Post by lochwells on Mar 4, 2011 1:09:11 GMT -5
What is the Solar Bonus Scheme?: The Solar bonus Scheme is a feed-in tariff paid to residential and small business customers who use less than 100 megawatt hours of electricity per year. Eligible customers are paid for the surplus electricity which is generated from the solar systems qld that is exported into the Queensland grid after the household or business load is met. Surplus electricity is produced at every instant that the system produces more electricity than the household or business is using.
The Scheme pays customers 44 cents per kilowatt hour for any excess electricity fed into the grid. The current general domestic tariff is 21.35 c/kWh which includes energy costs plus network charges and retailer costs. The amount of electricity a customer sends to the grid will depend on how much energy is being consumed by the household or small business while the solar panels are generating power.
Customers may be able to maximize their solar bonus by improving the energy efficiency of their home during the day to export more electricity to the grid. This could be achieved by reducing stand-by power consumption, shifting some appliances to off-peak tariffs, and minimizing the use of air-conditioners.
The customer's grid-connected electricity consumption will also be lower (than without a solar system) as a result of the household or business consuming a portion of its electricity directly from the solar system. The average customer operating a 1.5 kilowatt (kW) solar system could save over $400 a year on their electricity bill just by using less electricity from the grid. Solar Customers who take the bonus scheme also receive payments for exporting excess electricity back to the grid which means that they can save more.
The Scheme pays customers 44 cents per kilowatt hour for any excess electricity fed into the grid. The current general domestic tariff is 21.35 c/kWh which includes energy costs plus network charges and retailer costs. The amount of electricity a customer sends to the grid will depend on how much energy is being consumed by the household or small business while the solar panels are generating power.
Customers may be able to maximize their solar bonus by improving the energy efficiency of their home during the day to export more electricity to the grid. This could be achieved by reducing stand-by power consumption, shifting some appliances to off-peak tariffs, and minimizing the use of air-conditioners.
The customer's grid-connected electricity consumption will also be lower (than without a solar system) as a result of the household or business consuming a portion of its electricity directly from the solar system. The average customer operating a 1.5 kilowatt (kW) solar system could save over $400 a year on their electricity bill just by using less electricity from the grid. Solar Customers who take the bonus scheme also receive payments for exporting excess electricity back to the grid which means that they can save more.