Australia has undergone unprecedented growth in the small-scale renewables sector in recent years. Chair of the Clean Energy Regulator David Parker takes a look at what is needed to improve integrity of the industry.
A third of Australian households have solar panels on their roofs and an estimated 12 per cent of all our electricity generation now comes from rooftop solar.
The continued success of this transition has been underpinned by the solid reputation of the rooftop solar industry where a vast majority of the participants are doing the right thing. It is imperative that we continue to uphold the integrity of this sector to maintain consumer confidence.
In the face of the rapid expansion, the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) conducted a review in 2020 into the rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) sector and made 13 recommendations to improve the integrity of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) regulatory framework and better protect consumers. We’ve been working hard since to implement the reforms.
To maintain integrity and weed out non-compliance within particular areas of the industry, the review recommended the CER have greater control over installer and designer accreditation arrangements.
As a result, Solar Accreditation Australia was announced as the new solar installer and designer accreditation scheme operator in February this year. The not-for-profit organisation was established to provide accreditation for the sector’s workforce of over 9000. Accreditation ensures that systems are installed by qualified electricians who are trained, competent and operate with integrity. Work is also progressing with a solar panel and inverter product listing body under the SRES.
The SRES reforms also ensure greater accountability for any misconduct by scheme participants. Providing false or misleading information to create small-scale technology certificates (STCs) contravenes the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 and can result in prosecution for fraud.
The CER now has more effective powers to monitor and enforce compliance with respect to installers, designers, retailers, and manufacturers. This includes powers to declare installers, designers, retailers, and components ineligible to participate in the SRES.
We will not tolerate those who are unwilling to do the right thing. The CER recently declared two solar PV installers ineligible to install solar systems under the SRES for 12 months for not meeting onsite attendance obligations. Any systems supervised or installed by these installers over the year will not be eligible to receive STCs. These persons have also been suspended by Solar Accreditation Australia.
Legal requirements apply to all solar PV installers, designers, retailers, agents, manufacturers, and importers wanting to claim STCs. Inverter serial numbers must be provided to the CER to ensure only eligible components are installed. Installers are also required, by law, to have and provide evidence that they were present during the beginning, middle and end of a solar installation. And solar retailers must provide formal written statements that the systems sold comply with all relevant standards. They can be held accountable for poorly performing systems.
As part of the reforms, the CER also introduced a solar panel testing program to further improve integrity in the SRES. We commissioned an independent laboratory to test 567 solar panels comprising of 18 models from 14 brands.
This represented approximately 71 per cent of eligible panels installed on Australian rooftops from January to March 2022.
The results were heartening. The panels achieved a 99.5 per cent pass rate in visual inspections, 100 per cent in performance under standard test condition, 89.9 per cent in electroluminescence and 99.95 per cent pass rate in wet leakage tests. The testing program aims to verify compliance with Australian standards, ensuring eligibility for STCs.
These measures give consumers confidence they are buying components that meet Australian standards that are backed by manufacturer warranty.
Australians are increasingly taking charge of their energy needs and helping drive the country’s renewable energy transition – the rooftop solar sector continues to grow in Australia with at least 3.1 gigawatts of capacity expected in 2024.
This sector will play a vital role as we transition to greater penetration by renewable electricity. Improving the regulatory framework that supports the rollout of solar means safety and integrity are not lost along the way, and that Australian consumers continue to be protected.
This article featured in the June edition of ecogeneration.
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