Australia’s Anti-Dumping Commission (ADC) has ended its investigation into whether imported Chinese solar panels were dumped into Australia. The Commission found that although panels were sold below the cost of […]
Tag: solar feed-in tariffs
Solar Citizens launch nation-wide Stand Up For Solar campaign
Australian solar lobby group Solar Citizens is calling for a higher renewable energy target and a fair price for solar, through the launch of a new year-long campaign that will […]
NSW Labor releases document detailing strong renewable energy support policy for state
NSW Labor has released a renewable energy-focused environment and energy policy, promising a fair price for solar and an emphasis on decentralised generation. The policy document, released on Tuesday, outlines around 10 major […]
South-east Queensland rooftop solar capacity reaches 1GW mark
South-east Queensland’s rooftop solar market is fast approaching the 1GW mark, with a total of 281,811 systems now installed on detached homes, at a total capacity of more than 937MW. […]
Labor’s landslide in Queensland election could spell sunny future for solar
Campbell Newman’s loss in the Queensland state election on the weekend could be solar’s gain, as attention turns to the Labor party’s renewable energy policy. Queensland’s Labor Party unveiled its solar […]
Solar Citizens’ ‘Solar Scorecard’ shines light on solar-friendly politicians, could sway QLD election
Queensland burgeoning number of solar households could play a major role in the outcome of last weekend’s state election, according to research released by Solar Citizens this week. The data, compiled by […]
AGL’s chief economist calls solar subsidies a ‘hidden scam’ in conversation with Financial Review
One of Australia’s biggest energy utilities – and the nation’s biggest generator of coal-fired power – has described rooftop solar tariffs as a billion-dollar “scam” being paid for by non-solar […]
Queensland’s Energex suggests buyout of 44¢/kWh feed-in tariff recipients as alternative to network upgrades
A Queensland network operator has raised the prospect of buying back the high feed-in-tariffs locked by tens of thousands of rooftop solar households in the state in until 2028, so […]
Over 1 gigawatt of new solar was installed under small-scale RET in last 14 months: Green Energy Trading
Continued uncertainty over the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target has boosted the nation’s uptake of rooftop solar, according to a new report, helping to push the total amount installed […]
Energy storage steadily gaining steam globally, as coal looks set for a long, slow decline
Even as Tony Abbott spruiks reactionary about coal’s benefits to humankind, a massive revolution is undoubtedly underway in the world’s energy sector–whether he cares to acknowledge it or not. Renewable […]
Solar panels & energy storage: What to consider
Energy storage is an option whose appeal is growing globally–and Australia is no exception. But energy storage is seldom considered as an option in isolate: the vast majority of those […]
15-20% of Australian solar customers interested in energy storage
Installation rates of battery storage systems in Australian homes could reach around 1,000 a year by the end of 2014, according to new estimates, as solar households look for ways […]
Florida woman evicted for off-grid living, while QLD utilities move to encourage it
A Florida woman was served orders to vacate her own home for not being to connected to water or electricity mains, according to OffTheGridNews. The woman, Ms Robin Speronis, made […]
New solar connection guidelines for Queensland come into effect from 1 July
From 1 July 2014 Queensland’s two state-owned electricity network companies, Ergon and Energex, will jointly implement new standards for new solar system owners seeking to connect to the grid. The […]
What NSW’s 2014-15 benchmark feed-in tariff rates mean for solar homes
NSW’s Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) last week released the benchmark rates for solar feed-in tariffs in the state for the year 2014-2015. The range for rates, which are […]
NSW’s recommended solar feed-in tariff rates fall slightly in final IPART report
The volatility of Australia’s solar support mechanisms has been illustrated afresh this week, with NSW again lowering the recommended feed-in tariff price for rooftop PV in the state. NSW’s Independent […]
How to get the most out of your solar PV system part 1: System sizing & power usage
Anyone who has done some investigation into having solar panels installed in Australia should by now understand that the whole endeavour only makes economic sense if the home in question […]
Regional Queensland solar feed-in tariff set for 6.5¢/kWh
The Queensland Competition Agency (QCA) has released its final determination on the 2014-2015 solar feed-in tariff for regional Queensland (i.e. the Ergon Energy network), raising the rate slightly from 6.3¢/kWh to […]
What would a solar system cost without the Renewable Energy Target?
“Is the Renewable Energy Target going to survive this review in reasonably good shape?” There are only so many times you can shake the Magic 8 Ball to try to […]
New solar export rates coming for New South Wales
Although New South Wales historically had the most generous Feed In Tariffs in Australia ($0.60c gross), those days are long behind us. For the last few years however, solar customers […]
Recommended feed-in tariff rates for NSW to fall again
Feed-in tariffs for rooftop solar in New South Wales have been slashed again, with the state’s pricing regulator recommending a retailer contribution of just 5.3c/kWh for solar energy exported back […]
New-build solar PV up to 50% cheaper than new-build nuclear in Germany & UK
New-build solar PV has been identified by German researchers as one of two market-ready renewable energy sources that can generate electricity for up to 50 percent cheaper than new-build nuclear. […]
Victoria Greens launch campaign to stand up for rooftop solar owners
Victoria’s Green Party has announced a campaign to support the rights state’s current and would-be solar-powered households, which already number over 207,000. If just one in 10 solar system owners […]
Are Australian solar homes getting a fair deal? QLD & NSW vs Minnesota
Australian solar households are beginning to ask themselves if they are getting a good deal for the excess solar electricity that they export back to the grid during day time […]
Queensland solar feed-in tariff rates set at 6.3¢/kWh-8.7¢/kWh
Households in Queensland regional areas will receive a feed in tariff of between 6.3c/kWh and 8.7c/kWh for electricity exported back into the grid. The price has been announced by Queensland […]
Solar feed-in tariff rates for Queensland 2014: 7.55c/kWh for Brisbane & surrounds, variable elsewhere
The Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) has released its final report detailing its recommendations for solar feed-in tariff rates to be paid through the state’s Solar Bonus Scheme for 2014. Not […]
Solar power Western Australia: Are solar panels worth the investment in WA?
The number of solar power system installation continues to grow across Australia in spite of the withdrawal or reduction of government incentives across the board–and WA is no exception. This […]
Australia achieves its next solar milestone: 3 gigawatts of rooftop solar installed
The solar panel odometer has ticked over yet again for Australia, with the country reaching 3 gigawatts (GW) of installed rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity, according to figures from the […]
PVz: Analysing energy bills for sizing solar PV systems
PVz is a tool designed by solar PV industry professionals to facilitate the process of analysing electricity usage in order to choose a solar system size most appropriate for the […]
South Australia’s solar feed-in tariff closed: What’s next for 2013, 2014 and beyond?
South Australia’s transitional feed-in tariff incentive for solar power closed to new applicants on 30 September 2013. Many of those who are considering going solar but have not yet made the […]
South Australia feed-in tariff recipients could lose benefit by installing energy storage
SA electricity distribution company South Australia Power Networks mentioned in a recently released ‘PV Process Update‘ (PDF) that anyone currently receiving one of the state’s solar feed-in tariffs (premium or transitional) […]
