I was shocked to read about Ausgrid's decision to charge solar panel owners 1.2 cents per kilowatt for exporting power to their grid off peak and paying a paltry 2.3 cents an hour for unlimited exports during the peak times when they are charging consumers very expensive high tariffs ("Solar sting for power imbalance", Herald , 17/5).
$ 0 / (min cost $ 0 ) Login or signup to continue reading Using my solar exports over the past six years, I assessed my receipts for selling power at my present rate of 11 cents per kilowatt would be reduced from $6600 to $150, and estimate the new charge imposed for exporting power would be $500. So collectively it would cost me $6750. Potentially adding $1 billion a year revenue to Ausgrid or its retailers.
NSW has 885,000 residential solar systems, so this amounts to Ausgrid blackmailing these consumers to collectively provide batteries for the grid to use instead of Ausgrid investing into pumped hydro or their own batteries. Surely, with the high-priced peak use times presently being charged, it would be a good investment for Ausgrid to alternatively invest in backup power but have assessed it is better economics to use its consumers' assets. It is time we had an inquiry into the entire power industry as the wholesale price for power has dropped dramatically but has not been passed onto consumers.
Perhaps the 885,000 solar homes should coordinate to turn off their solar power at 3pm on a hot summer day to encourage Ausgrid to rethink this ma.