Rebates

Grid Connect

The Australian Government provides subsidies for homeowners who invest in grid connected solar systems through rebates and feed in tariffs.

Rebates

You will currently receive Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) back on the full cost of the system, with a rebate of 3 times the RECs for the first 1.5kW. In December, 2010 the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency announced amendments to Solar Credits multiplier.
The phase out of the Solar Credits multiplier will be brought forward by one year, from:
•    5 to 3 on 1 July 2011; and,
•    3 to 2 from 1 July 2012; and.
•    2 to 1 from 1 July 2013.

So this means less rebates every year, so if you are thinking about installing a grid-connect solar power system, now's the time to do it!.

Feed in tariffs

Individual states also have varying feed in tariffs which provides a premium price for the electricity your solar power system exports to the grid.  Below is a table showing different state's feed in tariff arangements.

Off Grid

From June 24 2010, households and businesses installing systems on buildings more than a kilometre from the main grid or who have evidence that it would cost in excess of $30,000 to connect to mains power will be eligible to receive the Solar Credits multiplier for the first 20kW of their system installed. Currently the Solar Credits multiplier is a factor of five, so the savings can amount to tens of thousands of dollars for systems rated at the maximum level!

However, there is a cap on the number of systems eligible each year, so you'll need to get in quick.

Under the amendments, off grid systems are eligible for Solar Credit RECs up to the first 20 kW of system capacity if:

• The system is an off-grid small generation unit (as defined below); and
• Was installed after 28 June 2010 and before 1 July 2015; and
• Must be eligible for Solar Credits

Definition of off-grid;

Off-grid solar power systems under the Solar Credits scheme are defined as units being 1 kilometre from the nearest main-grid line or less than 1 kilometre where written evidence from the local network service provider states the total cost of connecting the systems to the main-grid is more than $30,000.

Solar Credits off grid guidelines and caps;

• The system must be installed and fulfil relevant requirements before RECs can be created.
•  If a system is less than 20 kW the RECs can still be multiplied for the rated power output up to 20 kW.
•  If the validated RECs reach the cap for the year, the RECs that are created for systems installed in that financial year will be eligible for the solar credits multiplier for the first 1.5 kW of capacity installed. Generation from capacity above 1.5 kW will still be eligible for the 1:1 rate of REC creation.
• The annual caps for off-grid RECs under the Solar Credits scheme are as follows:

 Period of off-grid installation     Number
1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011     250,000
1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012     250,000
1 July 2012 to 30 June 2013     250,000
1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014     150,000
1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015     100,000
 
Note: Solar Credits are not available for off grid installations if financial assistance under the previous Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP).

Further information and guidelines are available from the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER) web site.

Commercial Systems Rebates

ACT FIT / Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Act 2008

Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Amendment Bill 2010 Explanatory Statement