There were several changes to solar feed-in tariff arrangements in some Australian states at the start of the New Year.
The change having the biggest impact on solar households and businesses was in New South Wales. Participants in the legacy New South Wales Solar Bonus Scheme who have been receiving $0.60 or $0.20 per kilowatt–hour for all the electricity they generate will be switched to an unsubscribed rate in the range of $0.047 to $0.08 per kilowatt-hour.
Also, the rate is only payable on surplus electricity exports. In many scenarios, solar households will also require a meter change that will further complicate things.
For solar customers who are affected, the reduction could translate to much bigger electricity bills which may amount to thousands of dollars per year.
In the state of Victoria, the Legacy Transitional and Standard Feed-in Tariff Schemes ended last weekend, which will approximately impact 70,000 households and businesses all across the state. The end of the TFiT will see participants hit with a reduction from $0.25/kilowatt-hour to as low as $0.05/kilowatt-hour.
South Australia has the mandatory minimum feed-in tariff that was ceased last January 1st as a result of a decision of the Essential Services Commission of South Australia. The Commission said the minimum rate no longer served the best interest of the consumers, but they will still monitor the situation. SA electricity retailers are still required to offer feed-in tariffs, but there is no set minimum amount. Households should check with their power retailers to check how much will they get paid and what will change for them.
For homes and businesses who wants to get the most from their high-value solar power-sourced electricity, solar battery systems are an option worth considering.
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Featured Image Credit: Jeff Kubina
Solar Trust Centre Team
