Solar Sharer Starts July 2026. Here's Why Solar Owners Should Ignore It.

From July 1, 2026, the Australian government is requiring energy retailers to offer the Solar Sharer Offer: at least 3 hours of free electricity during the middle of the day, when solar generation is at its peak.

The headlines sound amazing. "Free power for all Australians." "Government mandates free electricity." And for households without solar panels, it genuinely is a good deal.

But if you already have solar? The Solar Sharer Offer is largely irrelevant to you. Here's why.

The Solar Sharer window is typically 11am to 2pm. That's when solar generation peaks across Australia, which is exactly why the government chose it.

But think about what's happening on your roof during those hours. Your solar panels are pumping out electricity. On a typical 6.6kW system in Sydney, you're generating 4-5kWh during that 3-hour window alone.

That electricity is already free. You generated it. You own it.

So what does the Solar Sharer Offer give you? The right to use grid electricity for free during the same hours your own electricity is already free. It's solving a problem you don't have.

For a non-solar household, Solar Sharer is a genuine win. They go from paying ~30c/kWh to paying nothing during peak solar hours.

For a solar household, nothing changes. You were already using free electricity. The only difference is whose free electricity you're using.

Here's where it gets interesting. Retailers aren't charities. They need to recover the cost of giving away free power somehow.

Existing "free daytime power" plans from OVO, AGL, and GloBird typically have higher rates outside the free window. The 3 hours are free, but you pay more for the other 21 hours.

The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) says it will monitor Solar Sharer plans to prevent gouging. But the economics are simple: the money has to come from somewhere.

Before signing up for any Solar Sharer plan, compare the total annual cost, not just the free hours. A plan with no free window but lower overall rates might save you more.

There's one scenario where Solar Sharer could benefit solar owners: if you have a home battery.

Here's the arbitrage play:

This only works if:

If you don't have a battery yet, this could be another reason to consider one. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries program covers about 30% of the cost.

If you don't have solar yet, you might be wondering if the Solar Sharer Offer means you don't need panels anymore.

Short answer: no.

Solar Sharer gives you 3 hours of free power. Your own solar system gives you 6-8 hours of free power plus export income. A typical 6.6kW system saves $1,500-$2,500 per year. Solar Sharer might save a non-solar household $200-$400 per year.

The maths isn't close. If you can install solar, you should. Solar Sharer is a nice bonus for renters and apartment dwellers who can't put panels on their roof. It's not a replacement for your own system.

The Solar Sharer Offer is a smart policy for sharing Australia's solar abundance with households who can't generate their own. For renters and apartment dwellers, it's genuinely useful.

But if you already have solar panels, don't rush to sign up for a Solar Sharer plan. You're already getting free electricity during that window. The only way Solar Sharer helps you is if you have a battery and can run the arbitrage play.

Instead, focus on what actually moves the needle for solar owners: a good feed-in tariff, a battery to capture evening value, and maybe a VPP program to earn 3-5x more per kWh exported.