Tariffs

Network operators have responded to the uptake of solar PV and energy efficiency by lifting fixed charges nearly four-fold. Now, in an apparent attempt to foil the uptake of battery storage, the networks want consumers to pay for the grid, whether they are connected or not.

If you are one of those lucky bastards who made a motza out of boldly entering a new solar world, you may need to pause in your euphoria for a moment and consider the options.

Some 160,000 homes in NSW will lose their premium feed in tariffs for solar in 18 months. Here's why battery storage may look an attractive option.

Tasmanian renewables group calls for state government intervention after a series of cuts to solar feed-in tariffs causes market to contract.

Australian networks are also penalising solar households, now it looks like they will do the same with those that add battery storage. The trend among some electricity networks to penalise or discourage the uptake of rooftop solar by imposing fixed tariffs or additional fees is now extending to battery storage, with one network accused of […]

Victoria regulator wants minimum feed-in-tariff paid for surplus rooftop solar output fed back into grid be cut dramatically. Victorian energy regulator the Essential Services Commission has recommended that the minimum feed-in-tariff paid for surplus rooftop solar output fed back into the grid be cut to 5c/kWh from the current level of 6.2c/kWh in 2016. The […]

ACT and NSW utilities to boost metering charges for new solar installations by factor of nearly 10.

SA network operator dares to go where Qld and WA governments feared to tread – higher network charges for solar households. The network justifies this by changing demand profiles, but will also look to shift hot water and pool pump use to daytime to make up for lost demand caused by PV production.

Byron Shire – in the northern rivers region of New South Wales – is aiming to become the first region in Australia to become “net zero emissions”, with a goal to reduce emissions from energy, transport, buildings, waste and land use to zero within 10 years. The push by Byron mayor Simon Richardson means that […]

Byron shire is to become the first council in Australia to trial “virtual net metering” in what could presage a dramatic change in the way electricity is produced, but also in the role that networks play in the distribution of that electricity. Virtual net metering – also known as peer-to-peer trading – allows the excess […]

Yet another local government group has taken Australia’s renewable energy task into its own hands, with the mid-north coast NSW Coffs Harbour City Council committing to a renewable energy target of 100 per cent by 2030. The move puts Coffs Harbour City on the same page as fellow NSW local governments, like Lismore, which last […]

One of Australia’s largest untapped solar PV markets – the 1.8 million vacant rooftops estimated to belong to the residential rental market – is being targeted by a Sydney-based solar group, which says the time is right for property investors to start benefiting from solar savings. Prepaid Solar, whose Prepaid Meter utility technology is already […]