Darren Gladman, Clean Energy Council Director – Distributed Energy said the programme is threatening the survival of small solar businesses and some are already looking at closing their doors.
“Solar Homes has created a devastating boom-bust which is hitting many small solar businesses hard,” Mr Gladman said. “Because the majority of Victorians are able to access the program, people are holding off installing solar altogether until they can claim the rebates. It means the state’s solar industry is being turned on and off like a tap – and for the whole of August the tap was only on for a couple of hours. Government programmes should not be like trying to buy concert tickets, where access depends on whether you can get through in the few hours that it is open”.
Mr Gladman added that the intention of the programme was welcome, but the way it is being rolled out is turning into a worst-case scenario for the state’s solar industry. This is obviously the opposite of what was intended.
“Along with the industry’s woes, it appears that some consumers were unable to access the system this morning, aggravating those who were trying to take advantage of the programme” Gladman said. “The industry has put forward a range of options to improve Solar Homes, but the first step to fixing it is a recognition that there is a problem. We are calling on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to urgently intervene and lead a review to revisit the criteria for the program”.
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