Solar product accreditation stays with CEC, on condition of “new and improved” service

The Clean Energy Council has been reappointed to the job of managing the list of products allowed to participate in the federal rooftop solar rebate, on the condition that it provides a “new and improved” service.

The Clean Energy Regulator on Thursday confirmed the Clean Energy Council (CEC) as the product listing body (PLB) for solar panels and inverters eligible under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES), following a lengthy and sometimes controversial review of the scheme’s governance.

The review, which kicked off back in 2020, raised broad concerns that the CEC was ill-equipped to govern all aspects of the scheme – including installer accreditation – and faced potential conflicts of interest when taking action against parties who may be its members.

And while the CER wound up handing over control of SRES installer and designer accreditation to a new independent body, in July it indicated its intention to keep the CEC in charge of product listings.

A new round of consultation then followed, attracting a total of 175 submissions. Th CER says common complaints included slow application processing timeframes, lack of visibility on the process, poor communication, high costs and poor handling of product recall information.

Despite the list of complaints, industry has been divided over whether the CEC should keep the role, with some arguing it has had its chance, and blown it, while others – including a number of major battery and inverter makers – believe there is a better chance of reforming the system if it stays with the CEC.

The regulator appears to have sided with the latter view.

“Drawing from industry feedback, we designed new service level standards with non-negotiable requirements,” the CER says in an update on its website.

“As the nominated PLB, the CEC must deliver the new service they committed to in their application.

“This includes: faster application processing times; a technology uplift to improve data quality and visibility of application processing; support for applicants when additional technical assessment is required and to track application progress, and better technical support for industry by employing more engineers.

“Our role has been strengthened to oversee the ongoing delivery of the scheme through regular reporting, measurement against key performance indicators and process reviews,” the regulator says.

“This will support the CEC’s performance and delivery of the improvements to which it has committed.”

For its part, the Clean Energy Council said it was proud to continue its stewardship of the products listing role for small-scale renewables and would focus its energy on enhancing the program.

“Small-scale renewables are a critical and growing segment of Australia’s clean energy future, driven by millions of households and businesses,” CEC chief Kane Thornton said in a statement on Thursday.

“Our focus and indeed our application to the Clean Energy Regulator included a detailed plan for program improvement and we have already taken steps to drive enhancements.”

Thornton says these steps include improving the online user experience and doubling the capacity of its products team to meet “unprecedented levels of demand.”

He says changes in the “immediate pipeline” include streamlining processes and providing transparent tracking of application progress; better customer service and response times and clearer communication on program updates.

The CEC is also working to uplift program governance through the establishment of a manufacturer working group and performance reporting to industry and the CER.

“While we chose not to apply to be the Installer Accreditation body, with that function transferring to Solar Accreditation Australia earlier this year, our program and policy focus on this part of the sector remains strong,” Thornton said.

“Together with our Products team, we will continue to work at pace to provide certainty and efficiency for product manufacturers, and ensure Australians have access to safe and reliable PV modules, inverters and batteries.

“We look forward to continuing a productive relationship with the Clean Energy Regulator and, importantly, an emphasis on actively engaging with industry in relation to product listings,” he said.