Since 1 July 2015, the City of Adelaide has been offering some of the most generous incentives for solar power in Australia – and the one of the only incentives for battery storage in the country. What are the rebates available under Adelaide’s Sustainability Incentives Scheme?
Please keep in mind that all of the incentives outlined below are applicable only to systems installed within the City of Adelaide (postcodes 5000 and 5006) and installed within 12 months of applying..Funding under the scheme is capped at $1500,000 per year – although this amount has been sufficient to fund incentive applications to date.
Application process
The City of Adelaide offers a pre-installation commitment for certain installations (i.e. solar PV systems > 10kW, all energy storage applications, energy efficiency in apartments and complex or multiple category applications). This is to ensure that both system purchasers and system installers have confidence from the outset that funds for the rebate will be available – even over lead times of up to 3 months between payment of the deposit and system installation/payment of balance.
The first step in the process is for you (the customer) to start to obtain relevant approvals (i.e. Development, Landlord, Strata Corporation), then submit an itemised quote of the intended works to Council, who will advise as to whether the proposed works are eligible or whether you require further evidence. After the Council has given sign-off on the system, they’ll also give a ‘pre-installation commitment’, which serves as a guarantee that funds will be available for your project, whilst also giving you time to finalise details with your installer. Once the system is installed, the relevant electrical and safety certifications are issued and the payment is finalised, the purchaser can apply to Council to receive the rebate.
The City of Adelaide rebate is additional to other incentives
We should also note that the rebates for solar which are described below are available in addition to the up-front incentives available under the federal government’s Renewable Energy Target (which reduces up-front solar system costs by around 40%, and might be listed as STCs or RECs on your quote), and are separate from South Australia’s solar feed-in tariff incentives (which are closed to those who install new solar systems). At this point, there are no federal or state-level incentives for battery storage available in South Australia.
Incentives for solar PV systems – up to $5,000
City of Adelaide’s solar PV rebates are available to homes, businesses, body corporates and community organisations. The maximum allowable rebate is determined by system capacity size.
- Systems between 1.5 and 10 kilowatts (kW): 20% of the installed system cost (after federal incentives are applied), up to $1,000. The rebate is 50% for concession card holders and landlords, but the cap remains the same at $1,000.
- Systems between 10kW and 20kW: 20% of the installed cost of the system after federal incentives, up to $2,500.
- Systems larger than 20kW: 20% of the installed cost of the system after federal incentives, up to $5,000.
Other important notes:
- In a recent change to the program, systems installed under a solar PPA or leasing agreement are now eligible to receive funds (provided that ownership of the system is eventually passed to the owner of the building where it is installed).
- Ensure that your installer is a Clean Energy Council Grid-Connect Accredited Solar Installer.
- Please be aware that installing a second system may affect your eligibility to continue receiving one of SA’s state-backed feed-in tariffs, if you are receiving one. Check with your electricity retailer or SA Power Networks to confirm whether this would be the case for you.
- You can download the solar PV rebate form (PDF) to check the fine print yourself.
Incentives for energy storage – up to $5,000
The City of Adelaide was the first government entity in Australia to offer an incentive for energy storage systems (the ACT has had one since 2016 as well). In order to be eligible for this rebate, energy storage systems must be coupled with a solar PV system. The discount is up to 50% off the cost of the energy storage system, up to $5,000. (The formula-based approach originally used under the program has been replaced with this method for the sake of simplifying the rebate calculation.)
Some examples:
- If you purchase a battery storage system for $7,000, you’ll be eligible for a $3,500 rebate.
- If the system costs $10,000, the rebate will be $5,000.
- If the system price is over $10,000, the rebate will still be $5,000.
Other important notes:
- Please be aware that installing an energy storage system may affect your eligibility to continue receiving one of SA’s state-backed feed-in tariffs, if you are receiving one. Check with your retailer or SA Power Networks to confirm whether this would be the case for you.
- Please be aware that installing an energy storage system may affect your eligibility to continue receiving one of SA’s state-backed feed-in tariffs, if you are receiving one. Check with your retailer or SA Power Networks to confirm whether this would be the case for you.
- The City of Adelaide is committed to ensuring that City residents and businesses have confidence in the installation of solar and energy storage systems. Therefore to be eligible for the rebate we require that your energy storage installer holds a current Clean Energy Council Grid-Connect Accredited Solar Installer with either:
- You must demonstrate that you have contacted the City of Adelaide’s Development Assessment team to determine whether you do or do not require Development Approval, and any conditions around installing the system.
- Energy storage systems must be installed to optimise internal electricity consumption and not be configured as a mains electricity supply back-up system only.
- You can download the energy storage rebate form (PDF) to check the fine print yourself.
Other incentives
Because the overarching goal of the program is to reduce the collective environmental impact of City of Adelaide residents and businesses, the Sustainability Incentive Scheme also provides incentives for a number of other sustainable technologies in addition to solar PV and energy storage. These are listed below with links to the relevant application forms:
- Solar hot water installations or replacements
- Energy efficiency for apartment blocks
- LEDs for non-LED downlight replacements
- Electric vehicle charging technology
- Energy monitoring equipment
- Rainwater storage tanks
See website for further FAQs, case studies and contact details.
© 2017 Solar Choice Pty Ltd
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