From 1 July 2026, millions of Australian households can access three hours of free electricity every day through the Solar Sharer scheme. If you drive an EV (or you're thinking about one), this is worth knowing about. A smart home charger running during the free window can add up to 150km of range without costing you a cent in electricity.
But Solar Sharer isn't as simple as "free power for everyone." There are eligibility requirements, a daily cap, and trade-offs built into the tariff structure that are worth understanding before you sign up. This guide breaks down exactly how the scheme works, who qualifies, and how to make the most of it.
Solar Sharer at a glance
Why does Solar Sharer exist?
Australia has the highest rate of rooftop solar adoption in the world. Over four million households now have panels on their roof, and thanks to state-based and federal incentives, the numbers keep growing. It’s great for cost savings, and for the environment, but it's created a structural problem in the electricity market.
During the middle of the day, those millions of solar systems are generating more electricity than the country can use. Wholesale prices during the midday hours regularly drop to zero, and sometimes go negative. All that clean energy is effectively going to waste. This is sometimes referred to as a solar glut.
In addition to this, electricity demand spikes in the late afternoon and evening when people get home, turn on appliances, and cook dinner. That's when power is most expensive.
Solar Sharer is designed to fix this imbalance by giving Australian households a reason to shift their energy use into the middle of the day. Run your dishwasher at noon instead of 7pm. Set your aircon to fire up at 11am AEST. Charge your EV while the sun is shining.
If enough households shift enough load, the grid benefits twice: less wasted solar during the day, and less pressure (and lower prices) during the evening peak.
Is Solar Sharer actually worth it?
Retailers don't absorb the cost of giving away three hours of electricity. Most will recover it through slightly higher rates during peak or shoulder periods, or through higher daily supply charges.
This means the maths doesn't check out for every household. If you can't shift meaningful usage into the free window, and you're currently on a competitive market offer, switching to a Solar Sharer plan could actually increase your bill.
EV owners are in a different position. An electric vehicle is one of the few household loads large enough to tip the equation. A 7.4kW charger running for three hours draws around 22kWh, which is close to the entire daily Solar Sharer cap on its own. Moving that kind of energy usage into the free window can take a real chunk off your electricity bill.
Where is Solar Sharer available?
Solar Sharer launches in NSW, South Australia, and Southeast Queensland. Not the whole country. The reason comes down to how electricity pricing is regulated in Australia.
Why is it only available in three regions?
NSW, Southeast QLD, and SA are regulated by the Default Market Offer (DMO), which exists to set a price cap for what retailers can charge households who don't actively shop around for a plan.
Because the federal government controls the DMO, it was able to build Solar Sharer directly into the rules: from 1 July, any retailer with more than 1,000 customers in those three regions must offer at least one plan with the three-hour free window. Other states have their own separate pricing frameworks, which is why they're not included at launch.
What does "Southeast Queensland" actually mean?
If you live in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, or Moreton Bay, you're in the Energex distribution network, and Solar Sharer applies to you. The Energex network covers more than 25,000 square kilometres of South East Queensland, running from the NSW border north to Gympie and west to the base of the Great Dividing Range.
If you live in regional or Far North Queensland, you're on the Ergon Energy network, which operates under a different regulatory framework. Solar Sharer doesn't apply to Ergon customers in the initial rollout.
