Victorian Solar Minimum Feed in Tariff Slash Proposal

CommuterPolluter on 10/01/2025 - 16:33
Last edited 10/01/2025 - 17:48 by 1 other user

The Essential Services Commission has just today proposed a massive cut in the flat rate solar feed in tariff for the 2025-26 year. The current minimum flat rate tariff is 3.3 ¢ per kWh. The proposed minimum flat rate tariff is 0.04 ¢ per kWh.

For those with smaller energy usage this essentially eliminates reduces the profitability/economic justification of household solar (or at least increases the payback period significantly). Clearly they are signally they don’t need more solar coming online for the time being, despite the Vic Government as of December still offering some juicy rebates and interest free loans on household solar.

Home & Garden Feed in Tariff Solar Energy System

Comments

      • microsnot on 13/01/2025 - 12:19

        What kind of battery is 27kWh for $20K? Is that with some sort of incentive? Seems really cheap. Is this AC or DC coupled?

        Can you share some details about how the VPP is shaving the payback period by 11 to 14 years?

        • Alzori on 13/01/2025 - 19:10

          I regularly see ads for these popup on facebook; 17.4kWh DC batteries for $4300. Seems like a bargain if it can just be hooked up to a capable inverter. Not sure if they're suitable for that though?

          https://www.fpv-power.com.au/collections/lifepo4-48v-1

          • microsnot on 13/01/2025 - 22:14
            +1

            @Alzori: Haven't looked for 1 year and the cost has really come down. I guess the glut of batteries has finally driven prices down. I was only looking at 12kWh solutions in the past but the cost for 20kWh+ has really come down. Still not great value as I would need a new 3 phase hybrid inverter also. I guess I will just have to wait until my inverter dies.

    • Jono05 on 13/01/2025 - 12:04

      Self consumption is where you make the saving not the FIT. The battery charges during the day using solar energy then at night time the battery supplies your house with power that you would normally pay for whether it’s peak, shoulder or off peak. When there’s a lack of sun (winter/ rainy days) you charge the battery at night paying off peak rates then run it at peak time during the day saving you money. The ROI will not be 36 years, you could pay it off in 5 or 6 years.

      • gromit on 13/01/2025 - 13:29

        would love to see maths showing a 5 or 6 year pay off. I can't get anything under 11-15 years even with most optimistic assumptions.

        • netjock on 13/01/2025 - 16:18

          LOL. You need to be running the batteries very hard and as above you need a $40k battery on wheels.

          Numbers could become interesting as more EVs land in the $30k - $40k bracket. People will just charge their EVs and the grid will get nothing.

          • gromit on 13/01/2025 - 16:52
            -1

            @netjock: It is where I expect to be eventually. EV with V2G/V2H would be perfect for wife as she only drives anywhere a few times a week, new house build will have the cabling all ready for this. It is the house batteries I don't get, I have tried the math a few times including when I put solar on my old house a couple of years ago and late last year when I was getting solar for my new build and I could not make a house battery make financial sense as pay off is just too long. I even asked the solar company and the installer said he will happily sell me a battery and install but he agreed it doesn't make financial sense.

            • netjock on 13/01/2025 - 18:31

              @gromit:

              It is the house batteries I don't get

              You don't need to get it financially. You are suppose to buy it based on emotion.

              Imagine you can get a MG4 with a 50kwh battery for $30k but a 10kwh house battery is around $10k. Yeah it doesn't compute.

              It is also the reason why V2G/H hasn't happened. Too many vested interests in making a buck.

              Theory was BEV batteries at end of life can be recycled into house batteries but given how they have integrated it into the structure of the car and sometimes they are even glued together I'd doubt other than high heat melt down and then separating the raw materials there will be much recycling.

              • Alzori on 13/01/2025 - 23:09

                @netjock: V2H has been happening, just slowly. There was a trial in SA, now it has been approved country wide i think in the last few months. Should start seeing V2H capable vehicles and chargers being sold this year. Many existing EVs probably are already capable, but haven't been advertised as such prior to the concept being approved for widespread use.

