Where are my solar panels? Thousands miss out as SHCP closes.

Homeowners who received the $8000 solar homes grant are about to find themselves in a very difficult position as the Federal Government’s Solar Homes and Communities plan comes to a close today.

The government has offered one concession however, to those homeowners who are almost there but not quite, there is a grace period of 3 weeks being offered.

The Department has now implemented a three week grace period for all installations with a 6 July expiry date. The following must be met to qualify for this three week grace period:

• Solar panels must be installed on the roof by 6 July 2010 with evidence provided in the installation reports (applicant and installer to sign and date photos of solar modules in installation reports);
• The ‘balance of system components’ (inverters, wiring etc) must be installed by 31 July 2010; and
• All completed installation reports for the rebate must be submitted to the Department by 1 October 2010.

Please note that the Department will not consider any further extensions post 31 July 2010. Any households who become ineligible to receive a SHCP rebate are encouraged to explore the benefits offered under the Solar Credits Scheme.

Whilst the department is encouraging those who “miss out” to use the Solar Credits scheme, certainly there are about to be some very angry people out there who have been promised installations and who’s companies have not been able to deliver.

Undoubtedly the lawyers are rubbing their hands together with glee, ready to pounce on those who have, mainly for reasons outside of their control, but also through mismanagement and poor planning, not been able to fulfill their promises.

For those affected by this, don’t lose heart – Solar power systems are still a viable way to reduce your carbon footprint, and help the Environment (as well as reducing your power bills) so do your bit.

A.

RET passes final hurdle moving us to a “Clean Energy Future”

The Federal government has passed the RET legislation as amended by the senate last Tuesday evening.  About time.  At least we can now look to the future, but as the past few days have shown, the once certainty in life is Change.

According to senator Penny Wong, “The Renewable Energy Target enhancements passed by the Parliament will provide certainty to large renewable energy projects and to households wanting to do their bit to tackle climate change.”

I am certain that we are all very glad of that, and whether it is Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, or someone else in the top job after the federal poll later this year, we at least have a foundation framework to move forward.

“The legislation splits the Renewable Energy Target into two parts from 1 January 2011.  The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme will provide support to households installing technologies such as solar panels and solar hot water systems.  The Large-scale Renewable Energy Target will drive investment in renewable energy projects like wind farms, commercial solar and geothermal.” according to Wong.

The main concern here however is some of the power that has been given to government bodies (such as ORER) to potentially reduce the REC multiplier for Solar Credits.

We can only hope that the penchant of the current environmental administration to knee-jerk react to situations is managed with more care and finesse by ORER, and should it see fit to lower the RECs multiplier for solar credits, then it is introduced with a sufficient lead time for the industry to manage.

ORER have proved themselves more than up to the task thus far.  Time will tell.

A.

New REC creation rules increase safety

The Federal Government has moved to reassure consumers that they will be protected when having renewable energy systems installed in the wake of the questionable practices seen during the recent Insulation scheme disaster.

Installations for all PV systems must now comply with a regulation regime which will include compliance with state and territory regulations and building codes.  Whilst Clean Energy Council (CEC) accreditation is already a requirement for solar panel installers, the new regulations will give the public a greater sense of comfort that their PV systems are going to be installed properly.

The amended regulations for REC agents and creators come in to effect on June 21, and have effect for solar PV systems installed after August 20th.

Whilst the new regulations will potentially slow the creation of RECs during the period, as the checks being applied to installations will be more onerous on the agents at ORER, as a certificate of compliance and Installation Report will be required, along with a statement from the owner that all local state and territory approvals have been met, ORER is to be applauded for providing a 2 month interim compliance window for installers to adjust to the new regime.

For more information, visit http://www.climatechange.gov.au or http://www.orer.gov.au

A.

Will the government come to its senses on the RET?

RET / Renewable Energy Target / CPRS / Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme – do we really have any idea what the government are up to?  Or more to the point, do _they_ have any idea…

The solar power industry has been hamstrung for some time now with indecision on the RET scheme being a major stumbling block for those who wish to get to work on climate change.

Today will (hopefully) see a decision made on the RET scheme in federal parliament, as the senate report handed down last week saw little commitment from either the buyers or sellers in the REC market place, and until there is some direction given, we are likely to see more of the same.

Some of the SRES report recommendations (such as implementation of measures to curb the supply of SRECs from Small Generation Units) do give pause for some concern, but again, without anything in concrete, and without decisions being made, we will remain in a state of limbo.

If the federal government is truly committed to the renewables industry, and wants to see the uptake of solar power grow, then it needs to give some clear direction as to the way it will encourage solar systems to be purchased by the market, and to the mechanisms that the general public can utilise in respect of rebates and increase of return on investment.

Ideally, we would be able to see sufficient rebates for the systems to be purchased for nominal values, and to see the returns generated by Feed-In Tariff schemes consolidated nationally at a sustainable and commercially viable level (above the 60 cent rates offered now) and also locked in stone so as to give certainty to the future revenue which is the foundation of the solar return on investment.

Whatever happens though – lets have some decisions made and move forward.

With an election looming large in the not too distant future, we again may find ourselves mired in the same vacuous policy cloud that we have been for too long.

We can only hope (and pray) that sensibility prevails <cynicism>but then again this is about politics, not the future of the planet…</cynicism>

A.

Welcome to the Enviromate Blog

Welcome – and thanks for listening / reading / watching.

This blog is being set up to deliver interesting tips, news and commentary on the Renewable Energy sector in Australia, and to provide you with information on energy saving tips, tricks and products that will help reduce your carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment.

We hope you will enjoy our commentary, and as always, please feel free to comment on our views – we always welcome the feedback.

Until then – stay friendly, and be an enviro mate.

A.
http://www.enviromate.com.au