the most notable changes is the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs).
Globally, EV uptake is booming with around 16.5 million EVs on the road in 2021, triple the amount in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency. In turn, this has seen car manufacturers across the globe shift their focus to EV production, with several – including Jaguar, Volkswagen, Volvo and General Motors – planning to only have EVs available within the coming decade.
Australia’s transition to EVs might have been slower than elsewhere in the world, but we’re catching up fast – with the country on track to have 100,000 EVs on the road in 2023.
Looking ahead, EVs are projected to make up two-thirds of new car sales in Australia.
It’s no wonder the market for electric vehicles is rapidly expanding, given that gas is becoming prohibitively expensive.
Further, the growing charging network across Australia is making it increasingly viable for EV owners to travel long distances without worrying about running out of power.
Driving on sunshine
EVs require a significant amount of energy to recharge (the equivalent of a 15kW solar power system to charge from empty to full). But if you have a large (and good) enough rooftop solar system, this energy is free.
For instance, Carolyn Lee, Founder and Sales/Marketing Director at The Energy Experts, recently purchased a BYD Atto 3. At the same time, she added more solar panels to her existing system (now 10.2kW), alongside a 10kWh battery and an EV charger.
“Most of the time, I drive on sunshine, simply by charging my car during the day. I work from home quite a lot, so this works out well,” she said.
Electrify everything and save thousands
According to Rewiring Australia, an electric car costs about 8 cents per km to drive if charged from the grid. This compares favourably to a petrol car which cost about 12 cents per km in fuel (back when petrol was at $1.43/L – though it’s increased significantly since then).
However, charging an electric car from rooftop solar is cheaper still – at about 1 cent per km.
It’s a similar story with electric heat pumps for heating and cooling, electric induction stoves for cooking and air-conditioning for heating & cooling: electrification saves money.
So given that solar is the cheapest source of electricity in Australia and living costs are becoming excessive, there’s a strong shift towards electrifying everything – then powering it all with rooftop solar and battery storage.
Doing this could save Australian households $4,760 per year on energy and vehicle costs by 2030, according to Rewiring Australia.
Then there’s smart home automation technology, which has the potential to drive those energy efficiencies and savings even further – by allowing your appliances to run from surplus solar energy whenever it’s available.
The current state of play
Australia is already electrifying rapidly, with solar power gaining significant momentum in recent years, thanks to abundant sunshine and government incentives.
More than 3 million homeowners are already benefiting from lower energy bills and reducing their carbon footprint by harnessing the power of the sun, the highest per capita deployment of rooftop solar in the world.
Figures from SunWiz also show that Australian households are increasingly turning to battery storage, with one battery installed for every 7 solar systems added to the network during 2022. That compares to one for every 12 new solar installations in 2021.
