Solar Citizens calls on NSW Minister for Energy Anthony Roberts to guarantee the state’s solar homeowners will continue to receive a fair feed-in tariff, without cuts.
It is already voluntary in NSW for new solar owners to be paid for energy they supply back into the grid.
Campaigns Director Dan Scaysbrook said IPART has got it wrong by recommending a cut to NSW’s feed-in price to as low as 4.8 cents per kWH.
“A dramatic 14% cut to the minimum feed-in tariff will make it harder for solar households to bring down their power bills and ease the cost of living,” he said.
“A slashing of the feed-in tariff would be extremely unfair and a disaster for NSW’s 262,301 solar households.
“The State government has spoken of having ambitious plans for renewable energy and making NSW ‘Australia’s answer to California’ in terms of increasing solar energy production.
“Now it’s time for the government to move beyond words and reject any reduction in the solar feed-in tariff that supports existing solar homeowners who have done the right thing and families looking to install rooftop solar.
“It will be hard for individual households to get more than the minimum feed-in from their retailer.
“The cut will obviously make it difficult for individual households to get a good deal from their power company. They simply don’t have the negotiating power. When retailers set the rules, solar owners lose.
“It punishes tens of thousands of households that are likely to lose a large chunk of the already small financial return they receive from providing clean, renewable energy back into the grid.
“NSW’s Solar Bonus Scheme is set to run out at the end of 2016 and the slashing of the tariff now sets a dangerous precedent for those who invested in the scheme and how they’ll be treated.
“Minister Roberts should support solar and immediately reject unfair changes to the feed-in tariff,” he said.
Article courtesy of www.solarcitizens.org.au