                For example, the new Cupra Tavascan lists V2G capability as included in its brochure (page 47, "car2x function" listed as standard). I'd wait until they confirm it/start selling a capable V2H charger to go with it before investing in the car though.

                • netjock on 14/01/2025 - 02:46

                  @Alzori: The last V2H charger was $10k just for the charger.

                  I’ll wait to see what next gen price looks like.

                  Approval and practicality are two who different matters

                  • gromit on 14/01/2025 - 08:35
                    +1

                    @netjock: $10k was early last year, even just late last year they were already dropping rapidly and were in the $6k range.

                    • netjock on 14/01/2025 - 10:32

                      @gromit: Thanks for the update.

                      Link to information? I would like to keep an eye on it. It wasn't a run out type of deal is it?

                      I believe there is so much stuff that could be happening it is just profit motive stopping it from happening. Remember salt water batteries? (https://www.solarquotes.com.au/saltwaterbatteries.html)

                      They should be cheap as chips. As most people live in houses there would be plenty of space to stack them up but obviously they tried to make it too expensive to compete.

                      • gromit on 14/01/2025 - 11:55

                        @netjock: Don't have links, but have a search for Sigenergy’s Bi Directional chargers. The 12.5kW was selling for between $6500 and $7000 while the new 25kW was around $8500 when I looked last year. Supposedly the Redearth ones will be available sometime in the next 3-6 months and while they don't have a price it was stated they would be significantly less than the $10k others were charging at the time of announcement.

                        • netjock on 15/01/2025 - 12:44

                          @gromit: I'd be interested in the economics of it once the price settles. Then what battery price is at the same point.

                          • gromit on 15/01/2025 - 15:16

                            @netjock: yeah I think home battery prices are going to have to come down a lot as for a lot of people they will go from kinda financially iffy to ludicrously insane when compared to plugging a car in.

    • netjock on 13/01/2025 - 16:14

      10kw slightly cheaper now at about $7k - $8k for a Sungrow.

      Unfortunately a lot of people don't have hybrid inverters so the cost of conversion is too much.

  • Ocker on 11/01/2025 - 19:22
    +1

    Have looked at swapping from Tango (20c kWh) to Amber but the number don't stack up in the long(er) term unfortunately.

  • saltypete on 11/01/2025 - 21:33
    +2

    Buying rooftop solar for the feed in tariff has always been a flawed strategy. Managing demand then adding solar is worth doing to reduce energy bills, particularly if household loads can be shifted to during the day.

    • CommuterPolluter on 12/01/2025 - 21:26
      -5

      Yeah buying a $10 kmart fan is probably the best way to manage your power bill.

      • saltypete on 15/01/2025 - 08:53
        -2

        Its called demand management. The process that a lot of folk who install solar seem to overlook. No point explaining it to you - just keep your fan on low. 👍

        • CommuterPolluter on 15/01/2025 - 11:22

          Nah I run the fan whenever I want because I’m not wasting a bunch of electricity in the first place 👍

  • brad1-8tsi on 12/01/2025 - 12:07
    +1

    FITs have been going down the toilet for the past 5 years. When we started getting negative wholesale rates at midday and a shifting of the peak energy times the writing was on the wall.

    I had 2x Powerwall2 installed last month. The short-term economics aren't great but long term taking into account potential energy price increases, VPPs and decreasing FITs I think the decision will be vindicated.

    Positives ( so far):
    I no longer have to schedule dishwasher, washing machine etc to take advantage of peak sunshine or off-peak rates.
    Whole of home blackout protection with 3-5 days of off-grid power.
    15c FIT

    Negatives
    Initial cost & opportunity cost.
    In order to get 15c FIT my daily supply charge has increased 50%

    • Nugs on 12/01/2025 - 20:09

      "3-5 days of off-grid power" wow,
      running 2 or 3 10 year old 2.5kW bedroom splits set at 22C overnight drains our single powerwall 2 from 100% at 7pm to our 20% reserve setting at 6am sunrise. Not running ac (if under 30C days coupled with 18C or less minimums) leaves 40ish% for same time frames
      Having said that, the ac's are not on our 3 backup circuits
      .

