Western Australia solar homeowners label extra billing proposals as unfair ‘sun tax’

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Similar proposals in South Australia and New South Wales have been ruled out following public outcry. Credit: Sunpower

Homeowners with solar installations in Western Australia have labelled proposals from the state-owned utility Synergy to charge solar rooftop owners an extra fixed fee as an unfair “sun tax”.

Synergy has proposed extra billing for big energy users as well as the state’s 191,000 rooftop solar owners, claiming there is a flaw in the fixed charges element of electricity tariffs, which results in many standard electricity consumers paying far more for their power than they should be.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • 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

Campaign group Solar Citizens consumer campaigner Reece Turner said: “Solar Citizens welcomes efforts to ensure that electricity users are encouraged to use power sensibly, but targeting solar households is not the way to go. It’s a ludicrous idea that Premier Barnett should step in and rule out immediately.

“More than one in five homes are powered by the sun. These people have made the sensible decision to invest in clean, abundant energy and should not be penalised.”

Turner also claimed that the state government has over invested in electricity generation and network capacity while demand for electricity has been falling – adding: “Synergy is looking for a scapegoat to cover up for its spiralling budget losses.”

He also said that similar proposals in South Australia and New South Wales had been ruled out following public outcry.

The Australian Solar Council launched a campaign against the solar taxes, claiming that Synergy wants to double the connection charge for solar customers, amounting to an AU$800 (US$583) tax on solar families.

John Grimes, chief executive of the Australian Solar Council, told PV Tech that Synergy is a monopoly power generator in Western Australia and is effectively a monopoly retailer also.

He added: “There are a few small players, but the market is absolutely dominated by Synergy.”

Read Next

July 17, 2025
Swedish solar developer OX2 has submitted plans for a 150MW solar-plus-storage project in Queensland to Australia’s EPBC Act.
July 17, 2025
Pilecom, a mechanical installer of utility-scale solar projects, has officially started work on European Energy’s 106MW Lancaster solar PV power plant in Victoria, Australia.
July 16, 2025
Planning uncertainty and policy instability regarding renewables in Queensland have seen it slip in investment attractiveness, with New South Wales now leading Australia.
July 16, 2025
The New South Wales government has announced AU$26.2 million in funding for several Australian solar PV and battery initiatives.
July 15, 2025
Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has announced plans to run four new Capacity Investment Scheme (CIS) tenders by the end of 2025.
July 15, 2025
Ingeteam has expanded its footprint in Australia by announcing it will supply the 243MWp Maryvale Solar and Energy Storage Project in New South Wales.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK