Western Australia Records Surge in Solar and Home Battery Adoption

Western Australia has recorded a sharp rise in home battery installations, with more than 22,000 households and businesses adopting battery storage systems within just over six months under the Albanese Government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program.

According to official figures, more than 100 batteries have been installed each day across the state since 1 July, more than doubling the number of home battery systems in Australia’s largest state. Nearly half of all homes in Western Australia already have rooftop solar installations.

Six Western Australian postcodes now feature among the top 20 nationwide for battery uptake, with strong participation reported from outer metropolitan suburbs of Perth, including Canning, Armadale and Gosnells.

Western Australia accounts for around 12 per cent of all installations under the federal home battery scheme, exceeding the state’s typical 10 per cent share of Commonwealth programs. Nationwide, more than 190,000 households and small businesses have installed batteries through the program, with approximately 75 per cent of installations occurring in suburban and regional areas.

The federal government recently announced changes to expand the program, increasing total funding to AUD 7.2 billion over four years. The revised settings are expected to support more than 2 million battery installations by 2030, delivering an estimated 40 gigawatt-hours of storage capacity—nearly four times earlier projections.

The government is also supporting Western Australia’s clean energy transition through investments in renewable generation, community and grid-scale batteries, virtual power plant technologies, and concessional loans for solar and battery systems.

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said the program is helping households lower electricity costs while strengthening grid stability by shifting renewable energy use to peak demand periods.

Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson said Western Australians are increasingly leveraging the state’s abundant solar resources, noting that more than 22,000 households have already taken control of their energy consumption through battery adoption.

Meanwhile, Member for Moore Tom French said the program is delivering tangible benefits at the community level, citing more than 1,200 battery installations in his electorate between July and November alone.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program forms a key part of Australia’s broader strategy to reduce household energy costs, improve energy security, and accelerate the transition to cleaner power systems.