Antinuclear

South Australia needs a level playing field for rooftop solar

Dennis Matthews, 1 Jan 17 Australia’s Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, has recently drawn attention to a problem in adopting new energy technology.

When home owners consider installing rooftop photovoltaic (PV) electricity generators they are faced with up-front costs.

By comparison, electricity supplied through the grid by large scale electricity generators is provided at no up-front cost to the consumer. The consumer eventually pays the generators’ up-front costs (plus interest) through quarterly bills over a period of several years.

The solution to the problem has been known for several decades – provide a level playing field by having PV up-front costs financed by either an electricity service provider or government with the costs plus interest being recovered over time through the usual quarterly bill.

Such a simple arrangement would not only make rooftop PV competitive (including for rental properties) with grid electricity but would also make energy conservation measures, such as double glazing, more competitive.

January 1, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | solar, South Australia