Amber for Batteries has launched

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Batteries have always been a huge part of the vision behind Amber’s mission to help Australia reach 100% renewables. Each individual person who shifts their energy usage to cheaper, greener times will drive more demand for renewable energy, and reduce their demand for fossil fuels. Automating batteries and EVs to charge up when there’s cheap renewables in the grid and export energy when the grid needs power accelerates this demand for greener energy even more.

It’s this loadshifting on a grand scale that will truly change the game when it comes to cutting back on climate change, rather than the carbon offsetting that’s often promoted as the key to unlocking a more renewable future.

Taking back the power

That’s why today we’re super excited to announce the official launch of Amber for Batteries: combining the battery automation and control features of our SmartShift™ technology with Amber’s wholesale pricing.

Now more than ever, people want to end their dependence on Big Energy and fossil fuels, control their costs, and be more self-sufficient.

When battery owners can get more value and control from their systems, that’s a win/win which can accelerate battery adoption and the renewable shift that people across Australia are calling out for.

So we spent the last two years building the technology to make this possible: to allow households with batteries to compete directly with large coal and gas generators in the market when they export energy, getting up to $19/kWh at peak times. To allow households to earn the same price for their exported power as large coal and gas generators. To allow households to be in control and drive the transition.

Behind Amber for Batteries are a handful of important truths:

1. The mismatch between when most renewables are available and when most people use energy is the biggest obstacle to Australia reaching 100% renewable energy.
2. This requires a once in a generation transformation of our energy system. We will need to increase the rate of renewables deployment dramatically and we will need vast amounts of battery storage.
3. Over the next eight years to 2030, there is expected to be enough home battery storage capacity and EVs entering into Australian's homes to meet almost all of the energy storage requirements needed to take Australia to 100% renewable energy.
4. Intelligently automating and coordinating those batteries and EVs to store and return that power to the grid at optimal times is the cheapest and fastest way to get fossil fuels out of our grid and get Australia to 100% renewable energy. After all, there are already 150k household batteries in Australia. If we could automate them all to discharge at 6pm when gas generators are charging a fortune for power, we could close multiple gas fired power stations tomorrow, using batteries that are already sitting in our homes and garages.

Not to mention the fact that during the recent energy crisis, coal and gas generators have been charging up to 100 times normal prices for their power. And as a result, Amber customers who were beta testing Amber for Batteries were earning up to 100 times normal prices for their exports - up to $90 in a day - by displacing coal and gas from the grid. (Read more customer stories here).

This is what Amber for Batteries is about: closing the gap between when renewables are available and when they are most in demand, by making participation in the renewable revolution more rewarding for battery owners.

And it’s a big part of why the South Australian government threw their support behind Amber for Batteries in the development phase, when we offered it to 200 South Australians in return for feedback.

We hope the official launch of Amber for Batteries is the start of a huge step forward for the mission to help Australia reach 100% renewables as fast as possible - and for our customers, who want to be a part of that transition, while controlling their energy costs.

We look forward to continuing to receive your feedback and suggestions, as we keep working to build a better battery experience and shift Australia to 100% renewables.  

If you’d like to understand more about how Amber for Batteries works and what you could get out of it, or if you want to sign up - head here or drop us a line at solarandbatteries@amber.com.au.