NSW Solar Schemes Cut Back

In a shock announcement on May 13^th, the state government of New South Walesannounced the permanent closure of the solar bonuses and schemes being implemented in the state. Along with that come changes to the feed in tariff scheme for existing users as well.

The original feed in tariff arrangement granted a premium rate of 60 cents per KW fed back to the grid which was supposed to be guaranteed under contract for a set period of time. However with the recent changes system owners who were eligible for the 60 cent rate will now only be granted a rate of 40 cents, and new systems will only be at the rate of 20 cents.

Solar PV system purchasers in New South Wales are flooding to question what has happened, especially those who signed up for an original 60 cent rate under the expectation that it was for a fixed term. The legality of the recent changes had also been questioned as there was no notice given and no public discussion held.

The state of New South Wales also set a cap limit with a binding contract that they would not close the solar bonuses and schemes until the cap is reached, however have terminated the scheme without the cap being reached.

These recent changes to the schemes without notice will put negative feedback on the solar industry and its promotion, even though these decisions are completely out of the hands of solar companies. There will be reason for Australians in all states to doubt the schemes that have beenimplemented, and NSW’s decision may take a toll on the drive to convince as many homeowners as possibleof the benefits of switching to renewable solar energy. Some people are likely to lose confidence and trust in what long term return they can expect from their solar investment, which is reasonable if it can’t be guaranteed

Solar Power’s Harmless Electricity

Circling the internet are some false accusations in regard to harnessing solar energy by way of solar panels. Claims had been made in various articles and blogs saying that hydrogen is produced in the production of electricity, but is that really true? Well hydrogen itself is a very combustible material if not handled properly and it can really spell disaster so it is very important to know if so. However, the production of electricity in solar panels is created throughthe photoelectric effect which doesn’t produce any hydrogen at all.

The Photoelectric effect functions the moment the sun light strikes the solar panels; being made from a special silicon material the panels have the ability to breakdown the components of the light energy into an atomic level, absorbing only what is necessary for electrical production, which is the electrons. Other components of the light energy are discarded, and these pose absolutely no threat in any form.

After knocking down the electrical charges this DC current produced is then directed to the inverters which converts the electricity to a domestically usable AC form. This is basically what the huge transformers contained in electric grids do as well.

Of course since we are dealing with electricity, there is always a risk if your solar PV system is not installed properly, that is why the federal government of Australia has insisted that only solar systems installed by certified installers be eligible for rebates and solar schemes such as the Feed in Tariff. The government also formed the Clean Energy Council which is solely devoted to implementing suitable safety and standards, and ensuring that all solar equipment purchased is of a suitable efficiency & quality. Visit their website for the full list of certified solar components & installers.

So we can comfortably conclude that harnessing the sun’s energy is safe, and we can definitely have a brighter future with solar energy to power our homes & cities without any carbon left behind!