Rees govt internal battle leaves NSW solar future in the dark
Media Release: 7 May 2009
In Upper House question time today, Energy Minister Ian Macdonald refused to say when he would release the report of the task force on solar feed-in tariffs or when the scheme would start, according to Greens MP John Kaye.
Dr Kaye said: “Late last year Ian Macdonald promised a new tariff to help households become solar electricity generators and to create green jobs.
“A bitter battle that has pitted the Department of Climate Change against Treasury and their allies in the Department of Water and Energy has thrown NSW’s renewable energy future into a state of paralysis.
“The Climate Change Department and its Minister Carmel Tebbutt are pushing for a gross feed-in tariff that pays for all the energy generated by roof-top solar panels.
“They are being bitterly opposed by Treasury, who want to knobble the scheme with a highly ineffective net tariff that pays the premium rate only for the solar energy that is left over after all the household appliance have been powered.
“The Department of Climate change are right to oppose a net tariff that would do nothing to encourage household investment in renewable energy.
“Ian Macdonald dodged my question in the NSW Upper House this afternoon when I asked about the four month delay in the release of the report.
“The best he could say is that there would be an announcement soon.
“According to his media release of 24 November 2008, the report of the taskforce was to be given to the government in January 2009 and the scheme was ‘expected to be implemented by the middle of [2009]’.
“The report is still secret and the July start date is now unattainable.
“NSW is missing out on thousands of jobs because Premier Nathan Rees has failed to resolve the dispute.
“He should immediately override Treasury and insist on an effective gross feed-in tariff,” Dr Kaye said.
