[LINK] National Renewable Network

[David]

I notice the original announcement is all about business:
> The funding facility of up to $10 million has come from Catalytic Impact Capital, an impact/ESG-focused private credit business offering secured loan solutions for net zero solutions.
and promises:
> "As an energy infrastructure platform, NRN is challenging Australia’s current linear, expensive and outdated electricity supply chain by upgrading homes and businesses to produce, store and use their renewable energy,” he said.  “The NRN platform offers energy retailers the opportunity to overcome substantial upfront cost barriers to provide consumers with solar and battery solutions.” 

I see Catalytic Impact Capital offers "secured loan solutions for net zero solutions" so NRN can provide "solar and battery solutions".

But the press release gives no hint as to any of the technical or business-model detail, or the legal detail for that matter.  Who is responsible if an inverter catches fire and burns a house down, for example?  Does a contract with NRN bind the next owner if a house is sold?  Or does the owner signing the contract have to buy NRN out?

An average domestic PV panel installation seems to have ~15 panels, produces ~6 Kw (max), costs ~$6-7K, and probably takes anything up to 6-8 years to break even.  Throw in a big lithium-ion battery and these costs increase.  By the time the system has paid for itself the panels will probably be losing efficiency too, so any long-term model (even of a domestic system) should include replacement costs.

I know similar microgrid schemes are running successfully now in places like townhouse developments, but it's hard to see where the financial magic happens on a larger scale.

It occurs to me that a much better domestic scheme would dispense with the solar panels altogether, install a battery in a shed out the back, and charge it at off-peak rates.  In NSW there are two "controlled load" rates with greatly reduced access & consumption tariffs.  Off-peak HWS traditionally created a market for the output of coal burners but I've recently noticed off-peak meters running during the middle of the day, presumably to absorb an excess of green power.  (Smart meters are mandatory for off-peak supplies).

_David Lochrin_