Network operator AusNet Services has canvassed the imposition of hefty connection fees – in the “hundreds of dollars” – for rooftop solar installations in Victoria if they cause the need for grid upgrades.
The proposal arose in a series of consultations that AusNet has conducted with a consumer panel, which is looking to the future of network charges.
The proposal has raised eyebrows and concerns in some quarters, because AusNet’s networks have a relatively low penetration of rooftop solar (mid to high teens in terms of per cent) compared to areas in South Australia and Queensland (more than 30 per cent) – so it should have additional capacity.
This, however, will likely to change should the state Labor government be returned and continue with its policy of providing generous rebates that aim to install 2.6GW of rooftop solar on another 650,000 homes in the state.
Currently, Victoria has around 1.4GW of rooftop solar, on about 300,000 homes.
AusNet says networks will be upgraded to cater for the extra rooftop solar, where there is an economic case to do so.
But where it does occur, it wants the new customers to pay for it.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of One Step Off The Grid, and also edits and founded Renew Economy and The Driven. He has been a journalist for 35 years and is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review.
This post was published on November 8, 2018 10:56 am
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Usual counter-argument: charge increased connection charges for big air conditioning units.
Or go around it by having a bi-directional demand charge: you pay lots more if you go over (say) 10 kW/connection either coming in or going out.
This will make the death spiral quicker as people will just leave the grid all together, that Nissen Leaf 2 home connected car looks better and better.
I have seen in Qld where a larger than 20KW system is software controlled to 3.2KW per phase export.
So if the system is making 18KW it is constrained to 9.6 export, the inverter controls the system just like it does when the voltage is outside the predetermined limits.
When this happens turn on the AC units to at least gain some benefit from the available power being made.
A sensible solution of course is to install batteries to soak up that wasted power for later use.