Australia's 100th community battery is in — and the next round is funded

Australia just switched on its 100th community battery — the shared, fridge-sized units that soak up excess rooftop solar by day and feed it back at dinner time. The Renewable Energy Agency marked the milestone by funding round two: AU$23 million (about US$16 million) for dozens more batteries across regional South Australia, New South Wales, Sydney and Newcastle. Alongside it, AU$8.2 million (about US$5.7 million) will help up to 1,000 Canberra households — including renters and low-income families — swap gas appliances for electric. And the Cheaper Home Battery scheme now stretches to bigger systems for farms and factories, with over 500,000 home batteries already installed nationwide.