Home owners in the ACT can once again take advantage of the Territory government’s Feed-in Tariff scheme, with households now eligible for 30.16 cents per kilowatt hour for their generated power, on the medium-scale scheme that was originally intended for solar farms, commercial-scale installations, and community group projects.

The closure of the ‘micro-generator’ scheme in June, for new systems 30kW and under, was met with disappointment amongst the public and the solar industry. The united voices of a group of ACT-based solar companies, including Solar Shop Australia, the nation’s number one supplier of grid-connected solar, helped to turn the tide.

In the lead-up to the Rally for Solar in Canberra on June 21, Andrew Towndrow, our Manager in the Territory, said that “The Solar industry welcomes any alternative to closing access to the system, whether that be a lower tariff rate (34 cents) with regular reduction over time, allowing the industry to stand on its own two feet”.

Members of the Greens and Liberals Party banded together in the ACT Parliament to push the necessary changes through, delivering a practical solution for the problem of how to support the solar industry through a time of flux.

But critics warn that this temporary solution may hinder the approval of medium-scale projects, and point out that it will only delay the inevitable slow-down that will come after the medium-scale scheme hits its own 15-megawatt cap.

“This should be a wake up call to Federal, State and Territory Governments to develop a longer term strategy that does away with boom-bust industry," Andrew Towndrow said.

"They need to provide an ongoing sustainable incentive for the average Australian household to adopt renewable energy while eliminating the pass through cost burden on the remainder of the society and tax payers.”

The message for ACT households (and those planning commercial projects) is clear: now is a good time to take action.

Book a free home consultation with one of Solar Shop Australia’s Renewable Energy Advisors today, and check out our current special offers for great solar system deals, available with with $0 deposit finance.

The ACT Government announced on 1st June that the ‘Micro-Scale Solar Generation’ scheme for residential solar systems up to 30kW in size was to close to new participants.

ACT households are no longer able to access ANY incentives to encourage them to install roof-top solar power. The immediate result of this announcement has been the disappearance of this fledgling industry in the ACT, with the solar industry forced to lay off staff, with more to go in the coming weeks, if possible positive changes are not made to the scheme to maintain its accessibility to ACT householders going forward.

A group of ACT-based solar companies have met with Government, Greens & Liberal MLA’s to voice concerns about the dire situation and be part of workable solution that builds a sustainable local renewable energy ndustry.

To reinforce this, ACT solar businesses are leading a Rally for Solar on the Winter Solstice next Tuesday as a call for action for the ACT Assembly to work towards a win:win:win solution to this legislatively-created problem:

Businesses that have been represented in meetings with the local Government are: Akora Energy, Envirofriendly, Pure Solar, Pyramid Power, Solargain, Solartec and Solar Shop Australia.

"The ACT industry is already feeling the impact of this sudden announcement, and will be forced to rapidly change their business models if they want to keep their doors open beyond the end of July, “ said Andrew Towndrow, ACT Manager of one of Australia’s largest solar energy retailers, Solar Shop Australia.

“While the ACT Government has shown a strong commitment to renewable energy with the announcements earlier in the year, the impact of recent developments on the local solar industry will be devastating”.

The simple, reasonable request from Industry, and the householders they serve, is for Feed-in-Tariff incentives to be maintained for householders to access until there is “grid-parity” (i.e. Where the cost of electricity and the cost to install solar energy are equal and incentive support is no longer needed.)

“Solar industry welcomes any alternative to closing access to the system, whether that be a lower tariff rate ($0.34 cents) with regular reduction over time, allowing the industry to stand on it’s own two feet”.

“We would encourage all parties to try and find a solution that delivers a soft landing for industry and a sustainable future for all the workers that this industry supports”.

Solar companies, employees, householders and affected 3rd party suppliers (ie – installers and electricians and  climate action groups) are invited to participate.

Contact:
Andrew Towndrow
Phone 02 6202 2603
Fax 02 6202 2699
Mob 0448 968 829
Email andrew.towndrow@solarshop.com.au
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twitter.com/rallyforsolar