The NSW government has managed to gather all of it’s collective stupidity and replace the 60c per kwh gross feed in tarriff with a new 20c per kwh gross feed in tarriff.
We aren’t impacted directly by this, as we did our install and got grid connected – however, there are likely many others who didn’t get the oppourtunity to due to excessive demand.
The 20c per kwh rate is pathetic. As part of the upgrade to a gross meter, EnergyAustralia (and others) require new meters to be installed on the house supply. It’s not a technical limitation or anything, as you can happily consume power from the grid, seperate to the gross meter. The gross meter simply records the power inverter, out to grid, power from your solar install doesn’t actually flow across the house meter.
Time of use has 3 rates, shoulder, peak and off peak. The peak rate is 40c per kwh, and that’s 2pm to 8pm (i.e. when most are looking to use power). To pay 20c for solar power, and then charge 40c for peak consumption is stupid.
There is provision to opt back to the standard rate, however, the off peak rate of 8c would be lost tadalafil 10mg.
I thought ahead with this and got our CurrentCost meter installed so we could kill off most of the load in peak (and overall).
A better option would be to index the solar rate at a 10-20% premium above the peak buy rate – thus maintaining a ratio between the rates – if peak increased, so will the solar bonus.
I doubt there has been much of an environment or economical impact assessment done on the decision either – the decision will reduce or even eliminate demand (after midnight). This will cause many to reconsider – an investment in solar that takes 12 – 15 years to pay for itself will be on the opposing side of the ecology and economy coin – no one will wish to wait that long for it to pay for itself. Hell, the warranty on many of the inverters is 5 years.
I’m fairly sure I’ll be voting out NSW state labour on the basis of this decision.
By no means is solar our only solution, but to be paying for the power at a rate that is less than the rate they sell the power is stupid. It isn’t encouraging investment in solar power. It won’t free any funds for nuclear options either.
Power bills will inevitably continue to rise due to the issues surrounding Peak Oil and Climate Change, issues that seem to get ‘some’ attention – but not the right attention.
If they had of impacted the existing users with this rate change, I’d have bought up some lead acid batteries, charged them up from solar and off peak, and when we had enough data proving solar was sustainable enough, cut the cables to the pole – go off grid completely.
Our coal plants aren’t sustainable – as coal will eventually run out, or carbon tax increase costs of business. It’s already in the power plant interests to change and build out new infrastructure – no government funding necessary (as the carbon tax, introduced, would see them benefiting from no carbon tax costs).