Interesting article/opinion by Amber regarding the free hours of electricity coming in July.
Will it worsening Amber’s prospects with more people leaving?
“Solar Sharer is a government initiative for households with smart meters in eligible regions. During a set three-hour window around midday, when solar generation peaks and wholesale prices can drop to zero or go negative, you pay nothing for electricity.
Sounds simple. A few things to know:
There's a 24 kWh cap on free usage during that window. It's designed to keep the scheme fair and sustainable - sized around the average needs of a five-person household.
Retailers offering Solar Sharer need to recover their costs somewhere, so rates outside the free window may be higher than a standard flat tariff. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) oversees the scheme and is specifically working to prevent retailers from inflating off-peak rates, but it's worth checking the fine print of any plan carefully.
It's only available in some regions, where there's high solar penetration and the right smart meter setup.
Structurally, Solar Sharer sits under the Default Market Offer (DMO) framework as a time of use standing offer tariff. Think of it like a standing offer with a twist”Amber and Solar Sharer