NSW installer’s solar inquiries surge as one in two ask after batteries

After a weak start in 2022, interest in solar has well and truly rebounded for New South Wales company Solaray Energy. Jonathan Fisk, the company’s director and co-founder, attributed the rebound to the election’s delivery of a pro-renewable energy parliament coupled with surging energy prices.

“The first major wave of inquiries was the week after the election and more people who inquire are buying,” Fisk said.

“We’ve sold a lot more batteries. Of new PV system sales, almost one in two orders have batteries added. Storage is the tool that makes solar fly. 

“This greater appetite for batteries is also because more people want to future-proof their homes so they can add an EV [electric vehicle] when it arrives.”

Fisk said another major change in the 2022 market was customers ordering larger systems. “Two years ago, a customer ordering 25-35 kilowatt-hours of energy storage was a massive sale whereas now, it’s just another one before lunch,” he said.

“While the cheaper end of the market has died 1000 deaths, the premium end of the market is still going strong. There is a much greater degree of optimism out there. Customers are voting with their money.”

Fisk described the situation Australia’s solar industry now finds itself in as “the the eye of the perfect storm.” 

“Energy prices are increasing and are going to stay high for some time because of a decade of poor government energy policy with no investment in the grid. But we also face huge opportunities as the new government intends to spend money on upgrading the grid to remove restrictions on small-scale solar.

“Whereas a year or two ago, consumers only wanted solar to reduce the cost of power from the grid, now they want to buy enough solar and storage that they are independent from it, unless there’s a week of cloudy days.

“We are entering a new golden age for solar and storage.”