The latest Victorian budget's claim to be environmentally responsible by introducing a solar feed-in tariff has been labeled "A con in size comparable to the Nigerian email scams" by one of Australia's solar power leaders, Energy Matters.

The latest Victorian budget's claim to be environmentally responsible by introducing a solar feed-in

tariff has been labeled "A con in size comparable to the Nigerian email scams" by one of Australia's
solar power leaders, Energy Matters.




Markus Lambert Communication Manager, Energy Matters said: "Premier Brumby's budget at a first
glance seems to be good for solar, as it introduces a feed-in tariff, which means households are
supposed to be paid a premium on the clean energy that their system will produce. Nevertheless when
you crunch the numbers it is the most elaborate and tricky green wash ever conducted in Australia."
He explained:" By paying $0.60 per kWh to the owner of a solar system, the proposed feed-in
tariff appears to be the highest in the country, but very few people will ever get paid for the power they
produce. This is because:




• The average Australian household consumption is 16kWh a day.

• In Victoria, we get an average of about 4.1 hours of sun.

• The maximum system size to be eligible for the feed-n tariff is 2kW




This means the largest eligible system will produce an annual average of 8.2kWh per day, about half
of an average house's daily energy requirements. Given that you only get paid for excess power
produced, very very few people will ever get paid for the power they produce. "
Mr Lambert said: "It is disappointing that the Victorian government is trying to give people the
impression that the government is doing something to address climate change, when in reality it is
doing nothing."



"With the exception of the American state of Texas, Australia is the only country considering a net
feed-in tariff, which only pays for the power send back into the grid. What we need now is a gross
feed-in tariff for all Victorians. The current net proposal actually financially penalises the people who
do the right thing by the environment - it simply does not make sense," Mr Lambert explained.
Mr Lambert says governments need to think seriously about renewable solutions NOW as time was
running out for relative affordable solutions.



A rally will be held at 8.30am on the steps of Parliament House tomorrow Thursday 8th May
to tell Premier John Brumby and the Victorian Government that the people of Victoria want a
REAL Feed-In Tariff for Victoria's renewable energy future.