Despite the sunny climate and seemingly endless supply of sunshine in the Northern Territory, Chief Minister Paul Henderson has recently announced that there are no plans to improve tariffs for those who feed solar electricity back into the grid.
Despite the sunny climate and seemingly endless supply of sunshine in the Northern Territory, Chief Minister Paul Henderson has recently announced that there are no plans to improve tariffs for those who feed solar electricity back into the grid.
At present, the government pays 19.23 cents per kilowatt hour to those feeding electricity back into the grid from their solar panels. By contrast, Victorian residents currently get 60 cents, more than three times the amount paid in the Northern Territory. In Western Australia and Queensland the rates are 44 cents and 40 cents per kilowatt, respectively.
“To increase those tariffs for people putting power back into the grid at the end of the day would have to be paid for by increasing taxpayer subsidies,” said Mr Henderson when talking on ABC radio.
Local residents have expressed disappointment at the decision. “In other states there are people who don’t have a power bill”, says Al Pomroy from Berry Springs. In addition to the lower tariffs, solar panel installations in the Northern Territory are also required to be signed off with a building certifier – a process that currently costs around $900.
In the meantime, the government has just signed a $22 million contract for a gas turbine engine at the Weddel Power Station. Environmental groups have criticised the recent investment, arguing that the move increases the Northern Territory’s reliance on fossil fuels at the expense of investment in solar energy.
