Most people assume high energy bills are just part of life. One Western Sydney homeowner found another way, and it changed everything.
In just one month, he made $230 by selling excess solar energy back to the grid. He paid nothing for electricity.
It resulted from using an innovative energy platform called Amber, which gives users access to the wholesale energy market. It uses real-time pricing to help homeowners earn from their solar and battery systems.
In the following sections, Dan, the homeowner behind this setup, explains how it works, how much you can earn, what you need, and what risks to watch out for.
Whether you already have solar or you’re thinking about it, this could be the most valuable advice you’ll read about energy this year.
Full disclosure: Dan is on our team here as a solar consultant. He’s got solar, believes in solar, and just wanted to help his customers out.
At PSC Energy, we love guys on our team like Dan and services like Amber. It’s the latest opportunity for solar enthusiasts to make money from their solar system. This platform is a powerful one that essentially turns your solar battery into an energy retailer.
In this article, you will learn about the following:
- The Amber Energy Rate Experiment: Starting with Solar Panels and Tesla Powerwall 3
- How the Wholesale Energy Market Works with Amber Energy
- Control My Battery: Amber Energy’s In-app Option for the Tech-savvy
- The Solar Panel and Battery Energy System You Need to Win with Amber Energy
- Risks and Downsides to Amber Energy and How to Avoid Them
- How to Make Money Using Amber Energy in 2025 and Beyond
By the end of this article, you’ll know what Amber is and how you can use it to make money and relieve the grid.
Let’s hear from Dan.
The Amber Energy Rate Experiment: Starting with Solar Panels and Tesla Powerwall
I made $230 in 30 days just by letting my battery send energy back to the grid at the right time. I didn’t touch a thing. It all happened through Amber’s smart system, which is called SmartShift.
Let me explain how it works in real life.
My home system has 15 kilowatts of solar panels and two Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries, which store 27 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power together. I also have a 10 kilowatt (kW) inverter, which means I can send up to 10 kW of power to the grid at once.
One afternoon, there was a price spike on the energy market. This means the price of electricity shot up, and people with extra energy could sell it for a high amount.
On that day, the price went as high as $17 per kWh. That is huge. Normally, electricity costs around 30 to 40 cents per kWh.
Amber saw that price spike coming and got ready.
- It started charging my battery earlier in the day, so I would be ready to sell at the right moment.
- Then, when the spike hit, it dumped almost all my stored power—9.8 kW at once—into the grid.
- If that $17 price had lasted a full hour (sometimes it does), that would be $170 in just one hour.
This isn’t rare.
In my first month using Amber, this kind of thing happened more than once. At the end of the month, I had made $230 in credits, and I didn’t owe a single dollar for power.
That’s better than a bill. That’s getting paid to use electricity.
Why does this matter?
Most people think solar energy just helps cut the bill a little. But with a battery and an innovative system like Amber, your solar setup becomes an income stream. You don’t just save money, you make it.
That’s why I’m sharing this. I didn’t do anything fancy or complicated. I just had the right setup, and Amber did the rest.
If you’d like to learn more about the price of a Powerwall 3, you might want to check out the following article titled, How Much Does a Tesla Powerwall 3 Cost?
Power up your savings. click here.
How the Wholesale Energy Market Works with Amber Energy
Amber gives you direct access to the wholesale energy market. That means instead of paying a fixed rate to an energy company, you buy and sell electricity at the real market price, which changes every few minutes.
Sometimes that price is low. Sometimes it’s high. And sometimes, it’s so high that you can make a lot of money if you have extra energy.
Let me show you how it works.
The price of energy usually stays between 30 and 40 cents per kWh, which is what most people pay on their bills.
But during a price spike, the cost can shoot up to $6, $10, or even $20 per kWh. These spikes don’t last long.
They usually last 30 minutes to 2 hours, mostly between 5 and 8 p.m., when everyone is at home using their power.
That’s when your battery becomes valuable.
Amber watches the market 24/7. Their system, SmartShift, predicts these spikes and prepares your battery to sell at the best time.
It decides when to charge, when to hold, and when to dump power into the grid. It does all this without you lifting a finger.
You can also see what’s happening in real time. The Amber app shows the current market price, your battery charge, and how much energy your home is using. You always know what’s going on.
One night, the price hit $18 per kWh, and my system was ready. Amber had already filled my battery during cheaper times. When the price spiked, my system exported 9.8 kW to the grid. That’s how I made big money, fast.
These price spikes don’t happen every day, but they’re common. I’ve seen them happen 4 to 5 times per week. Some weeks are better than others, especially during extreme weather; very hot, very cold, or cloudy days make the grid work harder, and that pushes prices up.
The wholesale market changes all the time. It’s a bit like the fuel market. Prices go up and down, but you can win big if you know when to buy and sell. Amber helps you do that without needing to know anything about the market.
