Solar Victoria Celebrates Another Successful Year

The agency overseeing Victoria’s Solar Homes program says last month was the best November on record and the fourth-best month overall since the initiative began in 2018.

Solar Victoria reports energy efficient hot water products such as heat pump hot water systems and interest-free battery loans continued to drive applications, but solar PV remains below its 2021 peak.

According to the agency’s November Snapshot indicating program achievements from launch to the end of November 2024:

• 417,665 applications have been approved across all incentives since August 2018 (5,846 in November 2024¹.)
• 388,791 installations have been completed (6,691 in November).
• $676 million in rebates have been approved.
• 296,116 solar panel systems installed.
• 44,867 solar hot water systems installed (including heat pumps).
• 18,534 solar battery systems installed.

“As this year draws to a close, we can feel proud of our combined efforts to help Victorians access clean, affordable energy and in many cases start their journey to going more electric at home, starting with solar,” said the agency.

Commenting on a survey of more than 15,000 solar customers regarding their perceptions of electrification, CEO Stan Krpan said in his end-of-year message:

“The most important driver for our customers is being able to save on their energy bills with the help of reduced upfront installation costs. So it was not surprising that 20 per cent of survey respondents already have all-electric homes. Of those who do not, 36 per cent say they are likely to go all-electric in the next five years, and 44 per cent are likely to switch out at least one gas appliance in the next five years.”

On a related note concerning Victorian households and businesses getting off gas, consultation on draft regulations for the state’s Building Electrification Regulatory Impact Statement recently commenced and the state government wants to hear from Victorians on four different options presented.

Solar Homes Program Support On Offer

Incentives currently available under the Program are:

• Victoria’s solar panel rebate offers up to $1,400 as an up-front discount on a system purchase.
• Up to $1,000 off eligible heat pump and solar hot water system installations.
• Interest-free loans of up to $8,800 for eligible households for solar batteries.
• Solar panel rebates plus the option of an interest-free loan for eligible rental properties.
• Up to $1,400 per tenancy for community housing organisations to install PV systems.

More details on these and other programs can be found here. Plus, there’s also the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program that has been facilitating discounts on a wide range of energy-efficient products since 2009.

Solar For Apartments Extended And Expanded

In other recent news from the agency, the application deadline for the second round of the Solar for Apartments program has been extended until Friday 28 February 2025. Eligibility has also been expanded to include strata townhouses and units.

The incentive offers “rebates” (again, actually a discount on the invoice) of up to $2,800 per apartment or up to $140,000 per building.

Round One saw 438 applications covering more than 5,000 apartments, for a total PV capacity of 12 megawatts. How many of those were successful isn’t clear.

Further information here.