Australia is a global leader in rooftop solar, with more than 4.3 million households and small businesses installing photovoltaic (PV) systems as of February 2026. Battery uptake has also accelerated, particularly since the introduction of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program in July 2025, which offers around a 30 per cent upfront discount for systems between 5 kWh and 100 kWh. More than 236,000 batteries had been installed by February 2026, although this likely understates the true figure due to reporting lags; the Federal Government has since indicated installations have surpassed 250,000 as of March 2026.
Despite this rapid growth, an important question remains: who is actually benefiting from these subsidies?
