Greens to increase solar bonus....as Govt sits on own review

21/07/10 6:00 pm

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has introduced a Private Members Bill into State Parliament to create a new, more generous, household solar ‘feed-in’ credit scheme.

The move comes as a consultant’s review into the State Government’s own less generous scheme has still not been released 8 months after being handed in to the Government – allowing energy retailers to continue to under-pay households for the solar electricity they export to the grid.

The Rann Government has refused to release the consultant’s report under Freedom of Information, and has given no indication when their review, which was first announced in May last year, will be complete.

“We are sick and tired of waiting for the Government to improve their scheme,” said Greens MLC Mark Parnell, who has been campaigning for over 2 years for electricity retailers to pay a fair price for the solar power they receive from household solar PV owners.

“Although South Australia had the first solar feed-in bonus scheme in the country, other states have well and truly over-taken us, and we now have one of the least generous,” he said.

A June 2010 report by consumer advocate CHOICE suggests that because of South Australia’s less generous scheme, payback times for household solar panels in SA are almost twice that of panels in NSW.

“A feed-in bonus for households is regarded as one of the most effective ways to encourage green energy, and is a wonderful way to reduce our severe summer ‘peak’ of electricity demand.

“As NSW powers ahead, Premier Rann has sat on a report into his scheme since before Christmas. Meanwhile, SA households continue to be ripped off,” he said.

Along with the new Bill, the Greens have released a briefing paper identifying options to pay for an expanded solar feed-in bonus scheme that won’t increase the power bills of people on low incomes.

“There are a number of genuine options for funding a more generous feed-in scheme that don’t hurt the households who can least afford it,” said Mr Parnell.

“At the moment, the cost of the scheme is spread evenly across all households in South Australia - but there are alternatives.

“The solar feed-in scheme can be expanded in South Australia to deliver real benefits to households and the state grid, without adding to the electricity bills of low income households,” he said.

More details of the Greens Electricity (Renewable Energy) Amendment Bill 2010:

• Allows small-scale wind and other renewable energy sources, as well as solar.
   
• Changes the scheme from a ‘net’ (where households are only paid for the excess power they export to the grid) to a ‘gross’ payment (where households are paid for all the power they export to the grid) – significantly increasing the return to households.
   
• Increases the rate from 44c/kWh to 50c/kWh.

More information:

Greens’ Stop the Solar Rip-off Campaign page

CHOICE comparison of interstate solar feed-in schemes

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