Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

O.T Carbon Tax v's PV ecomonic? but for who 17-Aug-2011 At 10:43:06 AM evanbb

Message

I actually haven't bothered reading any of this, so forgive me if I go over old ground.

Feed-In-Tariffs are a direct subsidy by Government, the money comes straight out of their coffers and our taxes. 66c/kWh means $660/MWh, making it the most expensive form of generation I have ever heard of. In terms of raw generation per unit spent it is an appalling idea and seems to me designed as a direct bribe to voters to show they are 'doing something for the environment'. There may be additional benefits in having panels on roofs to show people they work, but, is that really worthwhile?

If you care about low-carbon electricity, just pay for Greenpower. Most people who install panels sell their future RECs, which means they are effectively using black power anyway.

I'm not convinced there is much of a demand lowering cost mechanism in Australia either; we're just too small. However, China has started a FIT of just 12c/kWh and (mostly due to their lower wages costs in installation) expect solar to reach grid-parity next year. This is the game changer.