[Greens-Media] O'Farrell govt kills rooftop solar, breaks promise to households

[John Kaye]

O'Farrell govt kills rooftop solar, breaks promise to households
 
Media release: 13 May 2011
 
By slashing the solar bonus tariff to existing systems, the O'Farrell government has delivered a death blow to the rooftop solar industry and left 110,000 households high and dry, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye.
 
Dr Kaye said: "Every party, including the Coalition, voted for a legislated promise of 60 cents per kilowatt-hour. Households invested in rooftop solar on the basis of parliament's guarantee. Now they are being left high and dry. Many will struggle to pay off their investment in clean energy.
 
"Never again will households or the clean energy industry trust even a legislated promise. The future of rooftop renewable energy has been dealt a savage blow.
 
"Retrospective legislation to cut the tariff  is a spectacular breach of faith. They invested in the future of clean energy on a promise enshrined in law. Now they have been left on their own to pay off their rooftop panels.
 
"Instead of looking for other more effective ways of paying for the scheme, the O'Farrell government used the impact on power bills as an excuse to kill off an important contribution to building a low carbon economy. 
 
"This would not have ended in tears if Energy Minister Chris Hartcher had been prepared to shift the cost burden to coal-fired power stations. A licence fee on fossil fuel electricity generation would have been able to sustainably fund a solar bonus tariff with a much smaller impact on household power bills. 
 
"Minister Hartcher is hiding behind a farcical solar summit that was stacked with delegates and speakers who were either neutral or hostile to the bonus scheme. With only one installer and one environment movement representative, the case for maintaining a tariff was not heard. 
 
"The Greens will be fighting tooth and nail to stop retrospective legislation stripping away the promised 60 cents tariff. It is an appalling breach of faith that would never be dealt out to the fossil fuel industry.
 
"Solar installers have been hung out to dry. Already reeling from the impacts of last year's overnight cut to the tariff, they will now be laying off even more apprentices and staff. Many of these small business owners will lose their life's saving and no one will ever trust even a legislated promise again," Dr Kaye said.
 
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455
 
 
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John Kaye
Greens member of the NSW Parliament
phone: (02) 9230 2668
fax: (02) 9230 2586
mobile: 0407 195 455
email: john.kaye at parliament.nsw.gov.au
web: www.johnkaye.org.au
 
mail: Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000