And here’s the best part: if prices go below zero (which they sometimes do during the day), Amber can charge your battery for free. Sometimes, it even pays you to charge.
So instead of just using solar during the day, you can fill your battery with free or cheap energy and sell it later when prices go high. That’s the trick. That’s how the money is made.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about Amber, you might want to check out the following article titled, Amber Energy Australia Explained: A Smart Way to Save (and Earn) with Solar Panels and Battery.
Let’s talk solar savings. Click here.
Control My Battery: Amber Energy’s In-app Option for the Tech-savvy
The Amber app has a green button that reads, “Control My Battery.” This allows you to step in and run your battery your way.
You can tell it to:
- Charge now from the grid (great if you get a storm warning and want to top up fast)
- Export now to the grid for 30, 60, 90 minutes or even just a couple of minutes
- Preserve battery, so it holds the charge and doesn’t export
- Be self-sufficient, which means use your solar and battery only, and ignore the grid
These controls are easy to use. You just tap the button and make the choice. That’s it.
Having this kind of control is powerful. Let’s say a storm is coming and you need a full battery in case of a blackout. You can charge up right away. Or maybe you see a price spike before SmartShift reacts—you can jump in and sell your power.
Amber gives you both worlds: automatic smarts when you want to sit back, and complete control when you want to step in.
SmartShift has saved me time and made me money. I don’t need to guess what the market is doing. I trust the system to look after it, and it’s been spot on every time.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about solar batteries, you might want to start with the following article titled, Adding a Battery to a Solar System.
Ready to go solar? click here.
The Solar Panel and Battery Energy System You Need to Win with Amber Energy
Your setup matters if you want to make real money with Amber and the wholesale energy market. The most important thing is having a battery. Without a battery, you won’t be able to store energy when it’s cheap and sell it when it’s expensive. Solar panels help, but the battery is what makes the money.
Here’s what I use at home:
- 15 kW of solar panels
- Two Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries
- 27 kWh of total battery storage
- 10 kW of inverter export capacity
This setup lets me send a lot of power to the grid fast. During a price spike, I can export almost 10 kW at once. That’s why I made $230 in one month.
You can still make money if you don’t have a big system like mine. But the more battery storage you have, the better.
In 2025, having a bigger battery is more useful than having more solar. That’s because most price spikes happen in the evening when your solar panels aren’t producing much power.
You need a battery to take full advantage of those price spikes.
Amber also works best with a smart inverter that can manage exports. Right now, their system fully supports curtailment (which means stopping power from going to the grid) for some string inverters.
If your battery is full during negative pricing, and your system can’t stop exports, it might cost you a few dollars. I’ve seen this happen on my system. It cost me about $4 to $6 monthly, which is small compared to the $230 I made.
If you want to avoid that issue altogether, you can use a battery that supports curtailment well, like:
- Tesla Powerwall 3 (DC version)
- Sigen Store (DC)
Those batteries already work smoothly with Amber’s software and won’t export during negative pricing unless you want them to.
Another important part is export limit control. You can limit how much your system sends out if you want to avoid selling during bad times. But remember, if you limit exports too much, you might miss the chance to earn during price spikes.
Here’s the key:
- Get the biggest battery you can afford
- Make sure your inverter works well with Amber’s curtailment tools
- Set up your system to export as much power as your battery can handle during peak times
With the right system, you turn your home into a power plant. You store cheap energy and sell it when it’s worth the most. And all of it can run on autopilot.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the benefits of solar batteries, you might want to start with the following article titled, 7 Benefits of Adding a Battery to Your Solar System.
Get started with solar. click here.
Risks and Downsides to Amber Energy and How to Avoid Them
Amber has worked really well for me, but like any system, it’s not perfect. There are some risks you should know about. The good news is they’re easy to manage if you set things up correctly and stay aware.
The first big risk is joining Amber without a battery.
I don’t recommend this. Some people do it and still save a bit because Amber lets you buy cheap energy and sometimes even get paid to use power when prices go negative. But without a battery, you can’t protect yourself during price spikes. If prices shoot up to $10 or $20 per kWh and you need to run appliances, you could end up with a big bill fast.
For example, if you use just 3 kWh during a spike at $20, that’s $60 for a small amount of energy. You’re stuck paying those prices without a battery to cover that time. That’s not worth the risk.
The second risk is your battery being full during negative pricing.
Negative pricing means you get paid to use power. But if your battery is full and your solar panels are still producing energy, that extra power gets sent to the grid. If Amber can’t stop it, you might have to pay to export energy. This has happened to me a couple of times, costing me around $4 to $6 over 30 days. It’s not a lot, but it can be annoying.
