What if your energy bill could shrink while your community got greener—and you didn’t even need solar panels to benefit? 

That’s the promise behind Cammeray’s new community battery, which officially switched on this week. The battery is giving 350 locals a way to tap into cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy. 

How the Cammeray Battery Works

With 20% of Cammeray households already equipped with rooftop solar, the new 200kW community battery, built and operated by Ausgrid, acts as a shared energy bank. Here’s how it works:

• Storing solar energy: Excess energy from rooftop solar systems in Cammeray is stored in the battery during the day.

• Cheaper energy in peak periods: In the evening, when electricity demand peaks, the battery releases this stored energy back into the grid, supplying residents.

• Accessible for All: You don’t need solar panels to participate: renters and those without panels can access the battery’s benefits through Ausgrid’s Energy Storage as a Service (ESaaS) program.

Why It Saves Money

The Cammeray community battery is expected to save participants an average of $200 annually by:

1. Reducing peak energy costs by using stored energy in high-demand periods

2. Avoiding costly upgrades by alleviating strain on the electricity network

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the battery acts like a reservoir for energy.

“The rain doesn’t always fall, but we always have water on tap because we store it for when we need it,” said Bowen. “Batteries like Cammeray’s do the same with renewable energy—delivering affordable, reliable power when it’s needed most.”

The Bigger Picture

Cammeray’s battery is part of the Albanese Government’s Community Batteries for Household Solar program, which will roll out over 420 batteries nationwide. Backed by $143 million in federal funding, the initiative aims to provide shared energy storage for 100,000 households, extending renewable benefits to all Australians.

Image Credit: Ausgrid / Linkedin