By eliminating solar PV rebates,
the federal government is saying to the vast majority of Australians
who want to generate their own electricity on their rooftops: DON’T.
This is basically denying their legal right to decide who they buy
their electricity from – and that includes themselves if they want to
generate their own.

My company has developed the SunBall, which won the ABC New Inventors
2005 People’s Choice Award against 123 other inventions. It generates
electricity on rooftops at a much lower cost than electricity
bought from the grid. We have been trying to get the Australian Greenhouse Office to tells us
what testing they need us to put the SunBall through to qualify for
rebates and allow us a level playing field against less efficient and
more costly flat panels.

After about six months of attempted discussions the AGO is no longer answering our emails.

This
action and the elimination of the solar PV rebate seem to suggest the
government is not interested in giving people their rights to get power
from their own rooftops and to reduce their electricity bills. I would
hope this is not an attempt to protect fossil fuel suppliers,
electricity generators, electricity distributors or electricity
retailers profit margins.

In a world where, almost every day,
another state or country announces leading edge rebate programs for
solar rooftop installations, it seems strange that here in Australia
we’re going back to a fossil fuel-based economy and walking away from
all the wider benefits that solar can bring such as reduced hot summer
network peak demands.

We live in a strange world.