Define "Battery & Solar" and "Solar Only"

[gps2119]

Both items asppear in the AGL app and are located on the same page at agl / account / overview / battery charging / Battery / Savings / "Battery & Solar" and "Solar Only"

The best I'm able to assume without assistance is that "Battery & Solar" refers to savings achieved through the battery and solar working in unison through activities like load shifting and / or TOU battery trop up from AGL, and that "Solar Only" refers to something simpler like getting a feed in tariff for solar power which is provided to the grid but not returned as either / or Load Shifting / TOU battery top up.

By using those assumptions, if confirmed as correct, I further assume that the total savings would be the sum of "Battery & Solar" and "Solar Only".

I'm not confident my assumptions are sound so I'm inviting correction and explanation from someone who is able to do that with certainty.

Thanks in anticipation.

Graham

[Lester]

Graham, a lot of what is best for your situation is where you are located.

Here in SA, with lower solar recoup, high usage charge (peak 50c) and low feed in tariff (6c), you almost NEED a battery for most households electricity usage to make solar a worthwhile long term investment.

In Nth Qld, where better solar benefit is present through the year, and my brother pays 33c peak and 13c feed in, he could get by pretty well with his 10kw solar and as a single person in the home.

He has 10kw of battery too, and gets around $1000 a year credit.

Things change in how power is charged, and I can see more and more poles and wires cost, more renewable charges to cover shifts in power generation, so getting a battery is good value in my mind to cover for these.

Getting a battery along with solar will save $2k - $3k over getting solar and installing a battery later, though if you make sure your solar is upgradable to work with a battery, you can split it up to spread the cost and get a battery later.

Look at VPP plans as AGL has a rebate if you sign up to have your battery 'help' in grid peak usage times, they take all but a negotiated % of your battery, and as long as you get a reasonably decent solar system and battery capacity, you won't run out of power, and the feed in for the demand times your power is taken is paid at a premium feed in rate.

I'd recommend min 10kw, but 12kw is a bit more safe, and a battery at least 10kw usable capacity.

You really need to have someone to do a SITE visit, look at your recent seasonal power bills (4 quarters), look at your appliances, power needs, roof space / shading, install parameters, etc, and work through what's best for you and your situation.

A GOOD solar company can do this, but they need a bit of digging to find them . . .

Try solarquotes online, they can organise 3 quotes from hand picked solar / battery companies to give you quotes for both solar and battery, or solar only, they also have a HUGE amount of info on their blogs, youtube videos, etc about solar, the traps, what to avoid and what to look for in a solar company, it really is necessary to get yourself a little educated re this and ask the right questions.

Don't go with a company offering a 6kw system, that is the first heads up to watch out for what to avoid.

Plans for post solar install are another whole step to take to get the best deal for your usage, it seems confusing by design.

[gps2119]

Thanks for going to all that trouble but I’m way past decisions about what to buy for my home solar power plant, and already have a set of panels, now a good 4 years old, with a Powerwall2 plus Gateway that came at an improved price because I signed up to be part of their VPP going on for 3 years ago, then finally a Tesla Y that’ll be a year old at the end of June.

The Tesla software that runs it and the smart phone app that monitors and reports on it all was recently upgraded to include “Charge on Solar” and the wall charging setup is learning how to take orders from that, no problems really, just ironing out wrinkles and learning to let Tesla be the boss..

All my post earlier is about is getting the terms reported by the AGL app daily defined precisely. I know what I think they mean but I need corroboration by way of a neighbourhood peer review.

I’m practicing with the daily data I have access to to be ready for the arrival of any sort of poles and wires feed in tax or other export penalty and don’t want to be building a plan to defend the value I’ve now got installed based on any false premise in the meantime.

Thanks for the info and suggestions provided.


Graham Strauss, sent from my iPhone +61 418 395 590

[Lester]

We have a simple tesla charger on the wall here, one phase of 3, max output is 8kw.

It's fine to put in 48kw a night into sons X 90D (an early one he bought new about 6 - 7 years ago), which charges it all via vehicle between 0000 and 0600 on the AGL EV Night Saver rate.

You are probably on that rate I trust, the 8c rate through those 6 hours is remarkably cheap, and all power coming into the home is charged at that too (wink).

Having a battery, this is also an extra safe way to handle winter doldrums, if ever a problem.

During the day in all but peak winter, solar can be used to top off if required, but usually the night charging handles what's needed for Adelaide use.

"The best I'm able to assume without assistance is that "Battery & Solar" refers to savings achieved through the battery and solar working in unison through activities like load shifting and / or TOU battery trop up from AGL, and that "Solar Only" refers to something simpler like getting a feed in tariff for solar power which is provided to the grid but not returned as either / or Load Shifting / TOU battery top up.

By using those assumptions, if confirmed as correct, I further assume that the total savings would be the sum of "Battery & Solar" and "Solar Only"."

You are probably correct in your assumptions above, are you having trouble marrying up any savings you can see from both VPP benefits and normal feed in ?

[gps2119]

Hello again Lester.

Re your comment - "You are probably correct in your assumptions above.” Yes, I think so too, but it would be nice to be able to reference a sufficiently full, detailed and concise explanatory statement from AGL (Moderator please take note) to that effect.


Re your question “are you having trouble marrying up any savings you can see from both VPP benefits and normal feed in ?” No, because I have an annual summary of year on year cost and total energy consumed well as a detailed progressive record of significant events like AGL invoices and steps in the electrification odyssey during each year starting in 2017. (The only thing I’m missing are costs and litres for petrol pre adoption of an EV, but the task of sorting that out based on reasonable assumptions is on the list and not insurmountable). It’s been an interesting and educational ride, one that’s not always been plain sailing but about which I have no regrets, and that includes putting all my eggs in the AGL basket. They’ve had their ups and downs but have never walked away from a problem that has needed their input for an answer providing a way forward. A the moment the tap at the gas meter is turned off but the supply is still connected while we get through our first all electric winter and that’s not going to badly. At some point I will need to bite the bullet on disconnecting the gas and use the cost of connection for something more useful.

At the moment, the record shows that from a high in 2019 for both household excluding EV charging kWh supply consumed and associated $ cost to end 2023 (supported by YTD figures thus far for 2024) we’ve gone from something on the high side of but close to $3000 annually to something on the high side of but close to $1000 annually. Over the same period net at the meter annual power consumption for gas and electricity according to AGL invoicing records has dropped from on the high side of but close to 14,000 kWh to on the low side of but close to 3000 kWh.

Capital and associated installation costs for all changeovers eg from gas to electricity, solar, battery and charger installation excluded but not ignored, all pretty much what the market was offering as they became attractive or the replaced household items failed or became intolerable. This also is an exercise in reduction to an annual $ basis and detailed to $ per kWh that's doable and might get done one day but I’m not in a hurry.



Regards,

gps2119

graham.strauss@icloud.com

[Lester]

Have only had our solar now for 7 months, so still not sure where we'll head with some aspects of our setup, but it's certainly had a very positive impact on all but winter bills.

Some little tweaks to do with HWS to get that working more on either solar hours or EV night rate, but it's a pretty minir thing for us still.

Hopefully AGL can confirm your initial query for you. 

[gps2119]

So do I.

You'll see it when I do.

Graham Strauss, sent from my iPhone +61 418 395 590

[gps2119]

Attn AGL Moderator.

There is a simple enough question in my original post and it remains unanswered at this point.

Much as I a grateful for the informative and reassuring information from ensuing exchanges with my neighbourhood correspondent I am still short of an authoritative and unequivocal answer which I believe needs to come from somebody (rather than a soneboty) inside AGL’s VPP section.