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WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE, 2009 | |

UPDATE - $8,000 Solar Rebate Scheme Ends, Solar Credits Program Begins

by Energy Matters     

Updated: 10.45 am AEST June 10
 
The Australian Government yesterday released the final legislation for the expanded Renewable Energy Target (RET) and abruptly and unexpectedly ende the existing Solar Homes and Communities Plan (SHCP) $8,000 rebate; to be immediately replaced with the new 'Solar Credits' program.
   
The announcement was a shock for the industry and consumers alike as the SHCP solar rebate was not due to end until June 30. Many solar providers spent yesterday trying to update their information and contacting clients to let them know about the sudden turn of events in order to meet the deadline for rebate application submissions.
  
Completed applications for the Solar Homes and Communities Plan that were sent by yesterday, Tuesday 9 June, will be accepted for assessment, while all new installations of small-scale solar, wind and hydro systems will be eligible for Solar Credits from today. Solar hot water rebates have not been affected in any way by the recent changes.

While the Solar Credits scheme will be open to many more Australians, the program will be less generous than the SHCP rebate in many circumstances. 
 
 The legislation  released yesterday will provide for Solar Credits to be made available from today, but the legislation still needs to be pass through Parliament. Once the RET scheme legislation passes through Parliament (estimated to be the 15th of June) and required regulations come into force (a few weeks after passage of the legislation), the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER) will be able to issue the Solar Credits for systems purchased from today.
    
As this is a rapidly evolving situation, please bookmark this page as we'll be updating this post frequently throughout the day as new information comes to hand.
  
Please note: This news item will contain all we know at any particular point in time and we will keep people informed through this news item as more information becomes available. At this point in time we believe the information on our Solar Credits FAQ to be up to date and accurate and we have updated our special offers to reflect the new rebate system.
 

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