Benefits of Solar Outweigh Potential Exporting Electricity Charges
A recent report from the ABC touts that Aussies with solar panel systems who export surplus electricity back to the grid could soon be charged for doing so under new recommendations by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC).
Pretty startling news but not too fear — if such changes are implemented, they won’t be for another 12 months to two years — even still, there’s more to the story.
The main reason for the potential charges is that the grid is being overloaded with too much electricity being sent back by those with efficient solar systems — the grid simply can’t handle the inundation of surplus electricity — and potentially solar system owners will be stung for it — but not by much.
The issue is caused by ’power jams’ with electricity from solar-powered homes going in two directions along the wires — one powering the house and one sending power back to the grid. The poles and wires were not designed with this double-edged usage in mind and they simply cannot handle the strain.
The AEMC report that the new charges will not be a blanket and mandatory export charge on surplus solar energy but offer new ways to provide flexible pricing for both solar customers and non-solar customers.
Feed-in tariffs also look like they’ll re-adjusted, with medium-sized systems earning solar owners a $900 per year return would see a reduction of approximately $70. Owners of larger systems earning up to $1200 will see around $100 less.
The AEMC also added that not every state would be under the same legislation, with different power companies said to offer different schemes and times when sending power back to the grid could be beneficial to solar customers — the new charges may only be applicable to those sending solar surplus energy back to the grid at peak times.
So, it’s not all grim news for solar owners and potential solar customers, the benefits of harnessing the power of the sun via solar far outweigh a few potential charges tacked on to those exporting their power back to the grid.
