The Clean Energy Council is continuing talks with the Victorian Government concerning the feast to famine situation caused by the sudden (temporary) end to the state’s Solar Homes Package rebate for solar power systems.
The first tranche of the program1 was funded for around 24,000 eligible Victorian households or to 30 June 2019; whichever came first.
Further information : Victoria’s Solar Homes Rebate Explained.
Given the very generous rebate and early indications of it going gangbusters, it wasn’t a big surprise available places in the program were quickly snapped up.
On April 9, it was announced Solar Victoria would accept a final 2,000 applications for the Solar Homes Package PV rebate this financial year. On April 12, the scheme was closed for new applications and is to be re-opened on July 1. Solar hot water rebates are still available.
It’s important that potential solar power system buyers without a rebate eligibility number note they cannot install a system and apply for the rebate after the scheme re-opens. For those who submitted a rebate application before applications closed, those applications will continue to be processed.
The situation has put many solar businesses in Victoria in a tricky position as they will see very little in the way of new residential solar sales until after the scheme restarts. How the restarted scheme will look in terms of rebate level and cap for the 2019/20 financial year is yet to be revealed.
The Clean Energy Council again met with the advisors for Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change (and Minister for Solar Homes) Lily D’Ambrosio on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
“We’ve discussed a number of options with government,” says the CEC. ” The release of further funding remains our preference, noting this would involve a complex budget process within government. This is likely to take some time, which doesn’t help those customers and industry who want to install solar now, but we continue to provide pressure for more funding.”
16,000 Systems Yet To Be Installed
However, the CEC says there are still around 16,000 rebates that have been allocated for systems that are yet to be installed, work that would be very valuable for Victoria’s solar installers to help tide (some of) them over until the scheme restarts.
Solar Victoria will be contacting each of these customers and urging them to contact their retailer to complete their installation, or for those who have secured a spot to complete their application in cases where Solar Victoria is still waiting for information.
The CEC has stressed the importance of the program kicking into gear rapidly from 1 July to ensure no further delays to cash flow for the industry.
The Clean Energy Council will be hosting an emergency roundtable on Friday next week for CEC members as well as representatives from the Installer Reference Group concerning the situation. At the meeting, the Victorian Government will be presenting a new methodology for how rebates are allocated and requesting feedback from the sector. Further details regarding registering for the roundtable will be announced soon.
Footnotes
- The full program aims to support 650,000 households in installing solar power over 10 years. From July, it will also be expanded to include an interest-free loan option, coverage for 50,000 rental properties and 10,000 solar battery installations. ↩
About Michael Bloch
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24,000 approvals for the year. Well, gee, if they had simply gone with 2,000 per month they would reach their quota about 3+ weeks into each month – all they gotta do then is _delay_ the approval until the 1st of the next month. That way the work is spread evenly through the year instead of leaving installers with no work for the last few months. And would anybody really notice a government department dragging the chain on approvals? No, they expect it.
A brilliant and simple solution that would keep everyone happy and avoided unnecessary pain.
*ahem*
Er… isn’t this essentially the revised modus operandi post July 1?
Proportionality didn’t quite hold with the July quota reached in 3 days rather than 3 weeks!
Is it worth getting quotes now for solar prior to rebates reopening in July? Work out panel size/orientation/inverter options now and then just sit on quotes till after July?
I’d like to be able to roll as quickly as possible to installation in new financial year. I’m expecting there to be an avalanche of interest/installs once rebates reopen. So inspections/quotes hard to come by.
Thoughts?
Yes – absolutely – beat the rush – it will be mayhem in July.
Victorian Solar Rebate- what a terrible experience. Application submitted Feb 22nd, and email approval of application wait for it 28th March and still waiting. Keep getting we have been “”There has been significant interest in the program since the launch in August and we are experiencing a high volume of applications.”” And still waiting. Has any one else experienced this terrible experience by A government funded program?