AUSTRALIA CUTS NEW ENERGY INCENTIVES

Sun setting on era of cheap solar; Homeowners will have to pay at least $1000 towards the cost of their solar panels, under an overhaul of the Gillard government's green subsidy scheme.
Siobhain Ryan, November 12, 2010 (The Australian)

"…The federal Climate Change Department has drafted regulations, to take effect from January, that would slash thousands of dollars' worth of subsidies for photovoltaic units installed on homes by 20 per cent or more [without some out-of-pocket expense to consumers]…

"If 10 per cent of buyers spend less than $1000 for their solar power system per kilowatt of capacity, the federal Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator will reduce the number of renewable energy certificates issued for those units, according to the draft new rules…Those certificates, which allow suppliers of solar power to earn five times as much as suppliers of coal-fired power, are currently worth about $6200 for a 1.5 kilowatt system."

click to enlarge

"The subsidies, widely used by solar energy companies to discount the price of their products and boost sales, are supplemented by a separate premium paid for green power fed into state electricity grids…Clean Energy Council policy director Russell Marsh said yesterday that governments and electricity users were footing the entire bill for some rooftop solar systems…

"…An Australian National University review this week revealed two-thirds of the solar panels funded under a $1.1 billion federal rebate scheme were installed in well-off suburbs…That scheme, which offered householders an $8000 rebate to install solar panels on their roofs, was scrapped last year."

click to enlarge

"Last month, NSW pulled back its support for the fast-growing home solar power industry, by cutting by two-thirds its generous feed-in tariff for power supplied from household units…Mr Marsh said people who had photovoltaic panels installed should expect to pick up at least some of the costs…

"…Canberra's plan to generate 20 per cent of electricity from green sources in 2020 ensures power companies buy renewable energy certificates, but those costs then flow through their customers…Labor is under intense pressure to act on climate change…[and is] fighting off damaging opposition claims that its new promise to set a carbon price will force up electricity prices…Opposition climate action spokesman Greg Hunt said yesterday he fully supported the concept of a shared contribution towards photovoltaic panels from householders…"