Australia is world-leading in solar adoption, with one in 3 homes equipped with a rooftop solar system. Ongoing volatility in fuel and energy prices is prompting Australian households to rethink how they power their homes and vehicles, with solar emerging as a way to buffer against rising costs.
Australia's solar capacity has grown so rapidly that we now generate more midday solar power than the grid can comfortably absorb. And not all households have the option to install solar. To address these two issues the Australian Government is introducing Solar Sharer.
It will offer a daily period of free electricity for millions of Australians - but do they even know about the scheme? If they're eligible? And what do they think about this opportunity?
What is Solar Sharer?
Solar Sharer will be available from July 2026 in South East Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. Energy retailers will offer households with a smart meter the option to receive 3 hours of free electricity in the middle of the day - when solar generation peaks - irrespective of whether they have a rooftop solar system or not.
Solar Sharer could help overcome issues with excess midday solar production and make the benefits of solar more accessible to the wider Australian population. But the scheme can only work if Australians actively opt in and shift their electricity use. This is unlikely to happen unless Australians are aware of the scheme, know exactly how it will work, trust the key stakeholders (government and electricity retailers) and see the scheme as benefiting them.
Less than 3 months before the intended rollout, we know little about whether people are aware of the scheme; what they think about it; their intended engagement with it; and if they are even in a position to shift their electricity use into the free window.
As part of our ongoing research, we have conducted a survey to answer those questions.
Do Australians know about Solar Sharer?
Despite millions of Australians becoming eligible for Solar Sharer from July, knowledge about it is limited. At the time of the survey (March 2026), less than half of the people surveyed had heard of the scheme.
People living in states where the scheme will be introduced in July didn't show higher levels of awareness of the scheme. So, when it comes to informing people about Solar Sharer, there is a lot more work to be done.
What do Australians like about Solar Sharer?
Surveyed Australians generally see benefits in Solar Sharer but were unsure about actively opting in and shifting their electricity use. While people were primarily attracted to the cost-saving potential, to a lesser extent, some also recognised the environmental benefits, increased equity of benefits from solar rooftop systems and potential to ease strain on the electricity grid.
What are some of the challenges of the scheme?
The concerns raised about the scheme focused mostly on implementation issues, including its availability only in some states, the need to opt in, operating hours, a lack of information about the scheme, concerns to be locked into the scheme and prices going up during other usage periods.
While many Australians are excited about Solar Sharer, we also found some significant limitations to shifting electricity use to midday:
- Not everyone can shift their usage. People who are not at home during the day, for example, will struggle to find ways to benefit from the free electricity window.
- Most people only plan to shift the use of devices that are already relatively low in electricity consumption like their washing machine or dishwasher. This suggests that while some behaviour change is possible, people are less willing or able to move higher‑consumption activities like electric car charging or hot water use, into the free electricity window.
- Currently, not all Australians can benefit from Solar Sharer - either because they do not live in the initial rollout states or because they don't have a smart meter.
- Only a few people are actively planning to use timers or scheduling apps, pointing to a limited understanding of ways in which households may be able to benefit from Solar Sharer.
From this first insight into our Solar Sharer data, it is clear that while Australians are open to the scheme, many are currently unaware of it and there is limited knowledge on how they can benefit. How the government will pitch Solar Sharer and inform the public about the specifics of the scheme will determine its success.
Read more on Solar Sharer from the authors in Nature Energy.
About the authors
Dr Anna Zinn and Professor Sara Dolnicar are behavioural scientists at The University of Queensland Business School.
