Good things promise to come from a recent collaboration between Endeavour Energy — an NSW electricity distribution company — and Intellihub — a utility services company based in Australia and New Zealand. What good things? Well, a revolutionary new solar program to start!
The new “Off Peak Plus” program aims to use smart meter technology to gather surplus solar energy and distribute it between homes to power hot water systems. In other words, it’s making residential solar systems even more efficient than before — and that’s something that gets our Arise Solar team pretty excited!
About the program
Over 350,000 rooftop solar systems were installed throughout Australia in 2020 alone, with NSW contributing the highest number of systems. So it’s no surprise that the Off Peak Plus program was born to meet the new need to manage the increasing number of residential solar systems.
Endeavour Energy and Intellihub — with the help of 10 other energy retailers — installed smart meters at 2,500 Albion Park residences. Despite the project launching just last month — in May of 2021 — the benefits are already promising to be substantial.
The program has given Endeavour Energy the ability to replace their 50-year old control system with brand-new smart metering technology. This change will not only prove more cost-effective for customers but also lead to better network performance and data collection.
The smart meters also allow retailers to dynamically control participating hot water systems, switching them on during off-peak hours to make use of the available solar energy.
Adrian Clark, CEO of Intellihub, commented, “It’s an innovative project, not just because of the technology, but how it’s being used to benefit customers, the environment and industry all at once.”
What it means for the future
The Off Peak Plus program marks an exciting shift in the way we can utilise residential solar panels — but it doesn’t stop there.
“This state-of-the-art program has found a way to manage peak energy demand,” NSW Energy Minister Matt Kean said. This new program, according to Mr Kean, is “helping to future proof the grid with even more home solar systems.”
Additionally, the Off Peak Plus program may be focused on hot water systems, but it has room to grow. It wouldn’t be surprising if solar power-sharing one day extended to activities such as electric vehicle charging or battery storage.
Ready to join the solar club?
When it comes to solar power, NSW is clearly ahead of the game — what about you? When you work with our team at Arise Solar to install residential solar panels in Sydney, Queensland, NSW or beyond, you can enjoy the benefits of your own at-home solar system.
Contact our team to get a quote or learn more about our residential solar systems today!
