Residents link up as a power generation

Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 20/12/2008 Page: 56

FRUSTRATED with the Federal Government's inaction and weak stance in reducing emissions, a group of Adelaide residents has decided to take matters in their own hands. Semaphore will be at the heart of South Australia's first solar neighbourhood. More than 75 households have banded together to take local action they say can go a long way in saving the planet from global warming. Project organiser Dr Brad Page, 35, of Semaphore, says the team of four set out to convince at least 50 like minded households to install solar panels, because more panels would attract a better deal from suppliers.

"The primary motivation for us was to create a visual statement of solar panels that were clustered in a really small area," he said. "This would create a lot of local interest in the fact that it can be done." For each home with a standard 1000 watt (1kW) solar energy system, the cost is down to just $2500 after the rebate, which is a discount of about $2000. Dr Page said the system could be expected to reduce the average home's power bills by at least $200 a year.

In SA, the feed-in tariff should bring in another $200 a year because electricity companies pay 44c per thousand watts fed back into the grid. That's a total saving of $400 a year. "Our Lefevre Solar Neighbourhood will be bounded to the south by Grange Rd, and to the east by Frederick Rd and the Port River and to the west by the ocean," Dr Page said. "None of the organisers will make a penny out of this. We're in this for the concept, not the cash." But in a sad twist of fate, Dr Page and co-organisers Dr Jane McKenzie, Tim Edkins and Natasha Piltz are likely to miss out on the deal.

Dr Page said he was "gutted" to discover that his household would not be eligible for the $8000 Federal Government rebate on panels installed in the 2008/09 financial year, because the income means test will be applied to taxable income in the previous 2007/08 financial year. "I won't be eligible for the $8000 and the cost will be $3000 extra after July 09, which wipes me out," he said. "The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure it will also knock out the other organisers, Tim and Tash." This week the Federal Government announced a decision to scrap the means-tested rebate that was worth up to $8000.

Under the new system, to operate from July next year, the rebate will be smaller but everyone - households, businesses and community groups - can access it, regardless of income. The maximum rebate for an average-sized 1.5 kW system will be about $7500. A smaller 1 kW system will attract a rebate of about $5000. Rebate values may fluctuate and will decline from 2012.