The Australian solar and storage industry has grown from a handful of companies to thousands over the last forty years.

In its early days, EVERY solar system had a battery because grid connected solar wasn’t even a thing.  Our industry pioneers had no choice but to learn about the nuances of designing, installing and maintaining batteries safely to get the solar industry off the ground, and they’ve never stopped learning.

Fast forward a few decades and batteries are at the heart of solar once again.

It’s ironic that a small rule change with huge consequences may exclude the most experienced battery professionals in this industry.

There are around 300 accredited solar storage designers and installer who are affected by this rule change and they’re mostly in regional and rural areas. On average, they employ around 5 people in each company meaning that thousands of peoples jobs are at risk if they lose their ability to sell, and hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue on small communities could vanish.

Australia’s solar pioneers have immeasurable experience – more than forty years in some cases. Mistakes were made, lessons were learned and technology evolved rapidly.  Our solar pioneers recognised the risks decades ago and helped to develop the training courses, rules, regulations and industry associations that everyone in our industry abides by today. A critical element of this was the need for continuous professional development, which was a response to the mind blowing rate of technological advancement in solar and storage.

To install batteries in Australia you need specific accreditation and training- it’s ironic that the many of the trainers may be impacted by this rule change.

Our industry desperately needs more designers, supervisors and installers to take up the mantle and meet the surging demand for storage so its bewildering that just as the new rebate is kicking off, our most seasoned industry professionals are at risk of exclusion.

After more than a year of arguing with regulators, ombudsmen and Government SEIA has ramped up a last ditch campaign to help retain and support our most experienced pioneers.

Can you help?