Hi everyone,
I’m hearing from a number of different people now that homeowners are starting to think about adding battery storage, even if they can’t get solar on their roof. Or getting a much larger battery system than their solar can fill.
Why? Across much of Australia currently (2026), the wholesale cost of electricity around midday often drops below 5c per kilowatt-hour. Sometimes it goes negative — meaning the market is effectively paying buyers to take power at that time, and store it in their batteries.
Why midday is cheap: there’s so much solar in the system by lunchtime that prices get crushed. Then they spike in the evening when people are home and cooling/heating ramps up.
The bit many people miss: you don’t need solar on your own roof to benefit from the huge amount of solar generation on other roofs in Australia. A home battery can charge when wholesale-linked retail prices are low, cover your house through the expensive evening peak, and — on the right plan — export when prices jump. That bundle (battery + retailer/VPP program + automation) is what people mean by a Virtual Power Plant (VPP).
There are electricity retailers in Australia now that allow homeowners to access those wholesale rates, for a fixed monthly fee.
If you’re weighing whether a battery could actually pay back on your usage and tariff, we put a free calculator here (no login required for a first look):
Photonik VPP / battery earnings calculator:
Further reading (sources)
- Wholesale market context and quarterly numbers (e.g. Q4 2025 report):
https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/major-publications/qed/2025/qed-q4-2025.pdf - Press coverage on volatility / negative pricing (Feb 2026):
Big swings in Australia's electricity market have a frustrating effect on our power bills - ABC News
Cheers,
Marty