The Government encourages people to use solar energy by incentivising Australian home and business owners. Read on to find out more about these incentives. Or contact our solar experts today at (08) 9303 9810.
Small-scale Technology Certificates – Your Solar Incentive
Home and business owners can take advantage of Solar Incentives in the form of Small-scale Technology Certificates or STCs. STCs are an electronic form of currency supported by the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. STCs can be used in 2 ways:
- Upfront discount– STCs are assigned to a registered solar agent when purchasing your PV system. The STCs reduce the cost of your system.
- Selling on the REC – The REC is the Renewable Energy Certificate Registry. This is where people buy, sell and transfer STCs. To do this, people must create the STC first.
Most consumers choose to use STCs to reduce the upfront costs of installation. The value of STCs is based on supply and demand; they have been as low as $18 and as high as $40.
Click the image below to view the state government’s STC calculator to determine how many STCs you are entitled to.
For Homes
Western Australian solar households in Perth and the state’s southwest region have Synergy as their electricity provider and receive a solar feed-in tariff of 7.135 cents per kilowatt-hour exported to the mains grid under the Renewable Energy Buyback Scheme (REBS).
However, on August 31, 2020, new feed-in tariff rates were announced for new solar installations from that date under a new scheme called DEBS (Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme).
The DEBS rates commence from November 6 2020:
- Electricity exported between 3 pm to 9 pm will earn 10 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh);
- Electricity exported at other times will make 3c/kWh.
For Business
Grants
Businesses can use Government grants designed to support solar energy system set-up. Just some appointments include:
Tax Incentives
In the 2017 to 2018 financial year, businesses can write off assets – including solar power systems – to $20 000.
This tax reform applies to businesses with a turnover of less than $10 million annually.
