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Canberra Today 25°/29° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Greens accuse Libs of misleading figures

THE ACT Greens have called on the Liberal Party to stop misleading the public about the costs of the Government’s household solar scheme.

ACT Liberals released an email yesterday from a senior ACT Treasury official, that they obtained through the freedom of information. The email shows the official had calculated that households could make a profit of $20,000 by purchasing a 1.7 kW solar system.

According to the ACT Liberals, households that couldn’t afford solar panels would have to pay an extra $225 a year to compensate those who can.

“The 30 mW of small and medium scale solar in the ACT was costed at around $27 per household per year – that’s an average of about 50 cents a week for households,” Greens energy spokesperson Shane Rattenbury said.

“Yet repeatedly we have heard the Liberal Party quote the price of $225 per household per year in discussions about the household scheme.

“It’s just not accurate, and it’s a divisive ploy that the Liberals are using to pitch those in the community with solar on their roofs against those who don’t.

“The $225 figure actually refers to Government’s estimates for the entire 210 mW committed to by the ACT Government, including 170mW for industrial-scale solar plants – that is a significant investment by the ACT community into generation capacity for the future.”

Leader of the Opposition Zed Seselja said the senior ACT Treasury official has confirmed ACT Labor’s solar feed-in tariff produces profits that are paid for by other less fortunate Canberra families.

“This is validation from a Government employee that ACT Labor’s solar scheme is inequitable and goes directly to the heart of this Government’s attitude to cost-of-living concerns in the community,” he said.

“Households who can’t afford solar panels will slugged an extra $225 a year to compensate those who can’t.

“It’s a sad irony that even the Government’s own senior employees acknowledge – and indeed seek to utilise.”

The Government will table the Electricity Feed In (Large Scale Renewable Energy Generation) Bill 2011 in the Legislative Assembly tomorrow, that supports the development of large scale solar power facilities in Canberra.

The new legislation outlines a scheme to see renewable energy projects totalling up to 210mW in capacity receiving support through a feed in tariff.
Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development Simon Corbell said a first release of 40mW of capacity for solar generation located within the Territory will commence following passage of the Bill.

“The first release under the scheme will deliver enough clean energy to power around 7000 ACT households and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 850,000 tonnes over the life of the project as well as provide about 14 per cent of the minimum electricity demand of the city,” Mr Corbell said.

Further information will be available at http://www.environment.act.gov.au/energy

 

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