Australian Government Green Loans Fallout

 

(Updated 2.15pm)
 
An announcement on Friday afternoon by the Australian Government about the scrapping of its Green Loans program has upset a number of Australian home owners currently in the process of applying who had hoped for loans to install home solar power systems.

A point in the Government's announcement being hotly debated is the Government's claim of "the discontinuation of the less popular loans component next month to provide for the significant boost to assessment availability".

According to participants in an ongoing discussion about the Green Loans program currently occurring on Energy Matters' solar power forums; the reason uptake of the loans has been so low is due to major failures in the system and multiple obstacles needing to be overcome before getting to loan application stage.

The issues reported include:

1.People who had had their houses assessed not receiving their assessment reports, a compulsory document needed in order to apply for a loan. Some people who had their houses assessed in October last year say they still have not received any documentation.

2. Continual problems and glitches in critical software associated with the program that created confusion or rendered it unavailable due to upgrades and maintenance.

3. Appropriate processes and training among participating financial institutions being non-existent in some cases.

4. Reports of people being unable to enquire about their assessment report status or other information due to the Green Loans hotline being continually inundated with calls.

5. Vague or overly complex assessment reports that didn't outline a clear plan of action.
 
Australian Greens Deputy Leader Senator Christine Milne stated shortly after the Government's announcement, ".. what is the point of a Green Loans scheme without any loans? It fails to deal with the problem it was supposed to tackle - overcoming the up-front cost of energy efficiency upgrades."
 
With the Australian Government's Green Loans program loan component to end on March 22, some of Energy Matters' online community members are advising people with assessments to go to their lender of choice immediately and people waiting on assessments have been urged to contact their assessor if possible and ask they send a soft copy of the assessment report to their chosen lender, as this may be enough to set up the loan.
 
Energy Matters have also begun compiling an updated list of banks and other financial institution offering low interest green loan products not tied in with the Green Loans program for the purposes of purchasing renewable energy equipment such as home solar power systems.

Participate in the Green Loans announcement discussion here.

South Australia's 11th Wind Farm Opened

 

South Australian Premier Mike Rann opened Pacific Hydro’s Clements Gap wind farm near Crystal Brook in the state's Mid-North last Friday.
   
The 56.7MW project comprises of 27 x 2.1MW Suzlon wind turbines, 17 km of permanent access roads, 15.5km of 132kV power line and a 33/132kV transformer.
  
The Clements Gap Wind farm will  produce enough power for the equivalent of about 30,000 homes, avoiding around 200,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere each year through coal-fired power generation.
  
Mr Rann stated that South Australia now has a total wind power generation capacity of 868 megawatts.
  
"That means – with just eight per cent of Australia’s population - we have more wind power capacity than the other States combined. It’s a fantastic achievement, given that in 2002 we didn’t have a single operational wind turbine in South Australia."
  
The project employed a total of 425 people, with all contractors South Australian-based. Clements Gap wind farm will inject over $1 million dollars into local community organisations over the life of the project. 
  
"We want to secure the jobs of the future, and through green industries such as wind power, we will reach our goal of generating 33 per cent of South Australia’s power from renewable sources by 2020." said Premier Rann.
  
The Clements Gap site was chosen because of its consistent winds, simple grid connection, easy construction access and strong community support. The project was granted planning approval by Port Pirie Regional Council in mid-2003 and was Pacific Hydro's first wind farm to begin construction in South Australia.
  
Pacific Hydro says it is hoping to start on another two South Australian wind energy projects, but  further investment is stalled by the issues plaguing the Federal Renewable Energy Target (RET) legislation.
 

News for Friday 19 February, 2010

 

• Newsflash : Australian Solar Hot Water Rebate And Green Loan Changes
  


• Solar Power Systems Safe
  


• Czech Republic Solar Power Overload
  

View all news for Friday 19 February, 2010 on one page

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