Sun sets on another state's solar home battery rebate
The scrapping of a $2500 solar panel sweetener has been defended by a state energy minister after critics labelled the move a "slap in the face".
As a federal battery subsidy kicks in on July 1, NSW will replace its home battery installation rebate with a smaller incentive to create more virtual power plants.
The move comes as other states power down their own battery incentives.
Virtual power plants connect solar-powered batteries owned by households and small businesses to the grid, allowing owners to generate ongoing revenue by selling the excess energy stored in their battery when demand is high.
The NSW government argues households and businesses will benefit by stacking the new scheme - worth up to $1500 - on top of the federal program, which slashes up-front costs by about 30 per cent.
"The real value of virtual power plants is that we don't waste energy that's in the batteries," NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe told AAP on Thursday.
But renewable energy advocacy group Solar Citizens said ditching the state battery subsidy on June 30 was a "slap in the face" for solar panel owners.
They were promised up to $2500 in addition to the federal program if they invested in a home battery.
"This surprise decision is a blow to solar-home owners planning to buy a home battery in coming months," the group's chief executive Heidi Lee Douglas said.
She described the rebate's removal as a "betrayal" of the Labor government's election promise of the federal Cheaper Home Batteries program, which can be topped up with state rebates.
"We designed the Cheaper Home Batteries program to be stackable with state incentives, and it is," a spokesperson for Energy Minister Chris Bowen told AAP.
The $2.3 billion federal government scheme will subsidise the up-front cost of installing eligible small-scale battery by about 30 per cent from July 1.
In Western Australia, solar battery customers are still able to receive both federal and state battery subsidies starting from July.
But NSW follows other states turfing battery sweeteners.
Victoria ended an interest-free solar battery loan worth $8800 in May while Queensland closed its $4000 battery rebate in December.
Australia has the highest take-up of rooftop solar in the world, with panels on more than two million homes providing about 13 per cent of electricity needs for the national grid in the past year.
The nation could slash $4 billion a year off power bills by the end of the decade if households embrace solar batteries in larger numbers, a Climate Council report found.
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The Advertiser
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(but) unfortunately Dean Winter and Labor forced the election," he told reporters. Mr Winter also reaffirmed his support for the stadium while criticising the way the AFL deal came together without cabinet approval or treasury advice. "This has been a problem that Jeremy Rockliff has created and it's a problem that now needs to be dealt with seriously and methodically," he said. Mr Rockliff separately revealed one of two Spirit of Tasmania replacement ships was expected to arrive in August. The vessel has been docked in Scotland for six months after his government unsuccessfully tried to lease it. The other has been undergoing sea trials in Finland, with Tasmania to officially take ownership during the week. The ferries won't be in service until late 2026, years behind schedule, because a berth has not been built in Devonport. The Spirit of Tasmania debacle was one of the reasons cited by Labor in its successful no-confidence vote against Mr Rockliff. An AFL stadium deal worth close to $1 billion is on the nose with most voters in one state but neither the premier or his would-be replacement are sniffing the electoral breeze. With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to a contentious deal struck with the AFL to build a $945 million roofed stadium at Macquarie Point. The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028. The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from June 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair. More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium. Support to renegotiate was even stronger among Labor supporters (71 per cent). Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still backed the proposition. 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Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong too slow to back Donald Trump's Iran strikes
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‘Better late than never': Labor's response to US strikes in Iran criticised
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