City’s top solar status

Energy efforts on the rise

AS MANY as 12,000 Toowoomba households could be charged a “sun tax” for their solar usage, according to a potential rule change from the Australian Energy Market Commission.

Toowoomba is sitting at number four in the state for the number of small-scale solar installations.

The number was revealed as the commission proposed a significant change which will allow solar owners to be charged for exporting clean energy to the grid.

Queensland Energy Minister Mick de Brenni has pushed back on the ruling, along with community group Solar Citizens who say the “sun tax” would impact millions of people living in regional Queensland.

“We congratulate the Queensland Government for joining Victoria in pushing back against this harmful proposal,” Solar Citizens national director Ellen Roberts said.

“The same state governments that have empowered households to make the solar switch are the ones that have the power to stop solar owners from being unfairly penalised now.”

“Here in Queensland the State Government has done a good job at encouraging households to install solar to drive down electricity bills and pollution.

“It’s great to see them continue to stand up for solar.

“With feed-in tariffs dropping, if the sun tax goes ahead it will be a double whammy for millions of Australia’s solar owners.”

Research from the Victoria Energy Policy Centre’s Professor Bruce Mountain suggests the annual income from exporting solar electricity in Queensland could drop from an average of $292 per year to just $12 if the rule change is implemented by the AEMC in the coming months.