Boom in rooftop solar panels 'extraordinary'

Sydney Morning Herald
8 August 2011, Page: 3

THE solar bonus scheme introduced last year was very successful in some suburbs, with more than 14% of homes installing rooftop solar panels, compared with a statewide average of about 3%. Figures provided to the Herald by three electricity distributors revealed the north coast had the highest number of solar schemes. In Dubbo, more than 2000 homes had also installed photovoltaic units.

Paul Myors, an energy efficiency specialist with Ausgrid, said the number of homes with solar panels had increased from 2000 18 months ago to 46,000, after the former NSW Labor government introduced the solar bonus rebate scheme that was scrapped in May by the new government.

Peak take-up rates are around the central coast and Lake Macquarie, where about 6% of homes in many suburbs have rooftop systems. Customers of Essential Energy, which supplies power to many country areas, installed more than 2200 systems in the post code covering Lismore and surrounding towns.

Data from the last census in 2006 said there were 18,500 dwellings in the Lismore postcode, which gives a rooftop solar system rate of more than 12%. In the Tweed Heads postcode, the rate is more than 14%, while Dubbo has a rate exceeding 13%, rates that Mr Myors described as "extraordinary".

Some of the high installation rates in certain towns are believed to be a result of intensive marketing campaigns conducted by solar panel companies. Mr Myors said the high percentage of detached homes with good solar access in some rural and regional areas was another factor behind the wide variations in take-up rates.

The chief executive of Strata Community Australia, Mark Lever, said more than 70% of residents in many Sydney local government areas live in apartments, as do more than 50% in North Sydney. He said while many of them wanted to install solar panels, the federal and state governments had not considered their needs while designing rebate schemes, leaving regulatory hurdles to be cleared.

"Body corporates are not eligible for federal Renewable Energy Certificates, and then they have to deal with the fact the Tax Office regards any income to the body corporate from solar schemes as mutual income that is taxable in the hands of individual owners", Mr Lever said. Ausgrid has started publishing details of solar panel installations and other data on its website to allow councils, consumers and other interested parties to compare trends in electricity consumption.

Mr Myors said the data showed that while electricity usage increased every year from the 1950s, it plateaued four years ago and had been declining by about 2% a year since then due to increased energy prices, improved energy efficiency in houses thanks in part to the home insulation scheme and more efficient appliances. However, peak demand was still increasing, especially on hot days. In 10 years, the percentage of houses with air-conditioning in NSW had increased from 30% to 70%, placing additional pressure on the system, he said.