      • brad1-8tsi on 13/01/2025 - 09:42

        My place is a120sqm 3 story double brick bunker with concrete floors on the south side of the complex so it stays quite cool and is energy efficient.

        There are usually just 2 of us. Our usage ranges from 5kWh-10kWh daily

        We will turn the AC on during the day if needed and it's usually set to 24C (if you are at 22C overnight maybe you have an insulation issue??) but that's quite rare and the overhead fans are usually sufficient to stay comfortable.

        We only run one fridge and the HWS service is instantaneous gas (that will be gone this year and I'll get the gas meter removed).

        I'm also looking at some form of insulation for the windows that doesn't require a complete window change.

        Out of interest, why are you on the 20% reserve? Is there a high likelihood of blackouts in your area?

        • Nugs on 13/01/2025 - 19:33

          Many differences here.

          210 sqm single story (30mx7m) with very little shading. Family of 5 (3 kidults). I picked two random days from last winter 17 and 15 kWhs, yesterday was 40….(although only 1kWh was from the grid, the rest was battery and our ten year old 6kW solay system). Our house 'idles' at 350W (early am reading with no air cond running), it was 500W before replacing 20 year old fridge and freezer (pigeon pair).
          our yearly bill is around $1600 for the last couple of years including off peak hws which is not included in the tesla app numbers above. We imported 15% of our non hws power for 2024.

          Re 20% setting:
          we bought our battery because we looked into backup generators after the statewide SA blackout of 2016. Turned out that because of the promotion/subsidy/vpp at that time it was cheaper to get the battery (ended up being $4500). We don't have mains water, so no power means no water (along with the inconvenience of no power). No running water means one flush of the toilet and that's it until power comes back on (or fill a bucket from a gravity outlet on water tank). I even took my showering gear to work one morning in another blackout. So yeah, I do like a buffer. I haven't researched re powerwalls, but don't rechargeable batteries also like to be between 20 and 80%?

          Re insulation it's rubbish. The house is a double brick on slab, raked ceiling 1975 architectural build with floor to ceiling windows that leak air between frame and brick opening in places. The wet areas have flat ceilings enabling a peek at what 'insulation' we have and it's just that silver lined blue paperlike sheeting between frame and roof.

          We're currently in a streak of low 30s days, so there's just a lot of stored heat in the mass of the house. We run a big old MHI ac in the middle of the house during the daytime switching it off at 5pm, then the smaller newer units at night in closed door bedrooms and open all the middle of house windows overnight with ceiling fans running on low speed 24-7 to reduce air temps in middle of house.

          22C setting, the rest of family wants it lower…. I've got a thermometer in here with me now at 7pm it's showing 23C so not way different to air cond setting.
          .

    • microsnot on 13/01/2025 - 12:25

      Is your solar still grid tied or do you have a hybrid that can be decoupled? Can the batteries charge when the grid is down so you can survive multi day events or it is just drawing down the capacity in the battery but not topping up.

      Honestly wondering how it works.

      • brad1-8tsi on 13/01/2025 - 18:03

        I'll have to try it (turn off the main) but I'm fairly certain the PW2 will try & top-up the battery when the grid is down.

        • Jono05 on 13/01/2025 - 23:37

          The PW2 charges from solar during a blackout.

          • brad1-8tsi on 15/01/2025 - 08:32
            +1

            @Jono05: By pure coincidence we had a blackout yesterday afternoon.

            TV, AC & modem rebooted but I thought it was momentary power hiccup. Looked at app and the grid was down.

            Solar was reading 0kW because the battery was full. Looked again after 30mins and solar was charging battery.

            AC kept going.
            Modem had to be rebooted manually to work properly.
            TV had to be restarted to link with modem.
            AEG cooktop was in error and needed to be turned off at the DB for an hour to work again.

            Happy with the overall performance of the system.

