Best VIC Solar Feed-In Tariffs

There is all kinds of various causes for residential householders to change to solar energy in Victoria. This contains the associated fee financial savings of relying much less on the grid or a social conscience of utilizing environmentally pleasant clear energy through the use of solar panels.

Feed-in tariffs are nonetheless one of many primary drivers for going solar. Although the quantity obtained by the patron for exporting their extra clear energy again to the grid has decreased lots because the early days, it nonetheless allows solar power system homeowners to generate a credit score in the direction of their invoice for surplus energy.

For those that are buying round for one of the best solar feed-in tariff charges in VIC, we’ve offered for you a desk under which will get up to date repeatedly. We’ve additionally given different data we suggest you think about so you can also make a nicely thought out determination.

Time of use or Flat Rates?

You could also be pondering at this level what the higher choice to soak up Victoria is – a single fee or time various fee? We go into an evaluation in regards to the time various fee together with a modified solar payback calculator device that will help you make an knowledgeable determination.

Just remember that presently electrical energy retailers in Victoria aren’t legally required to supply the time various charges at this stage. Some could solely resolve to supply the only fee solely as an alternative.

Going ahead, will probably be fascinating to see how retailers go about offering the solar feed-in Tariffs and time various charges sooner or later. With the continuing adjustments to charges, we’ll regulate this improvement at Solar Choice.

Best Solar Feed-In Rates in Victoria

The under desk exhibits the minimal and most FiT charges per electrical energy retailer. Note that it doesn’t present the time various feed-in tariff.

*Please word that we periodically replace these tables. Please e-mail us at gross sales@solarchoice.internet.au if something is old-fashioned.

What solar system measurement limits exist in Victoria?

How electrical energy is transported. (Image by way of AEMO. Click to enlarge.)

Originally the Australian electrical energy grid was designed with unidirectional power stream in thoughts, i.e. a method stream of electrical energy alongside a sequence of networks ranging from the generator to the family proprietor.

Currently with over 2 million home solar methods throughout Australian rooftops, community operators are reporting points with congestion and voltage rise throughout the grid. The primary approach they restrict this difficulty is thru the implementation of measurement limits for solar inverter capacities and export limits for exported solar energy. 

In Victoria there are 4 Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSPs) and every have completely different restrictions on what may be put in. See our information under.

Caveat to those guidelines per community: The data within the desk above serves as a common guideline to get you began. Just remember that the precise implementation will differ relying on your space and particular community. We suggest that you just focus on your choices along with your solar installer who ought to be an knowledgeable in getting solar methods permitted by your native community.

• Is the restrict strict or is there a option to get round it? 

In some circumstances your community could permit you to set up a bigger system then their normal guidelines, however you’ll have to fulfill sure necessities. This may contain having export limitations or paying an extra price for upgrades to the bodily community in your space.

• Does the restrict apply to solar inverter capability solely? Or does it additionally embrace battery inverter capability?

 It’s essential to notice the excellence right here. Some networks don’t depend battery inverter capability in the direction of their acknowledged most measurement limits due to the truth that battery methods with their very own devoted inverters typically don’t routinely export surplus solar electrical energy to the grid. This is in distinction to fashionable, grid-connected solar methods which do.

• Will it’s essential set up further expertise in your solar system which has an ‘export limit’?  What about ‘solar smoothing’? 

Export limiters stop your system exporting solar into the grid over a selected threshold, such because the 3kW restrict for a 5kW system. Using any such expertise it is likely to be potential to exceed the above limits and set up a bigger solar power system.

Some networks may also require what is called a ‘solar smoothing’ machine. This is a small battery financial institution that stops any sudden drops in your solar system energy output    resulting from clouds passing overhead. In explicit, these gadgets assist make the solar output on ‘thin’, spindly grids in regional areas extra manageable.

What retailer has one of the best solar feed-in tariff in VIC?

At the time of writing (November 2021), Dodo has one of the best solar feed-in tariff in VIC, whereby the utmost a buyer can get is 12 cents per kilowatt hour (c/kWh). . They are adopted by 1st Energy in second place with a proposal of 11.7 c/kWh.

Is there a minimal feed-in tariff in VIC?

Luckily there’s a minimal feed-in tariff for solar clients that’s mandated by the Victorian authorities.

In Victoria, electrical energy retailers with greater than 5,000 clients are mandated to supply a minimal solar feed-in tariff fee to their clients. This is split into what is called a ‘single rate’ (Flat Fit fee) and a ‘time varying rate’.

As of the first of July 2021, shoppers in Victoria have the choice to decide on considered one of these charges:

History of solar feed-in tariffs in Victoria

The Premium Solar Feed-in Tariff was launched on 1st of November 2009 in Victoria providing residentials a fee of 60 c/kWh for exported solar energy. This program closed to new candidates on the twenty ninth of  December 2011. Participants of this scheme will obtain the premium fee till 2024.

After December 2011, Victorians have been provided a Standard Feed-in Tariff which provided a ‘one for one’ fee based mostly on the purchasers electrical energy fee, or a Transitional Feed-in Tariff of 25 c/kWh. These premium charges have been scheduled to finish in 2016 and likewise closed for brand new candidates on the finish of 2012.

Since then the Victorian Essential Services Commission has dictated a minimal feed-in tariff every monetary yr to the business which is designed to replicate the wholesale market plus a premium to replicate a inexperienced profit. 

You can see the historical past of the minimal feed in tariffs in Victoria within the under desk:

In 2017, the Victorian Essential Services Commission proposed a variable feed-in tariff be launched together with the above talked about flat charges. In 2018 this went as excessive as 29c/kWh throughout peak occasions. 

The logic behind the variable FiT fee was the truth that electrical energy is value extra on the grid within the latter a part of the day, i.e. between 3pm – 9pm. So an incentive was created to nudge solar system homeowners to design methods or shift electrical energy demand to export a better quantity of electrical energy again into the grid later within the day.

This new variable FiT fee opened dialogue for probably increased adoption for battery system homeowners to ‘play the game’ of promoting their saved energy throughout peak intervals as a way to capitalise on the monetary incentives.

Conclusion:

Fortunately for residents of Victoria, there’s a minimal feed-in tariff they obtain. Although going ahead, the revised solar feed-in charges for 2021/2022 will see a noticeable drop. 

As at all times solar feed-in charges are solely a part of the puzzle when assessing an electrical energy plan and when figuring out whether or not investing in solar power is a good suggestion. Hopefully this helps you get began.

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