S02E5: The Great Solar Upgrade: Inside Australia’s Battery Boom and What’s Next

In Episode 5 of The OpenSolar Podcast, Sophie Wright is joined by Blair Pester, Managing Director of WINAICO Australia and one of the most recognisable voices in Australian solar. After nearly 14 years in the industry, Blair has witnessed almost every major shift firsthand, from the early days of rooftop solar adoption through to today’s battery-driven energy transition.

Part industry analysis, part future forecast, their conversation explores the battery boom, rising panel prices, evolving installer business models and why the next opportunity for solar businesses may not be selling more systems, but upgrading the millions already installed.

Also available to stream on Apple and Spotify.

Thirteen years of watching the market evolve

Few people have had a front-row seat to Australia’s solar journey quite like Blair.

Since entering the Australian market, WINAICO Australia has built a reputation for listening closely to installers and adapting products to suit local conditions. Whether it was designing salt-resistant panels for coastal installations, creating stronger modules for cyclone-prone regions, or responding to demand for specific panel sizes, Blair’s philosophy has remained consistent: solve real problems for installers.

That perspective has given him a unique view of how the industry has matured.

And according to Blair, the pace of change right now feels unlike anything he’s seen before.

The battery boom that changed the conversation

For much of last year, Australia’s solar industry felt subdued. Then the battery rebate arrived.

Almost overnight, conversations shifted. Homeowners who had never seriously considered energy storage suddenly wanted to know how batteries worked, how much they could save, and whether their homes were suitable.

According to the Clean Energy Council, a record 183,245 home batteries were installed in Australia in the second half of 2025 alone — more than the previous four years combined.

Installers saw enquiries surge. Businesses accelerated hiring plans. The industry regained momentum.

“It gave the industry a shot in the arm,” Blair says.

For WINAICO Australia, the second half of the year delivered the strongest performance in the company’s Australian history. Across the broader industry, batteries moved from a nice-to-have addition to the centrepiece of the customer conversation.

What was once an attachment sale became the main event.

Why the world is watching Australia

Australia has long been a global leader in rooftop solar adoption.

What makes the current moment different is the scale of battery uptake occurring across an already mature solar market.

For Blair, that makes Australia one of the most fascinating energy experiments in the world.

With millions of homes generating their own electricity and an increasing number adding storage, Australia is becoming a real-world case study in how distributed energy can support grid stability at scale. More than four million Australian homes now have rooftop solar, the highest per-capita adoption rate in the world, and batteries are increasingly helping households store excess solar during the day and use it when demand peaks.

While most countries are still watching from the sidelines, Australia is building it in real time.

“It’s creating a really interesting case study for the rest of the world,” Blair says.

As utilities, policymakers and energy companies around the globe search for solutions to growing grid challenges, many are paying close attention to what happens next in Australia.

The end of commodity solar?

While batteries have created enormous opportunity, they have also intensified competition.

One of Blair’s biggest concerns is the increasing commoditisation of solar. When installers are selling the same panels, batteries and equipment as everyone else, it becomes harder to stand out and conversations quickly become focused on price.

For Blair, the businesses that succeed will be those offering genuine points of difference, whether that’s premium products, stronger warranties, better service or added peace of mind for homeowners.

As the market matures, success won’t come from selling the same products as everyone else. It will come from helping customers solve bigger energy problems.