An elected Liberal/ Nationals Government in Victoria will build on the state’s existing solar power and battery subsidy scheme for owner-occupiers and landlords under its own program – “Power To The People”.
The Andrews Government’s Solar Homes program currently offers a rebate of up to $1,400 for solar systems and up to $2,950 for batteries – this is in addition to the national solar subsidy.
As eligibility conditions currently stand in Victoria, having previously received a rebate as an owner-occupier under the state’s program means exclusion from the solar battery rebate. While applicants can have their home battery installed at the same time as their solar panels, even in that situation they can only receive one Solar Victoria rebate.
Under the Liberal/Nationals’ “Power To The People” initiative, that would change. Current solar power system owners who have received a Solar Homes rebate will be able to access the home battery subsidy, as will those installing solar and home batteries concurrently.
“We are going to turbo-charge solar; we’re going to turbo-charge batteries – a million homes by 2035,” said Leader of the Opposition, Matthew Guy. “It is so important that at this stage in Victoria’s history we give more and more Victorians access to solar and batteries”.
There will also be increased incentives for landlords to install panels and energy storage on their rental properties – double what’s currently available; so up to $8,800.
The announcement was made on Saturday and at the time of writing the nitty-gritty of the plan hadn’t been published on the Victorian Liberals’ web site – there may be a few devils in the detail yet to be revealed. Something that was mentioned in the press conference was the total cost of the package – $4.8 billion over the full program.
There has been increased interest in batteries in Victoria (and across much of Australia) as a result of recent electricity price rises. In Victoria, average annual power bills for households and small businesses on the default (standing) electricity market offer are expected to increase by around 5 per cent this financial year. And where standing offers go, market offers often follow.
Libs Will Legislate Victoria’s 2030 Emissions Target
Victoria’s Climate Change Act 2017 establishes a long-term target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with aspirational targets along the way. For example, the interim target for the period 2026–2030 is for emissions to reduce 45–50% below 2005 levels by the end of 2030.
The Victorian Liberals/Nationals have also announced a commitment to legislate an emissions reduction target of 50 per cent by 2030 if elected. As part of meeting that target, the Liberals/Nationals will:
- Jump on the hydrogen-huffing bandwagon by establishing a $1 billion Victorian Clean Hydrogen Strategy to support related research, development of ” clean” hydrogen technologies.
- Unlock 1,800 megawatts of renewable energy by upgrading transmission infrastructure in the west of the state.
- Establish a “Fixing Victoria’s Grid” taskforce, which in partnership with industry would develop a plan to modernise the state’s transmission system to better support renewables.
- Legislate a local gas guarantee for new supply within the first six-months of taking government.
The 2022 Victorian state election will be held on 26 November.
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