On February 17th, 2011 The Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) Minister for Energy announced the passage of legislation to allow medium-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to participate in the territory's feed-in tariff. The bill creates a new tranche for PV systems between 30KW and 200KW, with a separate tranche for community-based generation of the same size, and with both tranches capped at 15MW.

"This legislation is very important for two reasons; firstly to give the solar industry the certainty it needs to invest in medium and large scale generation, and to ensure the ongoing success of the feed-in tariff scheme into the future," Energy Minister Simon Corbell said. "We have already seen a high level of uptake in the micro generation category, with more than 3,500 installations on roofs in the ACT, and I am confident that there will be similar enthusiasm from the wider community to embrace the scheme."

Eligibility extended to non-profits

The Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Amendment Bill 2010 was originally introduced on December 9, 2010. The bill also creates a mechanism by which tariff structures for each category will be set and reviewed, and extends program eligibility to include non-profit community organizations.

ACT Energy Minister Corbell notes that the bill makes it easier for renters to participate in the program, and states that the government will introduce legislation later this year to include PV plants larger than 200KW.

2011-02-24| Courtesy: Australian Capital Territory Government | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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