Congrats on China wind-farm deal. Don’t forget Tasmanian solar …

We embrace the deal for Tasmania to become the test site for the Chinese wind-farm technology.

This will only strengthen Tasmania’s focus on clean renewable energy.

Why stop here?

The Tasmanian Government should stop ignoring the embedded rooftop solar energy installations. Anecdotal evidence from within the industry sees that the reduction of the Feed-In Tariff (FIT)by 78% has decimated the local Tasmanian solar industry by more than 85% and diminished the annual GST revenue to the State by from some $4 Million dollars to Near $400,000 instead.

CLAIM – Tasmania needs less power as the demand has fallen.

FACT – Tasmanian has just committed to INCREASING the power generation through more wind farms from China. The decisions to add more clean renewable energy production in the State shows that Hydro believes they can sell the power generated at a profit to mainland markets. So they still see a profit, despite the high costs involved in installing, maintaining and servicing the production facilities and servicing the financial debt and loans. This is all based on the wholesale level of power sold for around 6 cents/KWh in high voltage form.

CLAIM – Increasing the rooftop solar energy FIT is an unfair and unequal subsidy and will cost to Tasmanian Government.

FACT – Increasing FIT to a proposed cost neutral basic of near 18c/KWh By the adjusted formula WOULD NOT COST any additional money to Tasmanian Government, Hydro, TasNetworks or energy retailers. This fair and equitable FIT increase would re-energise the Tasmanian household investments to rooftop solar energy installations and would re-establish around 400 jobs to the local industry. These private local rooftop solar energy investments would, through lower local demand, thus enable Hydro to sell the generated rooftop solar energy to the mainland market at premium price, without the need for Hydro to borrow money and add substantial costs to the Hydro bottom line – higher profit with no need to expand Hydro infrastructure. This can deliver this outcome with no extra costs cost input.

Our Tasmanian Government needs to look at the facts and should at the least allow a neutral feed in rate to apply as the numbers are simply too good to ignore.

Clearly home grown rooftop solar is a more viable no cost option for Tasmania and Tasmanians overall, except prudent homeowner that choose to invest with a fair return, therefore it should be embraced as the premium opportunity for highest value return, and not just for Hydro but for the State as a whole.

The fact that home owners make solar a the user end coupled with a fair costs avoided neutral F.I.T. rate sees near four times the ROI compared to Hydro investments making power only at wholesale rates in high voltage raw form.

Support Solar Energy and a FAIR F.I.T. for Tasmanian Solar Energy – NOW!
John Thirgood Managing Director Jessups. www.saveoursolartas.org