Solar power installation expected to surge in 2009

The decision by the federal government to remove its solar rebates program will mean a surge in demand in the next six months before the rebate closes, according to Andrew Cross, national service manager for O’Donnell Griffin (ODG), which is installing panels nationally on behalf of Origin Energy.

Cross said the jump in demand would come from people who qualified for the $8000 rebate scheme, available to households earning less than $100,000 annually: “The new market-driven scheme may dent this part of the market after the rebate closes in the next financial year. However, it will also mean better access to some government subsidies for households outside the means-tested rebate. In the end, what we are going to see is a change in the financial model of how rooftop solar panels are delivered in Australia. It even seems that the actual cost for installations to customers long term may not change significantly.

“There has been a huge pick-up in demand in the past year for domestic solar systems and that can only be a good thing regarding renewable energy targets in Australia. But there was also only going to be so much money that could be allocated federally to drive that pick-up.”