New South Wales’ gross FiT legislation is officially passed

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The New South Wales legislation for a gross solar feed in tariff has now been officially passed. This move means that the NSW Solar Bonus Scheme’s feed-in tariff is now one of the most generous in Australia, reports Energy Matters, provider of solar power solutions in the country.

Back in early November, the Rees Government decided against a net FiT system, which would have only paid a premium rate on surplus electricity generated and exported to the mains grid by a home solar power system. The gross model will instead pay AUS$0.60/kWh (€0.368711) for all energy generated. This FiT amount is not only one of the most generous in Australia, it is also fairly high in comparison to the rates in Europe. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

Not ready to commit yet?
  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Max Sylvester of Energy Matters says that this move will stimulate a significant increase in the amount of installations in NSW. “We were already seeing a huge uptake in interest when the Rees Government tabled their plans for a gross feed in tariff. Use of our instant online solar quoting system by New South Wales people jumped 40% overnight. The legislation passing means a great deal to not only the solar industry in the state, but also to the level of clean energy being generated in New South Wales.”
 
The new gross legislation will pay the full AUS$0.60/kWh for systems that are below of equal to 10kW. The program is in place for seven years, beginning on 1 January 2010 and due for review in 2012.
 
“The 60c per kWh means that systems installed in New South Wales under the Solar Bonus Scheme will pay for themselves in a far shorter time, after which they will generate an income for households.” said Sylvester. “Additionally, as well as the Solar Credits rebate, if people take advantage of the Federal Government’s Green Loans program which offers interest-free financing, the revenue generated by their system will in many cases meet the repayments – effectively providing them with a free solar power system.”
 
Minister for Energy, Climate Change and the Environment John Robertson said the scheme would triple the existing capacity of small-scale solar PV systems, bringing the state’s total up to 50MW. This would equate to approximately 33,000 NSW customers with installed solar power systems, which is more than any other state in the country.

Read Next

Premium
August 22, 2025
Indian PV manufacturers are facing double hit from US trade tariffs and anti-dumping measures on products sold in America.
August 22, 2025
Polish independent power producer (IPP) R.Power plans to sell a 440MW ready-to-build PV portfolio in its home country.
August 22, 2025
Saudi developer ACWA Power has started commercial operations of a 2.7GW solar PV portfolio in its home country.
Premium
August 22, 2025
Radovan Kopecek and Joris Libal examine the technological and economic factors driving PV’s ascendancy, with emphasis on bifacial BC modules.
August 22, 2025
The Australian Renewables Income Fund (ARIF), a renewable energy fund managed by Foresight Group, has raised AU$700 million (US$779 million) in a debt refinancing transaction.
August 22, 2025
AEMO has predicted the NEM will see a steady rise in renewable energy generation capacity, reaching 229TWh by 2035.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines