Australia will provide at least 3 hours of free solar power per day to millions of households, including those without solar panels.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the program, called Solar Sharer, is expected to start operating from 2026, first in New South Wales, South Australia and the southeastern part of Australia, then expand nationwide.
According to the plan, people will be able to use electricity for free at the time of highest solar power generation productivity of the day - usually at noon. Mr. Bowen emphasized that those who can adjust their electricity consumption habits to take advantage of this time frame will benefit directly, regardless of whether they own or rent a house, have or not a solar panel system.
He said that the more people switch to electricity, the more the whole system will benefit from reducing costs for everyone using electricity.
About 4 million households in Australia now have solar panels installed on their roofs. On sunny afternoons, electricity output can exceed demand, causing electricity prices to fall to negative levels, while peak demand often occurs in the evening, putting pressure on the grid. The Solar Sharer program is expected to rebalance that gap by encouraging people to use electricity during the peak supply period.
Households can participate in this program as long as they have a smart electric meter and are willing to adjust their electricity consumption habits, such as running a washing machine, charging an electric car or using electrical equipment in the middle of the day.
The program is part of Mr. Bowen's clean energy target for 2022, aiming to achieve 82% of renewable energy by 2030, while reducing emissions by 43% compared to the level in 2005.
However, the announcement caused the stocks of Australia's two largest energy groups - AGL and Origin Energy - to decrease by 3% in the afternoon trading session.
Observers say that this free solar power policy not only helps reduce the burden of electricity bills, but also encourages people to shift to a sustainable consumption model, contributing to stabilizing the national energy system in the future.
