Queensland solar feed-in tariffs are here to stay
The Queensland Government plans to keep the 44 cent feed-in tariff for solar powered households, despite recommendations that it be scrapped, reported the Courier Mail.
The Queensland Productivity Commission’s final report on electricity pricing that was finished six months ago, provided a blueprint for lowering electricity prices for Aussie households.
The Courier Mail recently revealed that this report included a recommendation that the 44 cent feed-in tariff applied to thousands of solar households be removed before the existing 2028 deadline.
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The cost of this tariff is currently passed onto non-solar households, and getting rid of it would have saved these households around $90 a year. Over the life of the scheme, this would amount to $3 billion dollars saved by Aussie families.
Despite this, it seems the solar feed-in tariff is here to stay.
“Anybody who signed up for the Solar Bonus Scheme will continue to receive the feed-in-tariff and the current terms of their contract with their retailer will be honoured,” said Energy Minister Mark Bailey.
The Newman government also said it would keep the Solar Bonus Scheme, but planned to ease the financial burden it placed on non-solar households by using the proceeds of asset sales to pay for the tariff.
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The Government also rejected the QPC recommendation that households connected to battery storage technology should no longer receive the feed-in tariff.
On the other hand, it is set to accept other recommendations from the QPC report, such as funding energy efficiency initiatives and energy audits.
The recommendation to scrap a scheme that encourages homeowners and businesses to install solar panels also seems at odds with a blueprint released by Australian industry leaders earlier this month, which pushed for clean energy to be more accessible and widely used.
So with the solar feed-in tariff sticking around, is it time for your household to look into installing solar panels? Check out how solar energy schemes work, and then head over to our energy comparison tool to find a solar-friendly plan.
