Renewable energy is already the cheapest form of electricity on the market and has been since 2018, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
A report released by IRENA found that new renewable projects like solar and wind were producing cheaper new energy than even the most affordable coal, oil or natural gas solutions.
For many people, the cost of accessing renewable energy has been a baulking point, though. To access mainstream grid energy, which is still mostly fossil fuel-powered in Australia, it is usually just a matter of making a phone call or putting in a web application and you are connected.
Solar power installations do have an outlay which can stop many people from adopting it, even though these systems rapidly pay for themselves in savings anyway.
But there are many options available that dramatically reduce the costs of having affordable alternative energy installed so you can get cheaper, greener energy in the near future.
Start small and discover how solar can work for you
Many options are available that don’t involve full solar installations right from the outside. Start with all the devices you have to charge; there are many power banks on the market that are solar-powered and are incredibly cheap to purchase. Look outside of your property as well; there are numerous solar-powered lighting options on the market as well.
Start to go bigger with your power banks, and you begin to power small appliances like ones in your kitchen. Soon the costs of running your kettle, toaster and coffee machine will be stricken from your electricity bill as well.
Then you can make the jump and install a solar-powered water heating system. It won’t be long before you decide to go the whole hog and get panels installed to power everything in your home or business.
Search for government rebates and discounts
Each state and territory has options available to residential homes and businesses to reduce their solar installation costs. This can include up-front discounts or rebates paid after you have had the installation completed and it can save you thousands of dollars. There are plenty of incentives available from your state or territory government as well as the Federal Government, so do your homework and discover the discounts and incentives available to you.
Tap into the Federal Government’s Instant Access Write-Off scheme
This is a highly popular scheme that has been extended until 2022 where eligible businesses can completely write off assets that they have purchased on tax. This applies to solar system installations which means in many cases you can get all of the expenses for the solar panels refunded in your tax return. To find out if your business is eligible visit the ATO’s website.
Look for the most economical systems, not the cheapest
If you want the cheapest panels on the market installed, just Google precisely that and all the pages will pop up with the lowest rates. The problem is, many of these cheap options are highly fallible and will need replacing in a few years or even months. Always ensure both the product and the installation company are reputable and don’t be seduced by a cheap and nasty solution.
