From the category archives:

Government solar incentives

Australian electricity: Dirty, inefficient, and now expensive, too

March 22, 2012
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Electricity prices in Australia are rising inexorably, and the the reason is not, as many would have us believe, due to support for renewable energy or the implementation of the Carbon Tax. The reasons have more to do with market dynamics than they do with any of the above, or even the wholesale cost of [...]

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Solar Power and 3-Phase vs Single Phase transmission lines

March 16, 2012
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Depending on where you live, your home may be fed by single-phase or 3-phase electrical transmission wires. What relevance does this have for your solar PV installation? Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Print for later Tell a friend

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Find the best solar PV deals in Sydney, NSW

February 28, 2012
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Sydney is Australia’s largest city, and a good place to install a solar PV system, even after the collapse of the state’s Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff scheme. The fact that the cost of installing a solar power system has never been lower, combined with the up-front financial incentives available through the Federal Solar Credits rebate scheme, means that purchasing [...]

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Desertec: Solar Power from the Sahara to Germany

February 24, 2012
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A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald analyses German’s plans to pipe solar power from the Sahara Desert across the Mediterranean, and into its electricity grid. The project, known as Desertec, is on the concept level simple, but on the technical, economic, and political levels, fraught with potential risks. Desertec is an interesting foil [...]

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What the Solar Flagships trouble means for large-scale solar

February 14, 2012
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The Solar Flagships program has been receiving a lot of media attention recently for the failure of the program’s two winning applicants to meet the deadline for funding requirements. The 250MW concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in Chinchilla, Queensland has managed to have this deadline extended, while the Moree Solar Farm, a 150MW solar PV [...]

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The benefits of solar power to the electricity grid

February 1, 2012
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A future where Australia’s power needs are met by renewable energy sources will demand substantial alterations to the way that electricity is generated and distributed. This point was recently highlighted in an editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald by Matthew Wright, executive director of Melbourne-based thinktank Beyond Zero Emissions, who described how rooftop solar power [...]

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Solar power sees major growth across Australia in 2010-2011

December 13, 2011
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Australia’s installed solar power capacity has grown 35 times what it was in 2008, according to a report (pdf) recently released by the Clean Energy Council of Australia. The report covers the growth of renewable energy generation across Australia (currently standing at 9.64% of all generation) in the 2010-2011 financial year. The approximately 1 million solar [...]

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Australia to see 37% average rise in electricity prices by 2014

December 12, 2011
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The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has released a comprehensive review of the future of electricity prices across Australia. This report lends substance to speculation about the topic of energy prices the media. Factoring in the Federal government’s recently introduced Carbon Price (set to take effect from April 2012), the average price of retail electricity [...]

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How much do solar PV systems cost in Brisbane?

November 29, 2011
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Brisbane is the capital of Queensland as well as the state’s most populous city. All of Queensland is famous for its sunny weather, and Brisbane is no exception, with an average of 5.4 peak sun hours throughout the year, making it an ideal location for installing solar power. In addition to the state’s natural blessing [...]

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Will a solar PV system increase the value of my property?

October 27, 2011
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In addition to the obvious benefits of having a solar PV system installed on your home, shed, or office–savings on electricity bills, a carbon emission-free power source, and the envy of your neighbours–going solar could also potentially increase the value of your property. There are two primary reasons for this, both of which are fairly [...]

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The future of the Queensland Solar Feed-in Tariff

October 21, 2011
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Update 26 March 2012: The Queensland Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff is “safe” after the Labour party lost the State election in a landslide. The possible near-future conclusion for Queensland’s generous 44c per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Solar Bonus Feed-in Tariff has been a topic of speculation as of late. So far, there is no official source indicating [...]

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Solar Power Townsville: Join the Townsville Solar Community

October 13, 2011
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Solar Choice is in the process of organising a Solar Community in Townsville, Queensland. Residents of the Townsville area are encouraged to take advantage of a special bulk discount rate on solar power systems by putting forward the local community’s collective bargaining power. Solar Choice has experience running Solar Communities for other regional areas throughout [...]

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Changes to South Australia Solar Power Feed-in Tariff Legislation

September 23, 2011
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      Some of the information below may be out of date. For the most up-to-date information on the state of South Australia Solar Feed-in Tariff incentives, see the South Australia Solar Feed-in Tariff page. Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share on Linkedin Share with Stumblers Tweet about it Print for [...]

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Is Solar Power right for you in NSW?

August 9, 2011

If you believe everything you read in the press, you’d think that solar power in NSW was dead and buried. There is reduced upfront federal assistance (RECs, STCs) for homeowners to buy solar systems and a reduced solar feed-in tariff from the sudden conclusion of the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme. Others have an optimistic outlook. They’d have you [...]

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WA Solar Feed in Tariff Closed: What’s next?

August 1, 2011
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-Update 22 August 2011: WA’s solar feed-in tariff scheme is closed to new applicants as of  31 July 2011. Currently, residential Synergy customers are eligible for a 7c/kWh Solar Buyback scheme, while Horizon customers may apply for a 1-for-1 Solar Buyback. For regularly-updated list of state-by-state Solar Feed-in Tariffs, please visit out Solar Power Feed-in Tariff page. With [...]

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ACT Solar Feed in Tariff Reopened to Small-scale systems

July 4, 2011
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Australian Capital Territory households and small businesses have been given another chance to tap into the territory government’s ACT Solar Feed-in Tariff scheme. The ACT small-scale (‘micro-generator’) Feed-in Tariff scheme, for systems 30kW or smaller, closed at the beginning of June 2011 after it hit its 15-megawatt cap.  However, small-scale systems will now be eligible for a 30.16c/kWh Feed-in [...]

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WA 44c/kWh Feed-in Tariff scheme application deadline closes

July 1, 2011
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(Information in this article may be out of date. Please check our WA archive page, or our Solar Feed-in Tariff overview page for up-to-date information.) -Update 22 August 2011: the WA solar feed-in tariff scheme has closed.  Applications will no longer be accepted for the WA 44c/kWh solar feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme. However, new applicants will be eligible for [...]

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SA feed in tariff changes: Results from parliamentary debate

June 24, 2011
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South Australia now offers a rate of 23c/kWh for solar energy exported to the grid. For the most up-to-date information on South Australia Solar Feed-in Tariff incentive rates, see the state-by-state Solar Feed-in Tariffs page.  You can also read articles about solar power policy and the economics of owning a solar PV system in SA [...]

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Solar Flagship Program Winners: Moree Solar Farm, Chinchilla CSP plant

June 22, 2011
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The Federal Government has announced the recipients for funding from Round 1 of the Solar Flagships Program. Moree Solar Farm in NSW’s Central Tablelands is a 150MW photovoltaic installation, and the Solar Dawn consortium is planning to build a 250MW hybrid gas/concentrating solar power plant in Chinchilla, Queensland. Blog this! Digg this post Recommend on [...]

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SA Feed-in Tariff: Rumours about sudden changes

June 21, 2011
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SA solar customers must have received approval to connect to the grid by 30 September in order to take advantage of South Australia’s 44c/kWh feed-in tariff. (Get a free solar quote comparison of the installers who operate in your area of SA.) Click here for the most up-to-date info on the SA feed-in tariff. Blog this! Digg this post [...]

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NSW govt reconfirms obligations to connect solar power systems to the grid

June 20, 2011
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Following the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme feed-in tariff debacle, the NSW government has reaffirmed its legal obligation to connect residential solar power systems to the electricity grid on a net-metering system, despite the recent closure of the NSW Solar Bonus feed-in tariff scheme. Net metering set-ups allow those who have solar panels on their homes to [...]

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