Rebates

Feed-In Tariffs

Feed-in tariffs are special rates legislated by state governments to enable small-scale generators of power to sell the power they create back to the grid. This is just one measure the government can implement to get home and business owners to switch to renewable. This is so important to government that legislators will often apply a multiplier to these tariffs so that you can sell a kilowatt of electricity for many times what you would normally buy it for.

There are two types of feed-in tariffs: net feed-in tariffs only credit you for every kilowatt hour you do not consume inside; gross feed-in tariffs will credit you for every kilowatt hour of electricity you generate. Governments in Australia are under intense industry pressure to adopt a nationally consistent gross feed-in tariff as the rule.

The current state feed-in tariffs are as follows:

   ACT - $0.45.7/kWhr (Gross), variable rates for system size

   NSW - $0.20/kWhr (Gross), up to 10kW

   SA / QLD - $0.44/kWhr (Net), up to 10kW

   VIC - $0.60/kWhr (Net), up to 5kW

Whatever you don’t use from what your Solar PV System produces can be turned into a profit by feeding back into the grid and being paid your feed in tariff.

Solar Credits and STCs (formally RECs)

On the 1st January 2011 the Federal Government changed the RECs to STCs and LRETs, to differentiate smaller systems (which include domestic PV and Solar Hot Water) from the larger commercial wind or solar farms.

STCs

Rather than offering a flat rebate on what is quite a customisable product, the government creates Small Scale Technology certificate (STCs)  whenever a renewable system is purchased. These STCs function as a form of electronic currency- like shares- which have a market value and can be traded.

The number of STCs created vary depending on the amount of megawatts generated by the system over 15 years and the geographical location of the installation

Solar Credits

To further encourage Australians to take up renewable energy, they are offering a x5 multiplier on the RECs created for the first 1.5kW of your solar system. There is no means test or lengthy application and approval process, you just get them!