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Did You Know?
Did you know between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, annual electricity consumption in Qld has grown by over 29 percent or approximately 10,500 gigawatt hours (GWh) making Qld the second highest consumer of electricity in Australia. Qld's record electricity demand of 8699 MW was reached in February 2009.
Photovoltaic (PV) Electricity
Photovoltaic (PV) panels capture the sun's radiation and convert the sunlight into electricity.
An inverter converts direct current or (DC) produced by the PV array to alternating current (AC) used by the household appliances and for export to the electricity grid. Grid Connect Systems can vary substantially in size. However all consist of solar modules, inverters, electrical metering and components necessary for the wiring and mounting.
How does it work?
Small scale Renewable Energy Systems under the RET scheme
The Australian Government is supporting the deployment of renewable energy in Australia's electricity supply through the Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme. The RET scheme guarantees a market for additional renewable energy generation, using a mechanism of tradeable Renewable Energy Certificates known as REC's.
The Government's RET scheme is designed to ensure that 20 percent of Australia's electricity comes from renewable sources by 2020. The RET increases the previous Mandatory Renewable Energy Target by over four times, from 9500 gigwatt-hours to 45,000 gigwatt-hours in 2020, driving significant investment and accelerating the deployment of a broad range of renewable energy technologies. In ten years time the amount of electricity coming from sources like solar, wind and geothermal will be about equal to all of Australia's current household electricity use.
The new RET laws include new incentives to support Australian households and businesses installing small scale solar, wind and micro hydro generating systems. "Solar Credits"are now available to households, businesses and community groups that install eligible small scale generation units by providing multiple REC's for each megawatt hour of energy produced.
The RET scheme's rules allow owners of small scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to create at the time of installation REC's equivalent to the output of up to 15 years operation depending on the system type. This provides an upfront capital subsidy to householders, businesses and community groups, who may sell their REC's on the market.
While system owners can create REC's themselves, in practice owners generally transfer this right to their system provider in return for a discount on the system price or a cash payment.
Solar Credits
The expanded RET scheme includes the "Solar Credits"mechanism to boost the support to households and businesses that install small scale solar PV systems by multiplying the number of tradeable REC's able to be created for eligible installations.
Solar Credits are available for eligible systems installed on or after 9 June 2009. Solar credits apply to the first 1.5 kilowatts (kW) of capacity installed. Generation from capacity above 1.5 kW will still be eligible for the standard 1:1 rate of REC's creation.
Solar Credits apply from 9 June 2009 and will be phased out by 2015-2016. This recognises that technology costs are going down, and the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme will also be providing incentives for renewable technologies
What is the Solar Bonus Scheme?
The Solar Bonus Scheme is a feed in tariff paid to residential and small business customers using less than 100 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity per year. Customers are paid for the surplus electricity generated from the roof top solar array that is exported into the Qld grid after the household load is met.
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