Antinuclear

Total Environment Centre’s legal challenge to South Australia solar tariff proposal

Solar penalty tariff proposal for SA households subject of Federal Court challenge, ABC News  By Candice Marcus, 16 Nov 15, An environment group wants the Federal Court to uphold the energy regulator’s decision to reject a penalty tariff on South Australian households with solar power.

The Total Environment Centre has intervened in a court case in which SA Power Networks is challenging the Australian Energy Regulator.

The regulator rejected a pricing proposal for households to face a solar tariff and a social tariff, which SA Power Networks said would have been directed toward helping low-income earners facing hardship in paying their bills.

It was estimated the solar tariff could cost the average solar-powered household about $100 annually.

The Total Environment Centre lodged submissions with the Federal Court urging it uphold the regulator’s rejection of the penalty pricing proposal.

Extra tariffs would be solar ‘disincentive’

Mark Byrne from the environment group said imposing additional tariffs would be a disincentive for people to install and use solar power.

“We’ve got half a million people living under solar roofs in South Australia already though and it’s going to negatively impact on them as well as making it less advantageous for new customers to install solar,” he said.

“Obviously in the long run we want to see more solar because it helps reduce greenhouse emissions as well as household electricity bills.”

He said SA Power Networks had a flawed argument.

“Their argument effectively is that solar customers should be paying more because they use less energy and the network is entitled to a fixed amount of revenue,” he said.

“The unfortunate thing about that is it discriminates against solar customers and will result in them paying about another $100 a year.

“What the network should be doing is introducing a tariff that affects everyone equally and recovers more of their revenue during those peaks, when they’re worried about the impact on prices because they have to build more to meet peak demand.”……..http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-16/court-hears-challenge-on-sa-solar-penalty-tariff-proposal/6944870

November 18, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | legal, solar, South Australia