The Clean Energy Regulator is offering additional support to potential Australian solar consumers in abet to help them determine whether they qualify to participate in the Small-scale solar Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).
Under the SRES scheme, consumers are eligible to small-scale technology certificates, which can be sold to recover part of the cost buying and installing the solar PV system.
Australia has already reached a remarkable milestone of 6GW small-scale solar and renewable capacity, which is highly dominated by solar energy, as per the latest report from the Australian Solar Council.
The Regulator’s newest eligibility framework shows in detail how systems can fall under the SRES scheme.
It noted: “Systems for which one, some or all panels have been replaced, and have previously received small-scale solar technology certificates for the entitlement period, will not be eligible to receive additional small-scale technology certificates. In some instances, small-scale technology certificates were previously issued for replacement panels. As some participants may have scheduled or quoted work before this guidance was released, applications for replacement panels will still be considered for small-scale technology certificates for installations up to 31 January 2018, subject to all other requirements being satisfied.”
The regulator was quick to warn that additional systems may necessitate an upgrade of certain components in order to remain qualified for the SRES. As such, consumers must carefully evaluate the benefits of expanding, taking into account the possible hidden costs and impacts on the feed-in tariff (FiT) rates.
