ACT / Canberra solar power bonanza!

PLEASE NOTE: The Canberra ACT Feed-in Tariff information below is out of date. For current information; see our Canberra/ACT page.

Update April 29, 2010 : Revisions to ACT’s solar feed in tariff were announced in early April 2010. For systems up to 10kW capacity, the premium price for the Electricity Feed-in Tariff Scheme will reduce from 50.05c/kW to 45.7c/kWh for systems installed from July 1, 2010. Generators with a capacity of more than 10kW, and up to 30kW, will also receive the 45.7c/kWh. Read more here

The ACT solar feed-in tariff program is the first significant solar commitment to the environment by an Australian State or Territory.  Buy a 1 kW solar power system now, save with the Federal Government’s Solar Credits program  and EARN more than $15,000 over the life of the system!

A one kilowatt solar system, over its lifetime, saves the equivalent carbon dioxide of a medium car driving around the world 11 times. Whilst recognising the green commitment of the ACT Government, this article aims to illustrate the financial benefits of installing a solar power system in Canberra and the ACT.

Given the new Solar Credits program that will provide substantial savings on a home solar power system, right now is the best time ever for Canberra and ACT residents to invest in solar power!

In Canberra, a 1kW system will generate around 1540 kW/h of electricity each year. This system will supply an average household with around 25% of their annual electricity consumption and will also provide an insurance against future electricity price increases. If your roof space allows it, consider installing a bigger inverter allowing you to upgrade to a bigger system by adding more panels at a later stage.

While the system is expected to produce electricity for up to 30 years and electricity prices are set to increase considerably over the next few years, the current status quo means that the system will take 12 -15 years or so to pay itself back, despite the current generous rebate. However, the new solar feed in tariff in place in Canberra and the ACT changes all that!

Canberra ACT Feed-in Tariff

Owners of a 1kW system in Canberra will  now be paid approx $777 per annum for the electricity their system generates.

View solar power specials for Canberra and the ACT. Contact us for a free site inspection today! Phone: 02 9558 7930 or 1300 727 151 or email us

The ACT Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff

A new solar power buyback scheme called a feed-in tariff commenced in the ACT in March 2009. As a result, home owners  will be paid a premium of 3.88 times the market rate (currently 50.5 cents) for the solar power they generate for 20 years.

Feed-in tariffs have been operating overseas for nearly ten years. It is now the key mechanism to fund solar power systems in more than 50 countries worldwide. Gross feed-in laws require electricity retailers to pay renewable energy producers such as roof-top solar panel owners a prescribed price over a guaranteed period of time for all the clean renewable electricity generated by their system and fed back into the grid.

Because the energy retailer pays the owner of the solar power system on the entire electricity production (the gross production of electricity generated by their system), the owner will gain a specific return on investment. As overseas examples have demonstrated, this allows solar power system owners to pay their system off in a relatively short time. The certainty on return has also allowed overseas schemes to develop whereby banks become financiers of solar power systems – as they are providing finance for an asset which generates a guaranteed return.

View solar power specials for Canberra and the ACT. Contact us for a free site inspection today! Phone: 02 9558 7930 or 1300 727 151 or email us