    • netjock on 13/01/2025 - 16:21

      The best part is there is almost no incentive to use power during middle of the day (other than OVO).

      There is also no $0 feed in during middle part of the day and higher rates during other periods. Just a blanket fit. I guess typical of the Vic government. They probably still don't understand how the maths works in finance because they seem to continue borrowing.

      • brad1-8tsi on 15/01/2025 - 08:33

        @netjock
        That's not the case in NSW. Victoria does weirder stuff than NSW (hard to believe given NSW's record).

        • netjock on 15/01/2025 - 13:22

          You know what happens when one party is in power for over a decade.

          Was speaking to someone in medical field about state of the hospitals. Those in the safe Labor seats are under funded, marginal electorates get all the money yet people still vote for them thinking they will get hand outs.

    • gromit on 14/01/2025 - 13:28

      Given the imminent availability of V2G/V2H I would think long term economics are even worse than the short term ones.

      • brad1-8tsi on 15/01/2025 - 08:42

        Given the imminent availability of V2G/V2H I would think long term economics are even worse than the short term ones.

        Understood but at current prices for V2H wiring it's equally uneconomic for me. Also, while it may be imminent, it's not available now and I wanted something in 2024 not 2026.

        By 2026 we will be moving into my wife's place and she doesn't have off street parking so V2H will be challenging at best.

        I also don't run an electric vehicle and have no immediate plans to do so although I am considering a BYD Shark once the early adopters have ironed out all the bugs.

        A lot of my financial decisions don't make a lot of sense to others and that's fine by me. I earn enough to pursue follies.

        My ex is delaying a car purchase as she wants V2H. I assume if she jumps on the early adopter bandwagon she will pay a premium for the privilege.

  • THICKnSLOW on 12/01/2025 - 12:18

    The tariffs paid by solar adopters who don't own batteries, should aggregate points that you can redeem for batteries, no? That way you are reinvesting your investment into the investment, otherwise it is an overall loss.

    • brad1-8tsi on 15/01/2025 - 08:44

      Is anyone paying to export yet? I know it's going to happen but is it happening?

  • TEER3X on 12/01/2025 - 12:40

    Got solar last year, 0 feed in tariff. Already saving heaps, I reckon payback for me is 3 years.

    Our solar installations are still massively subsidized. In the US I believe it costs tens of thousands, in most states.

    • gromit on 13/01/2025 - 12:13

      The US still has reams of red tape and regulation to get solar installed, So most of the extra cost their comes from administration and paperwork, permits, inspections etc.

    • klaw81 on 23/01/2025 - 10:15

      Our solar systems are not heavily subsidized any more, in general. The only scheme that's still universal is the STC trading market

      In general, solar in Australia is cheap because there's enormous competition from lots of well-established installers, a well established supply chain for the necessary components, and a reasonable payback time for most parts of the country. Our well trained workforce, a streamlined bureaucracy and a strong competitive market were all created by early subsidies, which shows it's an effective model for adopting new technologies.

      In contrast, the US solar industry has lots of red tape, rules that are vastly different for each city and state, and trade restrictions and tariffs on cheap parts from China. And they have traditionally had access to relatively cheap electricity in most parts of the country, so solar wasn't so appealing until recently.

  • Alzori on 12/01/2025 - 13:29

    They should have an even stronger optional time based tariff to encourage people to buy home batteries. Go lower, negative even, for daytime feed in tariffs and higher for peak and overnight tariffs, to better reflect wholesale prices. Zero cost to government, and makes the financials stack up better for people considering buying batteries, which better supports the network. Win win!

    • brad1-8tsi on 13/01/2025 - 09:43

      They should have an even stronger optional time based tariff to encourage people to buy home batteries.

      This is already available.

      Who is "they" that you say should make this available?

      • Alzori on 16/01/2025 - 16:13

        Sorry, I wasn't aware that negative feed-in tariffs already exist. Does that mean the Essential Services Commission proposal in the link would abolish any current negative FITs (since they aren't proposing any negative FIT minimum options)?

