The Electricity Reform Project in the Tasmanian Government has agreed to accept late submissions on the Tasmanian feed-in tariff (FiT) until close of business, today Tuesday 11 June. Our submission will give you all the information you need to have your say.

Thank you to our supporters who have already sent us copies of their submissions. The government is getting the message loud and clear that people are indignant about proposed changes to the feed-in tariff which will undermine the value of the investment they made in good faith to generate their own energy.

Our submission:
• identifies problems and mistakes in the government Issues Paper
• explains the many benefits of a vibrant solar industry in Tasmania that are not acknowledged by the government
• provides solid evidence that the current feed-in tariff is not a subsidy from the poor to the wealthy, as both the government and the minister are fond of arguing.

We urge you to send a short email submission to [email protected] and tell the government:
• The advantages you believe a vibrant industry for small scale solar and other renewable technologies would provide for Tasmania.
• What the impact would be of a drastic reduction in the current feed-in tariff.

The main points we encourage you to make are:
• Any process to set a Feed-in Tariff needs to take into account the wider benefit to electricity consumers and to Tasmania, and not just the direct cost savings for retailers.
• The proposed three years of the existing 1:1 tariff for existing installation is an absolute minimum requirement. There is a strong case for extending this to 5 years from the date of connection for those who connected in the last two years.

• Existing arrangements should apply for anyone who pays a deposit before 31 December 2013.
• Transition arrangements are needed to prevent the solar installation industry grinding to a halt after 31 December.
• The feed-in tariff should apply to projects up to 100 kW to support commercial, community and on-farm projects.

While it is important to get as many submissions as possible to the current review, this is not the end of our campaign. There will be further opportunities for public input if the government instructs the Tasmanian Economic Regulator to advise on new FiT arrangements. And all these changes need to be legislated before the end of the year so there will also be opportunities to make your views known to your elected representatives.
Jack Gilding Convenor, Save Solar Tasmania