Solar Rooftops Project

The current Solar Roof Top project has ended in line with the withdrawal of the Federal Rebate. Stayed tuned for new program under the Solar Credit Scheme which is under development at present.

Since early 2007 the Strathfieldsaye & Districts Community Enterprise Ltd (SDCE) have set up a Sustainable Strathfieldsaye Sub-Committee with the objective to reduce the carbon footprint of our local community. A number of projects are being developed such as the Solar in Schools, the Household Energy Audit and the Solar Rooftops program.

The Solar Rooftops project is based upon a bulk purchase model leading to a reduction in the unit cost of a domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) system. In early 2008 the Sustainable Strathfieldsaye sub-committee called for expressions of interest (EOI’s) from companies capable of providing this service. We are now in a position to announce that Energy Matters has been appointed as the successful contractor to undertake the Solar Rooftops program within our area. They have been successful based upon two key parameters, principally cost and capacity to meet demand.

They offer a 1kW solar system fully installed on a standard rooftop for $11,800 under this program compared to approximately $13,000-$14,000 for similar sized systems when purchased individually. This is a new price from the 12th January 2009 and is guaranteed to hold until the end of March 2009. If you are eligible for the Federal rebate of $8000 (this applies to households whose taxable income is less than $100,000 in the previous FY) you will only be required to pay $3,800 for the standard installation of such a system. A standard rooftop is a tin roof, pitch between 15 and 35 degrees and generally north facing. Additionally we are also able to offer a Sharp 7 x 180W system (1.26kW) at a cost of $5,800 after rebate which provides an additional system offer to choose from.

Each installation will be subject to a detailed site analysis and where necessary a site inspection to assess any variations that may apply eg. non-standard roof type, upgrade of meter board / replacement of metering system. These variations could cost a few hundred dollars each but will be negotiated with landholders prior to reaching a formal agreement and only after the site analysis or site inspection takes place.

Energy Matters are a Melbourne based firm and have been involved in community based projects before so their capacity to undertake bulk installations within a short timeframe was also important. They have access to their own installers, but have also given a commitment to using local installation agents for 50% of installations under this program.

An important part of the criteria in establishing this program was the understanding that individual households would surrender their entitlement to the Renewable Energy Certificates (REC's). A REC is equivalent to 1 MWh of renewable energy generated and is an additional government incentive for PV solar installations. The Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) scheme is the legislative framework under which REC’s are assigned. Based upon a standard 1kW solar PV system a formula is applied crediting 1 REC per annum or 17 REC’s over the life of the MRET scheme. REC’s have a market based price and are subject to market fluctuations with the value changing from week to week. They are currently valued at approximately $50 each or $850 per system.
The REC’s will be surrendered by the customer to Energy Matters who will then transfer the value of the REC’s back to the SDCE. The revenue that the SDCE receives from the REC value will be invested back into other community projects within this area.

A variation on the distribution of the REC’s value is if you elect to have 50% of the REC’s of your system allocated to either the Bendigo Sustainability Group (BSG) or the Bendigo and Northern Districts Community Enterprise Ltd (BNDCE). Both of these organisations are proud to be supporting the SDCE on the Solar Rooftops initiative and will contribute their revenue back in to local community projects. This is purely a matter of personal choice. For instance you might decide this if you live outside the Strathfieldsaye district and/or that you wish to support other community projects that are less specific to Strathfieldsaye. In any case the SDCE, BSG and BNDCE will be working closely together to ensure a suite of community projects that will be accessible to all of Bendigo.

For those who are eligible for the Federal PV Rebate scheme there is a requirement to submit a pre-approval application. These currently take approximately 10-12 weeks to process before any installation can proceed, so get your registrations in early. This will need to be completed in conjunction with Energy Matters and can be worked through when they undertake their site analysis and/or site inspection. When final confirmation of costs (after site inspection) are confirmed and accepted there will be a requirement for a $1,000 deposit to be paid to Energy Matters. The remaining funds owing by the customer will then be paid on the day of installation, with Energy Matters carrying the $8,000.00 rebate application at no charge until it is directly paid to Energy Matters.

Media Releases

10/08 - 1st Solar Announcement

Solar Rooftops Project

The current Solar Roof Top project has ended in line with the withdrawal of the Federal Rebate. Stayed tuned for new program under the Solar Credit Scheme which is under development at present.

Solar Rooftops Project Registration Form