        They, being the Essential Services Commission, that set the minimum tariffs, as per the linked proposal.

    • netjock on 16/01/2025 - 12:45

      You should be a comedian.

      • Alzori on 16/01/2025 - 16:17
        +1

        What do you think is bad about this proposal? It would allow home battery owners to make more money from their home battery setups, at the cost of having to setup their system to inhibit exports during the hours that the grid has oversupply. Do the setup once, and reap the rewards thereafter.

        Retailers win by not having to absorb zero cost power when the wholesale price is negative (when they could be absorbing wholesale negatively priced power, and making money). Hopefully this would flow on to consumers in the form of competitively priced power plans.

  • greencomet on 12/01/2025 - 17:22
    +2

    I think new EVs being able to deliver V2X (V2L, V2H, V2G) very soon is going to be a game changer here in Australia. Being able to use your huge EV battery to power your house and put charge back into the grid is a far better option for most people than an expensive stand alone battery. It's also much easier to justify buying an electric car if it can also be used to power your house when you're not driving it, not to mention you can take the car/battery with you if you move or sell your house.

    https://youtu.be/xTMm3xw49xM?si=99zy0vkycY5IqGRv

    • od810 on 13/01/2025 - 11:41
      +1

      There should be a mandate that by 202x, all EV needs to have V2H/V2G capability. It's a no brainer, it's one arrow 2 birds kinda thing. Solve the ICE problem as well as the storage problem for renewable energy.

      • gromit on 13/01/2025 - 13:05

        There is no need for a mandate, it is such a huge competitive feature I think any EV that doesn't support it will basically kill their market share.

        • Alzori on 16/01/2025 - 16:22

          You underestimate people's ambivalence to these kind of things. If the car can be made $500 cheaper by excluding the required electronics for V2X, some people will take that option no questions asked. the other brand that won't sell a car $500 cheaper lacking V2X support would lose at least a little market share.

          • gromit on 16/01/2025 - 17:15

            @Alzori: peoples ambivalence is rapidly changing when it comes to electricity bills as they become more and more unaffordable and home battery installs still being completely uneconomical.to do. This is especially going to be the case with EV's as people are already focused on electricity usage and solar.

            • Alzori on 16/01/2025 - 20:22

              @gromit: I'm not saying what proportion of people don't care, just that some people don't care, and that would have a detrimental effect on the overall EV fleet.

              These days most people would want seatbelts, but does that mean there is "no need" to mandate their inclusion anymore? The mandate is for the people that don't want it already, not for the people that do, for the overall benefit of everyone.

        • megaclix on 17/01/2025 - 09:30

          I am not disagreeing with adoption of V2H/V2G. However, I would expect that V2H/V2G would reduce the EV battery life which would be a concern for some consumers.

          • od810 on 26/01/2025 - 21:46

            @megaclix: It shouldn't be a concern if you keep the battery State of Charge 20-80% (which is more than achievable even if you use the car battery as storage). The LiFeO3 batteries should last over 10000 cycles. When the range of the car is not up the task anymore, it's a perfect storage. The tesla PW3 has capacity of 13.5Kwh (cost 18K installed), my car (brand new can be had for 35k) even after 50% degradation (~150km range) still has capacity of 2 of the PW3s. We are spending money twice for the same things i.e. storage and car batteries.

      • Nugs on 16/01/2025 - 19:57

        "the ICE problem"
        WTF?
        .

        • Alzori on 16/01/2025 - 20:26

          What's confusing? ICEs emit greenhouse gasses, EVs don't (assuming their power came from renewable sources). ICEs are our primary mode of transport. This is a problem to be solved (along with other greenhouse gas source mitigation).

          • Nugs on 17/01/2025 - 12:54

            @Alzori: well, according to this random site I found (never viewed before), there are bigger fish to fry
            https://www.statista.com/markets/408/topic/949/emissions/#st…
            buying less crap 'we' don't need from China will probably have a bigger impact than ICE to EV
            .

