Falling technology costs and rising electricity prices make going off the grid appealing but regulations and networks could hold others back
Living off-grid used to be something that people had to do to support modern life in remote communities but living without centralised power is becoming an increasingly mainstream concept.
Last year Australia’s CSIRO and its Energy Networks Association stated that by 2050 a third of Australians could have left the electricity grid as technologies that support off-grid systems, such as solar panels and battery storage, become significantly more competitive. In fact, the chief economist at the CSIRO’s Energy Flagship, Paul Graham, estimates battery storage costs could fall by about 60% in the next 10 years, while solar panels could fall by around a third over the same period.
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