State Solar Feed-In Tariffs
Let your solar panels reward you
State and Territory governments across Australia have adopted different approaches to what is normally referred to as a Solar Feed-In Tariff, sometimes known as a Solar Bonus Scheme or Solar buy-back scheme.
Solar Feed-in Tariffs are a payment for the clean energy that your solar panels feed back into the grid. There have been many changes to feed-in tariff legislation in all States and Territories over the past 18 months, for an overview of the current incentives offered see our summary table below.
Although the Premium tariffs are no longer in place, home owners can take advantage of solar PV system costs around half of what they were 12 to 18 months ago. Increasing electricity bills are now the main reason to invest in a solar PV system, as it offers home owners a real means of taking control of their energy bills.
Solar Feed-In Tariffs have been a huge success in countries such as Germany and the UK, with massive uptakes of solar energy systems following their introduction in those countries. Solar Feed-In Tariff Schemes currently operate in over 40 countries around the world.
Available Feed-In Tariff schemes
The Solar Feed-in Tariff schemes that are currently available in Australia are predominately 'net' schemes. A net Feed-in Tariff rewards you for each unit of solar power that you have exported to the electrical grid. Currently, the governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland are operating such schemes.
For an overview of how the different solar feed-in incentive programs work: The economics of 1-for-1 Solar Buyback schemes vs Solar Feed-in Tariffs.
The following table summarises the current status of Solar Feed-In Tariffs and Solar Buyback schemes across the States and Territories of Australia for those installing a solar power system after 9 July 2012.
| State | Current scheme(s) | Max Size | Rate Paid | Program Duration | Further info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIC |
Transitional and previous Standard Solar Feed-in Tariff (ended 30 September 2012)
Standard Feed-in Tariff (commenced 1 October 2012)
|
5 kW (Transitional Schemeand previous Standard Scheme) Less than 100kW (Standard Scheme) |
25c/kWh or 1:1 buy back (Transitional and previous Standard Scheme) 8¢/kWh (Standard Scheme) |
Reviewed annually |
Victoria's Transitional and Standard Feed-in Tariffs Victoria Feed-in Tariffs to be reduced for those signing up after Dec 2012 |
| SA |
Transitional Solar Feed-in Tariff (for customers who received permission to connect between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2013)
|
First 45kWh per day |
16c/kWh base Feed-in Tariff (from 1 Oct 2011 to 30 Sept 2013), plus Feed-in Tariff Premium of 9.8c/kWh (from 1 July 2012 until 30 June 2013) = approx. 25.8c |
2 years, until 30 Sept 2013 |
South Australia Transitional Solar Feed-in Tariff Overview South Australia Feed-in Tariff Premium to see no increase in 2013 |
| ACT | 1-for-1 Solar Buyback through ACTewAGL | 30kW |
1:1* (through ACTewAGL)
|
No set end-date |
ACTewAGL: Solar Buyback Scheme |
| TAS | 1-for-1 Solar Buyback through Aurora Energy | 10kW (single phase), 30kW (three phase) | 1:1* (through Aurora Energy) | FiT scheme currently under review: Read more | |
| NT | Solar Buyback scheme through PowerWater | systems up to 4.5kW can be connected without investigation, buyback for systems over 30kVA will be calculated upon application |
Domestic buyback rate 21.77/kWh, rising to 27.87/kWh from 1 January 2013 |
No set end-date | |
| WA |
2 Solar Buyback Schemes in place
|
500 watts to 5kW on Synergy grid, allowable size varies by location on Horizon grid |
New rates for Horizon customers from 1 July 2012 20c/kWh for Synergy Customers (from 10 Dec 2011) |
No set end-date |
Information about the Horizon grid Solar Buyback Rates (from 1 July 2012) |
| QLD |
Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme
|
5kW
|
8c/kWh (Formerly 44c+/kWh for those with application submitted before midnight 9 June 2012) |
No mandatory minimum rate to be set after 8c rate expires 8c rate to be reviewed by 1 July 2013, to conclude on 1 July 2014 (Formerly: 20 years, until 2028; rates may change subject to parliamentary decision) |
QCA final determination about the future of the Solar Bonus Scheme |
| NSW |
Voluntary Solar Buyback through some electricity retailers
|
Depends on retailer |
0-8c/kWh, depending on retailer |
No set end-date |
IPART final recommendations for a new NSW Feed-in Tariff scheme Is solar power right for you in NSW? My Energy Offers (NSW Government site for comparing electricity and solar buyback rates.) |
*(Electricity retailer pays customers with solar systems a rate equivalent to what those customers pay for electricity for each kilowatt-hour of electricity that they export to the electricity grid.)
Solar rebates and incentives
Solar power rebates: Federal Solar Rebates and State feed-in tariffs
Federal solar credits rebate scheme: RECs, STCs, and LGCs
State-by-state Solar Feed-in Tariff incentives
- QUICK LINKS
- Request Quote Comparison
- Solar Installations
- Solar Credits & Rebates
- Solar feed-in rewards
- Contact
- SERVICES
- We are an Australia wide service for:
Solar, Solar Power, Solar Homes,
Solar Energy Systems, Home Solar Power,
Solar Energy, Solar Rebates,
Solar Installation,
Solar Systems
- CONTACT
- National Head Office (Australia-wide)
- P: 1300 78 72 73
- sales@solarchoice.net.au
- Central West NSW Office
- P: 0410 154 410 or 0410 124 850
- matt@solarchoice.net.au
Solarchoice.net.au is a solar brokerage website operated by Solar Choice Pty Ltd
and has no association with any directory, indexing and advertising services
websites provided in Australia or elsewhere
Solar Choice Pty Ltd 2008 - 2013 | Read Our Privacy Policy | Website Developed by JR Interactive
