The NSW solar power industry welcomed last week’s news that Premier Barry O’Farrell will not pursue legislation to retroactively cut the state’s 60c feed-in tariff under the now defunct NSW Solar Bonus Scheme. Despite this good news, there is still concern about the industry’s future, with several key solar incentive mechanisms being reduced: the federal REC (STC) multiplier has been scheduled to fall more quickly than originally planned, STC prices have dropped from around $40 to about $20, the ACT micro-solar feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme has reached its 15MW capacity. In response to these developments, the Australian Solar Energy Society (AuSES) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) have organised a National Solar Industry Summit to be held in Sydney on 21 June, 2011.
Since the recent NSW feed-in tariff debacle, AuSES and SEIA have been pushing for an immediate change to federal government policy that guarantees a 1:1 feed-in tariff rate as a national baseline for solar power. In the meantime, the organisations are looking to reach an accord on the fine detail of the proposed policy, to guarantee financial security for those who have made an investment in solar power, and for other key players in the solar power industry. A ‘cross section’ of the industry will be invited to the National Solar Industry Summit to hammer out the details of the policy approach, with press and politicians invited to participate at the end.
© 2011 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
