301 Moved Permanently

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Australia Phases Out
Solar Credits

Due to continued strong demand for household solar, Australia’s federal government phased out its solar credits program mechanism six months ahead of schedule on Jan. 1.

According to the country’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, the move will lower the impact of the “high uptake of solar PV” on electricity costs for homes and businesses. The overall reduction in electricity bills is estimated to be in the order of AUD $80 million to $100 million this year.

Installation of small-scale systems and solar water heaters continues to be supported under the Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme, with solar PV systems receiving support for 15 years worth of generation up-front. The solar credits mechanism has provided additional support for installations of small-scale solar PV by multiplying the number of certificates these systems would usually create under the RET scheme.

As this benefit was never available to solar water heaters, the phase-out puts solar PV and solar water heaters back onto a level playing field, the government notes, adding that the solar credits multiplier was always intended to be phased out.

 

DOI Finalizes
Indian Land Plans

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn have released final regulations that are expected to help streamline the leasing approval process on Indian land, spurring increased homeownership, and expediting business and commercial development, including renewable energy projects.

The comprehensive reform, informed by nation-to-nation tribal consultations and public comment, overhauls antiquated regulations governing the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ process for approving the surface leases on lands the federal government holds in trust for Indian tribes and individuals. As trustee, the Department of the Interior (DOI) manages approximately 56 million surface acres in Indian Country.

Previous Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regulations, established in 1961, are outdated and unworkable in today’s economy, according to the agencies. These types of delays have been significant obstacles to homeownership and economic development on tribal lands.

The new regulation, effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, is expected to fundamentally change the way the BIA does business, in many ways by minimizing BIA’s role and restoring greater control to tribal governments. The final rule provides clarity by identifying specific processes - with enforceable timelines - through which the BIA must review leases.

The regulation also establishes separate, simplified processes for residential, business and renewable energy development, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach that treats a lease for a single family home, for instance, the same as a lease for a large wind energy project.

 

Ontario Relaunching
FIT Program

Chris Bentley, Ontario’s Minister of Energy, has sent a directive to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) instructing it to finalize a new feed-in-tariff (FIT) program for solar projects and other renewable energy projects.

According to the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA), the directive will allow the OPA to move forward with applications for the small-scale FIT program, as well as provide “clarifications to several aspects to the program rules for both the FIT and microFIT programs (e.g., constrained microFIT projects), as well as certain provisions that are applicable to existing FIT contracts.”

CanSIA adds that it provided extensive feedback during the process with regard to ground-mounted projects, and its input resulted in improvements to land-use rules in the latest changes to the FIT program. Specifically, set-back and visual-screening rules for projects built near residential properties are now in line with practices in use for general development, the organization says.

In a letter to Colin Anderson, CEO of OPA, Bentley directs OPA to re-launch its FIT program, with the addition of the new land-use rules and other modifications.

 

CPUC Approves
Thermal Rebate Boost

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved an increase in solar thermal rebates of up to 45%, according to officials from the California Solar Initiative (CSI)-Thermal Program.

The CPUC authorized the higher rebates to help boost early adoption of solar water heating technology and encourage involvement in the statewide program. Through the program administrators - California Center for Sustainable Energy in San Diego Gas & Electric Co. territory, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., Southern California Edison and Southern California Gas Co. - customers who heat their water with electricity, natural gas or propane may be eligible for the program’s highest solar water heating rebate yet.

The increased incentive structure applies to the early steps of the CSI-Thermal Program, with cash rebates rising 45% for qualifying systems installed on single-family homes and by 13.33% for systems installed on commercial or multifamily buildings.

The maximum rebate has increased to $2,719 for single-family homes and remains at $500,000 for multi-family or commercial buildings. The rebate increases apply to all CSI-Thermal Program applications submitted after July 3, 2012. S