Overview

The Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme rewards households and other small electricity customers that install solar power (photovoltaic - PV) renewable energy systems by paying them for the excess electricity they generate.

The Queensland Solar Bonus Scheme is a net tariff scheme which means that at any point in time when your household consumes less electricity than your PV system is generating, you're paid for the surplus electricity that is fed back into the grid.

Key eligibility

To be eligible for the feed-in tariff, you must:

• consume less than 100 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity a year
• purchase and install a new solar power system or operate an existing system that is connected to the Queensland electricity grid
• generate surplus electricity that is fed into the Queensland electricity grid
• have an agreement in place with your electricity distributor (Ergon Energy, ENERGEX or Country Energy) and have appropriate metering installed
• have a solar PV system with a capacity that does not exceed 5 kilowatts (kW)
• hold an electricity account with an electricity retailer.
• submit only one application per eligible premises.

Homeowners, landlords and renters are eligible to apply. Renters should check with their Landlord before installing solar power systems. A number of other conditions apply. Check your eligibility on the Queensland Government Office of Clean Energy website.

Items covered

Your electricity bill will be credited at the rate of 44 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for surplus electricity fed into the grid. When your meter is read, the amount of surplus electricity exported to the grid and the amount imported from the grid will be passed onto your electricity retailer. The solar bonus will be credited to the electricity account for the property where the system is installed.

You could also be eligible for financial assistance to help with the cost of installing a small-scale solar system under the Australian Government's Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).

Next steps

Make sure that you understand the full program information before you purchase a solar power system.

For further information, Queensland residents can contact the Office of Clean Energy on 13 438 76527 (interstate callers should ring the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation on 07 3404 6999). You can also email oceinfor@deedi.qld.gov.au

Feed-in credits or payments you receive may have implications if you receive any Centrelink or other benefit payments, they may also be considered as assessable income by the Australian Taxation Office.

www.cleanenergy.qld.gov.au/solar_bonus_scheme.cfm