Post #3491147

2026-06-30 12:36 UTC

Australia is introducing free daytime power in July. They’ve installed so much #solar that the challenge is to use it effectively. People who can shift their electricity usage to the day (think retirees or people that work from home) can save a lot even if they don’t have solar. Anyone with a battery or two installed could see their power bill for many months go to almost zero. Batteries are the key to having an economy that can run on solar and wind all the time. https://lenergy.com.au/free-daytime-electricity-is-coming-heres-how-it-actually-works/

Replies (6)

@impermanen_@zirk.us 2026-06-30 12:38

Love the name of the program: “Solar Sharer”. This kind of power sharing is an example of how infrastructure can tilt us toward a cultural shift of mindset: sharing—helping neighbors, protecting the biosphere—as the key to resilience and prosperity for oneself and community both.

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@tony@toot.hoyle.me.uk 2026-07-01 09:59

@impermanen_@zirk.us It should be the kind of thing that happens in more countries.. sometimes there's excess capacity in the grid.. let people benefit. It's not unheard of for electricity cost to go negative in the UK, although there's only one tariff I know of that reflects that.

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@mythlfrythtyg@mastodon.social 2026-06-30 16:28

@impermanen_@zirk.us fyi @balkonsolar@freiburg.social There are countries where it works different than with our german Gas-Kathi.

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@gtsadmin@wiseowl.club 2026-06-30 16:46

@impermanen_@zirk.us Good for you, #Australia!!

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@kgourlay@tech.lgbt 2026-06-30 19:21

@impermanen_@zirk.us “free daytime energy” is such a contrast to electric rates in #Michigan where we jack up the rates in the middle of the day to gouge people running their air conditioners in order to protect themselves from all the heat from the coal fires.

Open ##3576694
@davidtheeviloverlord@mastodon.social 2026-06-30 20:11

@impermanen_@zirk.us Here in Victoria, this it already happening. Only through certain energy retailers though. Why, yes. We did have to switch suppliers to get it now.

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