AGL on Wednesday unveiled what it proposes as a substitute for the ageing, clapped out Liddell coal generator it plans to close in 2022: it suggests mostly a mix of wind and solar, topped with its own big battery, demand management and some gas power to help meet demand peaks.

Australian consumers are quickly getting wise to the crucial role battery storage will play, alongside rooftop solar, in cutting their reliance on increasingly expensive grid-supplied electricity, and driving down soaring power bills.

It’s been said before, but it bears repeating, particularly given what former coal chief Ian Dunlop describes as the extraordinary stupidity of Australia’s energy debate.

Volatility in the Small-scale Technology Certificates market has caught many installers out, but not all. Is there further to fall?