Is Westarenergy Trying Again to Change the Rates That Solar Panel Owner Must Pay
Solar console owners say they feel punished by proposed changes which would see them charged for exporting surplus electricity to the filigree.
Fundamental points:
- Solar console owners are frustrated past the prospect of paying to export excess energy to the grid
- Market operators say charges are needed to boost grid stability
- Solar panel owners say it punishes them for an issue large energy companies should set
Households with solar panels that export power to the grid could be slugged a fee under a proposal by the Australian Free energy Market Commission (AEMC).
The AEMC said the increasing number of households with solar panels were causing "traffic jams" in some areas of the filigree.
It said tariffs would requite network operators the option of encouraging people to export free energy dorsum into the grid at times it could handle it, while discouraging it at a time when the grid was overwhelmed with supply.
In the proposal, it said solar panel owners would lose some cash on existing returns, only doing nothing would result in blackouts and intermittent blocking of free energy exports — ultimately leaving customers worse off.
The AEMC said the scheme would also raise money for network upgrades, instead of going to all consumers.
It as well found charges to improve the arrangement could eventually leave solar households better off, compared to doing cypher and letting the grid congestion worsen.
But those with panels argue the change would be a bad way of fixing a problem others should fix.
Solar panel owner describes programme as 'hardly equitable'
Thanasis Avramis installed solar panels in 2008 and said he had saved nearly $12,000 off his electricity costs.
He described the proposed charges as "unimaginative" and said the result of network direction was for energy companies to solve.
"Many of the problems that have arisen could have been solved with proper investment in the organization some years agone and prepared Australians for totally new ways of energy supply," Mr Avramis said.
"Many people, especially depression-and-heart-income earners, accept invested in solar free energy to salvage themselves from the very high electricity costs in this land.
"To and then penalise them for trying to solve their own problems is hardly equitable."
Solar Citizens Commonwealth of australia National Manager, Ellen Roberts, said the proposal lacked item with "insufficient show" that solar power beingness exported to the grid negatively impacted the network.
"Solar benefits everybody by driving down ability prices, even for people without panels."
Modelling completed by the AEMC suggested introducing an export charge would slightly reduce the returns solar customers received.
A medium-sized unit would even so run into a $900 return per twelvemonth — a reduction of virtually $seventy.
Large rooftop solar systems earning more than $1,200 a yr could see their benefits drop by $100.
Smaller systems of 2kW to 4kW — which is most households with rooftop solar — could lose about $xxx a year.
They would even so earn about $645 per yr from feed-in tariffs.
The same modelling also suggested that if the changes were adopted, all Australian households could save upwardly to $25 on their bills each year.
More filigree stability needed
SA Power Networks spokesman Paul Roberts supported the tariff system and said the organisation wanted to double the amount of solar panels in its network by 2025.
Mr Roberts said rooftop solar was the largest power generator in South Commonwealth of australia at the moment and it was already causing some bug.
Localised congestion problems have forced marketplace operators to arbitrate recently and switch off thousands of solar panels to ensure grid stability.
"We demand to consult with customers to run into how much investment they would like in the network and how much they would like to pay for that," Mr Roberts said.
"For example in Victoria, they are imposing zero [energy] consign limits in some areas.
"Nosotros don't want to do that, just in the long-term there will take to be some investment in the network."
He said that whatsoever tariffs were unlikely to come into force before 2025.
"We take to practise extensive consultation and so it's going to have to gain support of the State Government and the regulator so actually we're talking well after 2025," he said.
South Australian Council of Social Service CEO Ross Womersley said tariffs would as well protect those most vulnerable.
"The group of people who simply don't have access to these benefits like solar are those people who are renting and those people on low incomes across our customs," Mr Womersley said.
Posted , updated
Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-25/solar-panel-owners-angry-at-charges-for-exporting-power-to-grid/100027514