Australia's "ungreen" government cans solar panel rebates

By Stan Beer
Friday, 06 June 2008 12:28

Opinion and Analysis

In what must surely be the most bone-headed decision in the history of the green energy movement, the Rudd Labor Government has decided to squash the nascent local solar panel industry. The same government that paid lip service to environmental concerns by signing the Kyoto Protocol has decided to make installation of home solar panels a class issue.

Some bright spark within the Rudd Government has come up with the rather dim idea that the former $8000 rebate on the cost of putting solar panels on home rooftops should only be available to families earning a combined income of $100,000 or less.

Of course nobody bothered to ask whether any low-income families were actually installing solar panels in their homes.

Let's face it, getting a house fitted out with solar power is not cheap, which is why the former government introduced the rebate scheme in the first place.

The consumers who made up the vast bulk of solar panel customers were those who could afford to spend say $10,000 or more to put a few panels on the roofs of their homes, while taking advantage of the rebate.

Meanwhile, low-income families are usually more concerned with making ends meet than thinking about luxuries such as solar power, which still take years to pay for itself, despite the now-canned Government rebate.

They could be excused for thinking about paying the mortgage (or rent), keeping themselves clothed, well-fed, maintaining the family car and perhaps health insurance, ahead of solar power.

So who were the ones buying solar panels and helping the budding young solar power industry grow? Please read on to page 2