Regional Queensland Solar Feed-in Tariff Set to Rise
16 March 2023: Regional Queensland Solar Feed-in Tariff Set to Rise
The reward that solar customers in regional Queensland receive for feeding excess electricity into the grid is set to increase in the next financial year, despite trending downwards in the South East.
The Queensland Competition Authority just released a draft determination suggesting that in the next financial year the feed-in tariff could rise from 9.300 c/kWh to 12.952 c/kWh for regional Queenslanders serviced by government-owned Ergon.
In South East Queensland where private retailers set their own feed-in tariff, the average offered is trending downwards and sitting at around 5.7 c/kWh.
“It’s welcome news that Queensland Competition Authority is again considering raising the feed in tariff for regional Queenslanders. Queensland’s solar owners are playing a critical role in bringing down wholesale electricity prices for everyone while slashing the State’s emissions,” said Stephanie Gray, Deputy Director of Solar Citizens.
“At the moment we’re seeing very high wholesale power prices due to high global coal and gas prices, and the only price relief we’re getting is during the day when the State’s 900,000-plus solar homes and businesses are generating cheap, local electricity.
“The higher power prices we’re seeing at the moment should mean that solar owners get more for the electricity they supply, but unfortunately that’s not what we’re seeing in areas like South East Queensland where retailers can offer customers whatever they like. In many cases it’s a pittance.
“Slashing feed-in tariffs is what many retailers are doing to recoup some of their profits. It can be really hard for solar customers to find a good deal.
“In this environment the last thing that we want to see is for the Queensland Government to allow solar export charging like we’re seeing being proposed right now in New South Wales.
“In New South Wales network companies have proposals sitting with the Australian Energy Regulator to charge solar owners for putting cheap solar energy into the grid during the middle of the day. It’s an outrageous sun tax and we’re calling on the State Government to rule it out for Queensland.”
The Queensland Competition Authority’s Draft Determination is here. Consultation is set to run until 14 April 2023.
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Media contact: Stephanie Gray 0425 543 006