            • Alzori on 17/01/2025 - 18:23

              @Nugs: Just because it isn't the biggest polluting sector didn't mean we don't need to address it. Agree that buying less crap that gets thrown out of a great Avenue too.

    • netjock on 13/01/2025 - 16:23

      I think new EVs being able to deliver V2X (V2L, V2H, V2G) very soon is going to be a game changer here in Australia

      Exactly why regulators have been dragging their feet. Imagine if everyone meets 90% of their electricity needs, the energy retailers & generators make no money.

  • Shame on 12/01/2025 - 19:40

    There is too much solar due to government mandated subsidies and now we need a way to curb solar exports to the grid. NSW and Canberra are doing this via a solar export tariff, QLD is thinking about it, Victoria is in denial. AEMO has introduced a new rule called the "solar backstop mechanism" which requires new solar installations to be able to communicate with distribution companies so they can turn off solar when there is too much. The backstop mechanism drives up the cost of electricity by forcing consumers to install communication systems and distribution companies to commission new IT systems so they can turn off solar when required.

    Victoria should have a solar export tariff like NSW but Lily D'Ambrosio (VIC energy minister) doesn't want it because politically it looks bad. Also, the "Thomastown Battery Energy Storage System" is being built partly because it's in her electorate- I'm not saying it's the only reason but it was a consideration.

    Source: I've worked for electricity companies my entire career and I've seen internal communication about the TT battery being there for that reason

    • CommuterPolluter on 12/01/2025 - 21:32

      That’s quite a built up area to install a BESS facility. The off-site impacts are only toxic fire plumes but still.

  • trapper on 13/01/2025 - 11:11

    Why is there any minimum feed in tariff?

    If the power company doesn't want to buy your power why should they be forced to, it makes no sense.

  • Aleigh123 on 13/01/2025 - 14:55
    +1

    Surely panels should be for catering to your own usage than the prospect of selling energy you're not using.

    • dufflover on 13/01/2025 - 22:47

      That's what they usually do (as the default setting, you can pick) … but especially during these summer days it's not hard to go over and that's already after recharging our battery to full over the morning.

  • hopper on 14/01/2025 - 07:27

    It's high time tesla and other evs adopt V2G

    • netjock on 16/01/2025 - 12:49

      Tesla motors puts Tesla (powerwall storage) out of business. That would be some headline.

  • donbot on 14/01/2025 - 08:53

    Not surprised to say the least, but will be looking forward to V2L/V2G coming online eventually to be able to utilise battery storage. Not worthwhile for us to put one in.

    I wonder what the average self-consumption rate of solar is? It must be incredibly low. I know I try and maximise my self-consumption, and across the last 12months averaged 70% on a 5kw system. I'd hate to think how long some of the self-consumption must be on the bigger systems they market to people!!

    • FezMonkey on 14/01/2025 - 14:47

      I got a big system, probably overkill but at least it will cater to future higher demands like family, EV, etc.

      My average self-consumption is 17% of the solar I generate but even if I got every kW from solar alone I still couldn't use 100% of it, so the other way I calculate it is that 44% of my energy usage is fulfilled by solar.

  • serpserpserp on 14/01/2025 - 09:21
    +1

    Have always viewed the feed in as a bonus. The energy savings you make by having rooftop solar is what you should be basing your ROI on.

    But really, solar is about more than just ROI. You should also feel better about being self sufficient, and generating clean energy for yourself and society.

  • Cluster on 14/01/2025 - 14:13

    At 0.04c/kWh people are incentivized to waste PV power. Run your AC all day while you're not at home. Mine crypto currency. Do whatever it takes to use up that power, as the market is literally telling you it's worthless. Don't give it to them at that price. The power you export at 0.04c/kWh is then sold to someone without solar for 30c+

    • gromit on 14/01/2025 - 19:55
      +1

      The power you export at 0.04c/kWh is then sold to someone without solar for 30c+

      no it isn't, that is the whole point, they actually make negative money on it as there is too much power in the grid to utilise so the wholesale price goes negative. They literally lose money on it even if you are giving it to them for free.

