Big businesses cashing in on Australia’s charge towards a solar future are cementing renewables as mainstream, experts say.
Supermarket giant Aldi is the latest to join the rush, flagging plans to sell solar panels and battery packages on the heels of Bunnings and IKEA developing installation arms.
Despite more than 4.2 million Australians having already put solar on the roof and 300,000 new installations being added annually, renewables uptake in the commercial and industrial sectors has been comparatively slow, Green Energy Council’s Con Hristodoulidis says.
But that is changing.
Mr Hristodoulidis says the solar industry has become “the clothesline that we have in our backyard”.
“When big chain supermarkets and hardware stores like Bunnings and IKEA get into it, it shows you that solar is now a mainstream part of the Australian culture,” he said.
The Climate Council’s Greg Bourne said it was interesting that stores like Aldi and Bunnings were jumping into the installation business, especially as they have global reach meaning they could get panels cheaper.
But he questioned who was behind the arms, saying the installer was “more important” than the actual panels, battery, or inverter systems.
“The installer who understands the integration into your particular setting is probably the most important thing of it all,” he told AAP.
“Clearly, a company like Aldi does have a global buying potential … it may well be that they can bring the prices down and deliver quality integration.”
Aldi Solar’s service provider Tempo is an accredited installer, according to the New Energy Tech Consumer Code.
Mr Bourne said if the commercial industry successfully earned trust with customers, it could lead to consumers coming back.
“I don’t think they’ll call a Bunnings unless they have a Bunnings or an Aldi arm that has become a really successful electrical, plumbing type business, as they tend to all mix together these days,” he said.
“There’s a market which is going to keep going on for quite a while, and change as we go.”