Chris Bowen’s defining climate moment is nigh. And he knows what it means ‘if we get it wrong’

The take-up of Labor’s battery subsidy program has been strongest in areas outside the inner city. ‘I thought it would be popular … I told the colleagues that this will be an outer suburban story,’ the climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, says. Photograph: Bec Lorrimer/The Guardian

Progress on the climate crisis is often slow and frustrating. But sometimes, when people are given an opportunity, change can come in a rush.

On 1 July, the government introduced a subsidy scheme for small battery systems that reduces the cost for most households by about $4,000, or 30%. The response has been rapid. More than 1,000 batteries are being installed across the country each weekday.