Starting July 1, 2026, Australia plans to provide all households – irrespective of whether they own rooftop solar systems – with free solar electricity for at least 3 hours during midday. The move aims to optimize excess daytime solar generation and promote efficient energy use, according to the federal government.
The new regulated electricity offer, named Solar Sharer Offer (SSO), will be enforced through the Default Market Offer (DMO) in New South Wales, South Australia, and South-east Queensland for now. It will be rolled out nationally by 2027 following further consultations for other parts of the country.
According to Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, the SSO will optimize the country’s abundant solar power generated by rooftop solar systems totaling over 4 million.
At the end of June 2025, Australia’s rooftop solar installations had reached a cumulative 26.8 GW. By June 2030, it is expected to exceed the 36 GW target with 37.2 GW (see Australia’s Cumulative Rooftop Solar Capacity Exceeds 26 GW). In Q3 2025, rooftop solar output rose 11%, according to the Clean Energy Council (CEC).
“Australia has more rooftop solar capacity than the entire fleet of remaining coal fired power stations across the country. This abundant power makes wholesale daytime prices very cheap, and even negative, and means the energy market often has more electricity in the middle of the day than we currently use,” according to the government. “Solar Sharer addresses this by encouraging consumers to use more of that power when it’s abundant.”
The SSO will provide households with free electricity in the middle of the day when solar generation peaks. The initiative aims to help all households – including those without rooftop solar or batteries – benefit from cheaper renewable power while easing pressure on the grid.
Customers can access the offer through their energy retailer, provided they have a smart meter and can shift energy use to the designated free periods. During these hours, they can run appliances, air conditioners, or pool cleaners, and charge electric vehicles or home batteries at no cost.
It will lower power bills and reduce evening demand, helping keep electricity prices and grid costs down.
“Free daytime power for families across Australia is proof that what’s good for the planet is good for your pocket,” said Bowen. “Reform to the DMO will strip out unnecessary costs and expand protections to all standing offer customers and small customers in embedded networks, including renters and apartment dwellers.”
The government has invited public consultation on the Solar Sharer Offer (SSO) and will accept feedback till November 21, 2025. It seeks stakeholder views on tariff design, consumer impacts, interactions with other reforms, consumer protections, and opportunities and risks associated with implementation.
The CEC calls the SSO a smart, future-focused reform that will enable more Australians to access cheap renewable energy, while reducing power bills and easing pressure on the grid.
“No other country on earth is generating this much power from home rooftops – and now everybody can share in the benefits of this national triumph,” stated CEC Chief Executive Jackie Trad. “Solar Sharer shows what good policy looks like: practical, equitable and built on the momentum of what millions of Australians are already doing – generating their own clean power.”
