Happy Solar Family: Josh in Balmain

27 July 2025

“OUR FIRST POWER BILL WITH THIS SYSTEM WAS ZERO DOLLARS.” 

When University of Sydney science professor Joshua Cinner moved to Sydney from North Queensland 18 months ago, he knew he wanted to go solar. He had solar in their Queensland home.

But this time he wanted a battery too. He wanted blackout protection, but also he wanted to futureproof his living expenses against rising power prices by maximising his use of solar. 

And of course, it’s the climate issue that matters most to him.

Pictured: Josh Cinner at his family home in Balmain.

“I’m a professor of sustainability so I actually believe in the issue of reducing our carbon emissions and this is probably the clearest way that we as individuals can do that,” Josh says.

“The other one was kind of the economics of it as well. I don't really want to give my money to fossil fuel companies. I’d rather, you know, give it to NGOs, to suppliers of the solar installations, to people making renewable energy sources.”

Five months ago, Josh’s 16-panel rooftop solar PV system in Balmain with 10 kilowatt-hour battery became the 423rd PV system facilitated by Inner West Community Energy and the 41st battery. The system is typically producing more than 95% of the power needs for his young family of four, even in winter. 

Pictured: Josh and his brand new home battery.

“It’s cut down our power bills dramatically,’ Josh says. “Our first power bill with this system was zero dollars. Part of that was the $75 rebate from the government, but that actually made it negative. It was a negative power bill for the first time, ever.”

Josh came to IWCE to help him work through all the systems and installers in the Inner West solar market. 

“It was really useful for me,” he says. “I’m a professor of sustainability and so I’m used to doing research. I’m really good at it. I was just perplexed at all of the information and all of the rebates, how you could get them, what was going on, who the suppliers were. 

“There’s just so much information and it’s not like you’re comparing apples in a lot of it. It’s specifically set up to confuse people so that you go with one provider or another and there’s no real way to compare.”

If you’d like IWCE face-to-face advice on solar, batteries or hot water heat pumps, our next community event is a big one! 

We’re running a Home Battery Mini Expo at Marrickville pavilion, next to the library, on Saturday, August 16th, from 10am to 1pm. 

It’s a free event but bookings are essential through Humanitix here.

Please help us spread the word!

Pictured: Josh’s new solar system from above.