Solar feed-in tariffs

Customers with solar panels which export electricity to the grid receive different payments for the electricity exported (solar feed-in tariffs) depending on

• Whether or not they have previously been accepted as eligible under the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme (now closed to new applicants); and
• The amount their electricity retailer voluntarily pays for solar electricity exported to the grid.

This is explained in more detail below.

Solar Feed-in tariffs for Solar Bonus Scheme customers

The statutory Solar Bonus Scheme payments to customers have not changed.  They are:

• Customers who joined the Scheme on or before 27 October 2010 receive Solar Bonus scheme payments of 60 cents per kilowatt hour for renewable energy generated and exported to the grid.
• Customers who joined the scheme between 28 October 2010 and 28 April 2011 receive Solar Bonus scheme payments of 20 cents per kilowatt hour for renewable energy generated and exported to the grid.
• Applications to the Solar Bonus Scheme closed on 28 April 2011.

Recently IPART determined that from 1 July 2012 retailers must contribute 7.7c per kWh in 2012/13 for each eligible kWh exported to the grid under the Solar Bonus Scheme.  This amount would otherwise have been recovered from electricity prices.  Solar Bonus Scheme customers will still receive the 60 or 20c per kWh for electricity exported.

In the past some retailers paid customers a voluntary premium of 6 to 8 c/kWh on top of the statutory Solar Bonus Scheme rates. Many retailers have reduced or eliminated these voluntary payments upon the introduction of the retailer contribution.

Retailers have advised us of their solar feed-in tariffs and we have reproduced these below.  We recommend that you check the retailer's website or contact the retailer directly to confirm whether solar feed-in tariffs displayed below are available with a particular offer.

Customers who are not eligible for Solar Bonus Scheme payments

Customers can still connect a renewable energy generator to the grid, but are not eligible to receive the Solar Bonus Scheme payments.

The Government asked IPART to recommend a fair and reasonable feed-in tariff for electricity generated and exported to the grid by small scale solar units. IPART found that a fair and reasonable feed-in tariff for customers who are not eligible for the Solar Bonus Scheme is in the range of 7.7 to 12.9 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity exported to the grid in 2012/13.

This benchmark range is intended to provide a guide for customers as to the value of the electricity their small scale solar units export to the grid in 2012/13. However, retailers are not required to offer feed-in tariffs within this range.  They are able to set their own feed-in tariffs.

Retailers have advised us of their solar feed-in tariffs and we have reproduced these below.  We recommend that you check the retailer's website or contact the retailer directly to confirm whether solar feed-in tariffs displayed below are available with a particular offer.

Further information

Further information for customers with solar PV units, including information useful for customers thinking of installing solar panels, is available  here.

For more information about IPART's decision on solar feed-in tariffs see here.