Solar Citizens is urging solar supporters throughout Australia, particularly in Victoria, to sign a petition calling for a delay to a proposed reduction to the state’s feed in tariff; pending a proper review.
The Essential Services Commission (ESC) has proposed a minimum solar feed in tariff for 2016 of 5.0 c/kWh. The proposed rate is 20% lower than the 2015 FiT minimum rate of 6.2 c/kWh. The ESC says “this is due to a lower forecast wholesale market price of electricity, particularly during daylight hours when PV electricity is generating.”
The Victorian government has committed to a thorough review to determine a fair price for solar electricity, but that review won’t occur until later this year. By that time, the ESC may have already been able to go ahead with the proposed cuts.
“It is absolutely ridiculous to introduce cuts to our feed-in tariff before we know what a fair feed-in tariff should be,” says part of a statement from Solar Citizens. “That’s why we’re calling on Energy Minister D’Ambrosio to delay these changes until the results of this review are available.”
There’s nearly a quarter of a million solar households in Victoria; accounting for more than 10% of the state.
While solar remains a solid investment even with a feed-in tariff rate of 5c per kilowatt hour, it’s a slap in the face to owners of solar power systems given their contribution to Australia’s clean, affordable energy future and could deter other households and businesses in Victoria from going solar.
Even 6.2 cents per kilowatt hour isn’t particularly high given the rates electricity retailers charge their non-solar customers for that repackaged green energy and the fact solar electricity is produced during periods of peak demand.
“If our Government is serious about controlling power prices and transitioning to the energy mix of the future they should be creating sensible energy policy that helps more people go solar. That’s why it’s so important the Government hears from us now, loud and clear, before this outrageous proposal goes through,” says Solar Citizens.
Launched in 2013, Solar Citizens is a grassroots group bringing together and protecting the rights of existing and future Australian solar owners. The organisation has a goal of seeing solar installed on every suitable rooftop in the nation and enabling more Australians to take energy use and production back into their own hands. Membership of Solar Citizens is free.
