Tonnes of greenhouse gases saved under ACT feed-in tariff

According to the ACT’s Minister for Energy, Simon Corbell, the ACT's Feed-In Tariff Scheme has had a strong start, with 238 tonnes of greenhouse gases saved since it started in March this year.

The Minister said: “Quarterly figures as at 30 June, 2009 show, since March this year, we have seen a very encouraging level of take-up in the community with 163 new installations, an increase of 28.7%, and a total of 731 installations are currently feeding back into the grid.

“Forward projections for the tariff scheme predict, by March next year, there will have been a take-up of more than 90%.”

The systems have generated 221,446 kWh of energy, reducing the ACT's dependence on non-renewable energy sources. Over the next five years it is estimated that 102,000 tonnes of emissions will be avoided.

The scheme supports the take-up of renewable energy in the Canberra community by buying back the energy produced by domestic renewable energy installations.

An additional 200 applications to participate in the scheme are being considered and should be connected in the coming months.

Corbell added: “The feed-in tariff encourages people to think about where their energy comes from, and generating renewable energy in their own homes makes tackling climate change a reality for many. The ACT has the only gross scheme in Australia, with the premium repayment rate of 50.05 cents per kWh generated.”