Whats next for the Solar & Battery market ft. Mike from GoSolar | All Energy Australia Expo

Go Solar’s role in the Australian market

Speaking at the All-Energy Australia Expo in Melbourne, Mike explained that Go Solar was founded in Western Australia in 2016 before expanding nationally. The business now operates in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, including two branches in Queensland’s Gold Coast region.

Go Solar began with solar panels and has since developed an installation arm and a solar-farm division. Mike described his own role as primarily focused on Queensland business development and sales, while also helping with marketing, warehouse work and truck driving when required.

For Go Solar, attending the expo is largely about building awareness, displaying products and educating installers. Mike said installers attend the event to find products they may take to market over the following 12 months.

Why Mike expects the battery market to change

Mike compared the current solar battery market with Australia’s solar panel market from several years ago. He said the panel market once featured a large number of brands carried by wholesalers, but that the available range has since narrowed.

In his view, the battery and inverter market could follow a similar path. The expo featured many manufacturers, but Mike questioned whether every brand would remain sustainable in Australia. He said the country has a strong solar market, although its population of about 27 million may not be large enough to support all the manufacturers operating here over the long term.

Mike’s concern is particularly relevant to households using a government battery rebate. He described the rebate as a one-off opportunity and argued that choosing a battery brand whose manufacturer later leaves Australia could make future support more difficult.

Brand longevity and installation support

Mike highlighted Growatt, SMA and Fronius as brands he said had been operating in Australia since 2012. He presented that local presence as one reason to consider the long-term availability of support when selecting a battery and inverter.

A battery purchase also involves more than the product warranty. There is a separate responsibility associated with the installation work, so the installer’s capability and ongoing presence can matter as well. Go Solar primarily distributes products to independent installers rather than employing all of them directly.

When a residential customer approaches Go Solar for an installation, the business can refer the work to an installer it already knows and considers credible. Mike also explained that Sunterra is a separate part of the wider business focused on residential installations. The company additionally has a solar-farm division for larger projects.

What may happen next

Mike said the Australian Government is currently supportive of the industry and that there is discussion about continuing the battery rebate into the future. However, he expects the number of available manufacturers to reduce as the market develops.

He stressed that this was his personal opinion and acknowledged that he could be wrong. His view is based on observing how the Australian solar industry has evolved since he entered the sector in 2012. The broader market remains changeable, with periods of strong activity followed by downturns - the industry’s familiar “solar coaster”.