Home Battery+Solar+EV Guide

Introduction to Home Batteries

Solar, a home battery and an EV can work well together, but the way you manage them matters. A home battery can store surplus solar during the day so you can use more of your own energy later. Some battery systems can also provide backup power during an outage when the system is designed and configured for backup.

Add an EV and you introduce another large electrical load. An EV battery usually stores much more energy than a typical home battery. If the system allows the EV charger to draw heavily from the home battery, EV charging can use a large share of the stored energy quite quickly.

That does not automatically mean you need a larger home battery. It means it is worth thinking about when the EV charges, whether it should draw from the home battery, and how the solar system, electricity plan and charger work together. Smart charging and energy-management settings can help decide whether the car charges from surplus solar, the home battery or the grid.

How the charger and battery coordinate depends on the products and how the system is configured. Grid-connected battery systems may also need network approval, metering or export settings. Your installer normally manages the connection process with the local electricity network.

Navigating This Guide

• Solar + Battery + EV - Explain how the three parts can be planned as one home-energy setup. Understand the difference in scale between a home battery and an EV battery, and how smart charging and load management can help coordinate EV charging with other household loads and keep charging within the configured capacity of the installation.
• Battery + EV Charging - Explain how to avoid unnecessarily draining stored household energy. Learn about solar-aware charging, using time-of-use electricity plans, and whether your system can be configured to prevent the EV from drawing down the home battery.
• Home Battery Rebates Australia - The Australian Government's Cheaper Home Batteries Program provides an upfront discount on eligible battery systems through the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. The value varies with factors including battery capacity and installation date. Eligible NSW households may also be able to combine the federal battery discount with the NSW VPP incentive, subject to current eligibility and provider terms. Other state or territory incentives may also be available.
• Bidirectional Charging - Learn how V2L, V2H and V2G work, what is developing in Australia, and what needs to be compatible between the vehicle, charging equipment and home.