Advocates of renewable energy are predicting solar-battery storage technology could seriously disrupt Australia's fossil-fuel power industry in the coming years.
With the advent of new products, battery prices are expected to decline rapidly -- making solar power and storage more attractive, especially in the residential sector.
John Harvey's Melbourne home has been off the grid for a year.
Reliable solar batteries are a key part of the equation.
"At night with no sun it's essential that you have some sort of battery back up."
Solar power can provide energy during daylight hours, but when the sun goes down the users' power needs are generally met from the grid -- which gets most of its electricity from fossil fuels.
Australia is estimated to have the most per capita users of rooftop solar technology in the world.
Experts say the associated solar battery market is expected to explode.
Electric car maker Tesla, which has built tens of thousands of battery packs for cars, is now producing batteries for buildings on such a scale expected to dramatically reduce their costs.
Heath Walker from Tesla Australia says the "Powerwall" is a home battery that charges from solar panels to provide electricity in the evening.
"With solar power, for so long, people have been doing it for feed in tariffs. But now, with feed-in tariffs decreasing there is an opportunity for people to control their energy at their home through battery storage and the Powerwall, we believe, is the best way to do that."
Tesla claims its solar-powered battery will be more affordable and easier to use than existing batteries.
Andrew Reddaway, from the advocacy group the Alternative Technology Association, says it is a big advance in the solar market.
"It sets a new price benchmark because batteries are very expensive and as other competitors bring their price down to meet that benchmark then batteries will become more affordable."
Australian Climate Council chief Tim Flannery says Australians are on track to install over 50,000 battery storage systems a year over the next 10 years, featuring so-called PV or Photovoltaics technology, which converts sunlight into electricity.
"It is projected to have an enormous impact because, all of a sudden, when you get to that point you won't need coal fired power plants anymore. The old argument is that they are base load and, therefore, we need them because they generate [power] 24/7 -- but so do battery systems with solar PV."
Tom Nockolds, from the Sydney-based group the Community Power Agency, says remote Indigenous communities could benefit from solar battery storage.
"What those communities have said is important to them is not only energy affordability, but also autonomy, independence and self-control. So, they see batteries as a really interesting technology.'
