Victorian solar households will finally receive fair compensation for the power they provide to the grid  thanks to ground-breaking changes announced today.

Solar households are set to receive a minimum feed-in tariff rate of 11.3 cents per kilowatt hour compared to the current five cents for selling excess electricity back into the grid.

Around 130,000 solar households will benefit from the changes.

Solar customers on the current minimum feed-in tariff rate will move onto the new  tariff rate as set by Victoria’s independent regulator the Essential Services Commission (ESC), from July 1 this year.

This new tariff follows recent changes by the Andrews Labor  Government to the current feed-in tariff legislation, to better reflect the true energy value of the electricity supplied to the grid.

The revised minimum feed-in tariff rate flows from the Labor Government’s support for the major findings of the Essential Services Commission’s Final Report into the Energy Value of Distribution Generation, which was tabled in Parliament in September last year.

Included in the new tariff is a payment for the environmental and social value of energy provided to the grid.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio

“With this new feed-in tariff, the Andrews Labor Government is ensuring that households with solar panels are more fairly compensated for the power they send back into the grid.”

“The former Coalition Government reduced the amount Victorian solar households received to 5 cents per kilowatt hour and voted against the bill to make this change.”

“This is a great win for the 130,000 solar households all over Victoria, we promised a fairer system and that’s exactly what we have delivered. ”