For the past eight months I have been writing and emailing the State Premier and the Energy Minister to alter the solar rebate system to a much fairer system, I invested $8000 last September in panels that produces approximately 3500kw per year, the majority of that is returned to the grid for which I receive 8c per kw. When I am not producing after shut down, I am paying the energy company .2622c per kw. Instead of having no bill each quarter, I am paying a bill of $140 per quarter, the majority of that is as a result of the supply charge ie $98.
In the past year, complaints to the solar ombudsman have raised by 93 per cent and still nothing changes.
All my letters and emails are acknowledged then put into the too hard basket hoping I might go away.
We are a country blessed with a very good climate and need to take a leaf out of the European countries’ book who are embracing solar power, with an inferior climate to ours.
If every house where residents can afford the installation costs was encouraged to install panels, we would not need to build expensive power monstrosities.
I need support from residents who have installed solar since April 2010 and are being ripped off like me by writing to the Premier and the Energy Minister. Let’s get together as a collective and stop propping up the power companies who now, incidentally, own the grid and are collecting both ways. My telephone number is available in the telephone directory if anybody wants to discuss or requires further information re the above.
One more point, I noted the interview on television on Thursday with a certain federal senator who pointed out that the reason the power industry is in the state it is, was because it has been badly run by the previous state government. What he overlooked was that, for the last decade, NSW has been managed by the Labor Party, oops.
Tom Hawkes
Banora Point