      • Cluster on 14/01/2025 - 21:04
        -2

        Incorrect. The key difference here is the Retailer and Producer of power. Often they are not the same company. A Retailer gets 30c/kWh from Jane Smith who is running her air conditioning on a hot day but doesn't have solar PV. How much is the Retailer paying the Producer for power? Close to zero, and on some days it's negative.

        According to Google there are more than 20 power retailers in South Australia alone.

        If I'm a retailer and I can get my produce for zero cost, or the producer even pays me to take it off their hands, I'm making money hand over fist.

        • gromit on 14/01/2025 - 23:20

          If a retailer can buy power at zero or negative cost during day then paying a FIT for your power is a LOSS.

          • netjock on 16/01/2025 - 12:51

            @gromit: Yet I do see retailers going bust.

            Obviously they worked out how much they are paying in FiT vs how much people are consuming so charge appropriately to make a profit.

    • netjock on 16/01/2025 - 12:53

      Use it or lose it so best to use it for yourself.

  • Cluster on 14/01/2025 - 14:54

    In South Australia some people are still getting 44c/kWh, and will continue to get that until mid 2028.

    https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/energy-and-environment/energy-b…

    Anyone who installed solar PV before October 2011 is still on the super generous FIT. Someone thought it was a good idea to lock in the FIT for 17 years at that level. Lol.

    • danwylie on 14/01/2025 - 16:46

      My mum was on an incredible 66c until last year. The only downside was it was an ancient 2.something kw set up and if she updated it she'd lose it.

      • netjock on 16/01/2025 - 12:52

        And that setup probably cost $10k.

        They didn't give out generous FiT for nothing.

        • klaw81 on 23/01/2025 - 10:26

          As somebody who is/was the beneficiary of a very generous state govt-mandated FiT, I can confirm that my solar setup was very expensive - about 3x current prices. But the system still paid for itself a couple times over, both in offsetting energy usage and receiving ~$2k annual cheques from the retailer from FiT.

  • BobCobb on 14/01/2025 - 16:29
    -1

    Where's Trump?

  • netjock on 16/01/2025 - 12:47

    They blame roof top solar.

    But really they just want to protect the solar / wind farms built by corporate interests.

    It is very easy to orchestrate 6.6kw roof top installations (turn off the tap on subsidies or only allow it in certain suburbs). It is when their corporate interests want to build tens if not hundreds of megawatts but find they can't make money then problems start.

  • The Hawk on 24/01/2025 - 11:58

    Lets look at some stats, because I'm a giant nerd who keeps spreadsheets to track things.

    We have the standard 6.6kW of panels on a 5kW inverter.
    We are pretty heavy users of electricity.
    There is always someone at home.
    We are in Melbourne.

    Over the last three years (assuming FIT of 10.2c / kWh for these calculations)
    We have generated 20,173.48 kWh
    We have exported 8,612.61 kWh (42.7%)
    We have saved 34.2% (compared to not having solar).

    at 10.2c FIT 22.4% of my savings are from export
    at 3.3c that drops to 8.6%
    at 0.04c it's 0.1%

    Total savings drop from 34.2% to 28.9% to 26.3% (vs having no solar at all).

    Now remember, those numbers are over three years, in actual dollars, the FIT was only worth:

    $292.83 / year @ 10.2c
    $94.74 / year @ 3.3c
    $1.15 / year at 0.04c

    Long story short, if you're buying solar for the FIT, it's never really been worth it. The real value is in self consumption, either directly or through a battery (although batteries still aren't really worth it either. All the real world experience says you get about 65% effective capacity (accounting for winter and cloudy days where you don't charge your battery at all as well as summer days when you fill your battery early and the rest just goes to export anyway), that works out to be about $650 / year extra savings if I get a 10kWh battery. I want batteries to be under $450 / kWh installed (which would allow for a 7 year ROI for me) before I consider them viable.

    (I have the ability to model time of use FIT too pretty easily if we had a break down of what days and times provide what FIT)

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