Amber is working on this issue. They already have good curtailment tools for some inverters, but others (like Enphase at the time of writing) are still waiting on updates. If your system uses one of those, the fix is coming soon. You can also avoid this by:
- Getting a battery with better export control
- Expanding your battery so it has more room to charge
- Using the Amber app to manually manage exports when needed
The third risk is using up your battery before a price spike hits.
Let’s say you use lots of power in the afternoon and don’t realise a price spike is coming. Your battery could get too low to export or even run out completely. Then, when the spike hits, you’re either stuck buying expensive energy or you miss out on selling when the price is high.
To fix this, you can trust SmartShift to handle it or check the app during the day to see if a spike is coming. Amber usually makes a good plan ahead of time. But if you want to be extra sure, you can tell your battery to preserve energy or charge up before the evening rush.
Another smart move is to buy as much battery storage as possible. A bigger battery gives you more energy to work with and more chances to make money. It also protects you better when prices swing up or down.
One final risk is ignoring Amber’s alerts. If the app warns you about a spike and you don’t check your usage, you might end up using more energy than you should. You want to keep usage low during high-price periods unless you’re selling.
Here’s how to stay safe:
- Always have a battery.
- Set up SmartShift and check the app for price alerts.
- Avoid using too much power when prices are high.
- Get an inverter and battery combo that works well with Amber’s software.
- Use the manual controls if you need to act fast.
Most of these risks are small and easy to handle. I’ve been on Amber for a month and haven’t lost any money. I’ve only made money. If you follow the setup and keep an eye on the app now and then, you’ll be in a strong position.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about VPPs, you might want to check out the following article titled, What is a Virtual Power Plant (VPP)?
Let’s go solar today. Click here.
How to Make Money Using Amber Energy in 2025 and Beyond
Making money with solar and a battery isn’t just possible, it’s smart. In 2025, there are more ways than ever to boost your return and shrink your energy bill to zero. These strategies helped me earn $230 in one month, and they can work for you too.
The first strategy is simple: sell when prices are high.
Most price spikes happen between 5 and 8 p.m. That’s when the sun is down and people use lights, ovens, and air conditioners. Solar panels don’t help much during this time. But your battery can shine. It stores energy from earlier in the day and sells it when everyone else is buying.
If you send just 10 kWh to the grid during a $10 per kWh spike, that’s $100 in one hour. These spikes don’t happen every day, but when they do, they matter. They’re your biggest profit window.
The second strategy is to charge your battery when prices are low or negative.
Negative pricing is real. I’ve seen it happen four to five times a week. On clear sunny days, the grid gets flooded with solar power. That makes energy prices drop, sometimes below zero. When that happens, Amber can charge your battery from the grid and pay you for it.
Then later, when prices rise again, you sell that same energy and make even more money. This turn-around—buying low, selling high—makes your battery pay for itself faster.
The third strategy is to pair your setup with an electric vehicle.
If you have an EV, negative pricing gets even better. You can charge your car when the grid wants to give energy away. You end up getting paid to drive. Imagine filling your car’s battery for free, or better yet, being paid to do it.
Your solar panels, your home battery, and your EV can all work together. You feed power into the grid when prices are high. You take power from the grid when prices are low or negative. It’s like turning your home into a little power station.
The fourth strategy is to stay in control with the Amber app.
SmartShift is excellent, but sometimes it misses small windows. The “Control My Battery” button lets you:
- Top up your battery before bad weather
- Sell early if you spot a price spike coming
- Hold back energy if you want to save it for later
I’ve used these controls a few times, and they’ve made a real difference.
The last strategy is to keep your system updated.
Amber keeps improving their software, working hard to support more inverters and batteries. Make sure your gear stays compatible, especially for curtailment during negative pricing. That way, you don’t lose money by accident.
If you follow these steps, you can lower your payback period to just 2 to 3 years. That’s fast. I know people who have waited 7 or more years to pay off their systems. With Amber, that timeline shrinks a lot.
And batteries will get even cheaper when the new federal rebate goes ahead. That would make this a no-brainer for anyone paying more than $300 a quarter on electricity.
Amber gives you tools. Your job is to use them. The better your setup and the smarter your strategy, the more you’ll earn.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about what solar batteries are on the market, you might want to check out the following article titled, 6 Best Solar Batteries on the Market.
Wrapping Things Up: Amber is the Colour of Your Energy
At PSC Energy, we’re proud of our team. When one member steps up like Dan to explore the future of energy trading, we’re here to support him. He’s highlighted a tremendous partner we like to work with, Amber, and the value it promises to customers.
If you’re interested in wholesale energy trading, sign up for Amber.
If you’re looking for a solar and battery setup, have a yarn with Dan or a member of our highly trained consulting team. We’re here to help you save and work towards saving the planet. It’s what we do.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more about the battery market, you might want to check out the following article titled, Best Home Solar Batteries for 2025.
