More homes to get access solar power with new scheme

The batteries, which will be installed in Casey, Dickson and Fadden early next year, will enabled residents to harness solar energy during the day and store it for use in the local grid during peak times and when the sun is not shining.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen said delivering more storage would enable "more households to reliably access the cost-of-living relief offered by solar".

The government, which has promised to roll out hundreds of the batteries across Australia, has so far only delivered two - in Cabarita and Narara in NSW.

"We committed to deploy 400 community batteries to help households [across Australia] access cheaper, cleaner energy, and that's exactly what we're doing," Mr Bowen said.

The three new batteries in Canberra will be funded with a $1.5 million grant from the Albanese government and delivered by the ACT government and Evoenergy.

The energy provider will design and maintain the batteries which are likely to produce 160 kilowatts of power and store 400 kilowatt hours of energy.

The grant funding is part of the Australian government's Community Batteries for Household Solar program, announced in the 2022-23 federal budget.

The program aims to support lower electricity bills and emissions, support storage of excess solar energy and reduce pressure on the grid.

The three batteries will be installed by March 31, 2025.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr said: "These batteries will increase storage capacity in the electricity network and allow more households to connect rooftop solar."

"The ACT continues to lead the nation on climate action, with battery storage technology a critical component of our net-zero emissions future," Mr Barr said."

Since 2020, 100 per of electricity in the ACT has come from renewable sources.

The chief minister said initiatives like community batteries "prove the viability of local renewable energy generation and storage in supporting a robust, affordable, and sustainable energy grid".

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Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh said community batteries "spark a powerful connection between sustainable power and social capital".

"With their capacity to store clean electricity, community batteries generate a positive charge, powering not just devices but also the spirit of cooperation," he said.

Member for Bean David Smith said his constituents "have voted with their roofs and embraced solar" and that the new battery in his electorate would make the grid "more reliable, more efficient and gives even more households an opportunity to benefit from cheaper renewable energy".

Member for Canberra Alicia Payne said the new batteries "will enable more households to access energy from rooftop solar, including those who can't install the panels themselves, and will enable our community to store more of the solar energy we're already generating".