Local Energy Stories:

Deb's solar and battery install

This Local Energy Story takes us to Deb’s house in Beauty Point – a beautiful spot, but one that faces frequent intermittent power cuts. The power lines bringing electricity to Beauty Point – and many other communities in Bega Valley – traverse many kilometres of forest and farmland, making them vulnerable to faults during storms and high wind conditions.

Map showing approximate path of power lines that deliver electricity to Beauty Point - they traverse many kilometres of forest and farmland.

For Deb's household, the power outages were becoming a real disruption to their ability to do their work and connect to the internet. Last year, they contacted local electrician Isaac Shannos from Stand-alone Solutions, who provided advice and helped select and install 7.5kW of rooftop solar panels and a 24kWh Sigenergy battery system with back-up power capability.



So how has it been working for them so far? We caught up with Deb, and she said she could not be more pleased! She says: “We have had multiple power cuts since the system was installed, one of them lasting most of a weekday, and the only reason we even knew the power was out because the battery app let us know that we were working off-grid. There was an extended power cut following some big storms, and we did not even notice – our lights, TV, and internet stayed on without interruption”.



What about during peak times and busy holiday seasons? “Our multitude of visitors usually leads to a huge increase in our energy bills – but this last summer and autumn we didn’t have to import any power from the grid! We even managed a packed family Christmas, powered fully from our solar panels and battery. We are still grid-connected, so can use grid power if we need it. Through some of the longer winter rainy periods we have imported a little bit of energy from the grid, but overall our energy cost has reduced significantly.”

Deb showing the new Sigenergy battery system to visitors.

The Sigenergy battery system has a modular design, where a number of units can be stacked together to provide the right amount of battery storage for your particular house or business. When paired with rooftop solar, it provides a resilient local power system, providing electricity to the home even when the main power grid is down. It can also sell excess solar power back into the grid when the battery is full - contributing to renewable electricity generation beyond the home where it is installed.



Thank you Deb for sharing your story with us, and we hope it provides reliable, renewable power and great savings for your household for many years to come. 



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Keen to learn more about home batteries?

If you're thinking of installing a home battery like Deb's, you'll be pleased to know about the Federal Government's Cheaper Home Batteries program. It launched on July 1st 2025, and provides an impressive discount (about 30%) on the upfront cost of approved home batteries - including Sigenergy. There is a further, smaller incentive available from the NSW Government for battery owners that join a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) (though we recommend you find out more about VPPs to decide if its right for you). 



Local battery and solar installers - like Isaac from Stand-alone Solutions who installed Deb's battery - are a great contact point to discuss battery options and incentives. If you're keen to dig into the details yourself first, we can recommend the guide put together by the Solar Quotes team: Solar & Battery Rebates, Subsidies & Incentives – 2025. And a good guide on battery systems and options in general can be found at Your Home: Batteries. 



Also - stay tuned for Renewable Bermagui's upcoming community workshop on Home Batteries coming up later this year, where we will bring experts and installers together to help answer your questions. We'll send out a "Save the Date" very soon!