Submission to IPART issues paper on 2018-19 solar feed-in tariffs

PIAC lodged a submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART) Issues Paper on developing its recommended benchmark range for the solar feed-in tariffs offered by retailers. PIAC is concerned with creating a feed-in tariff system that is both fair for individuals and conducive to creating an efficient market. As such, PIAC reiterates its position that the benchmark range should accurately reflect the value of solar electricity exports and that ongoing market monitoring is required to ensure that the feed-in tariffs offered to customers continue to align with the benchmark range and that metering charges for solar customers are reasonable.

PIAC also considers that time-variant feed-in tariffs can incentivise investment decisions and behaviours that benefit all consumers. To that end, the design of time-variant feed-in tariffs should:

• reflect the wholesale, transmission and distribution benefits of distributed energy;
• be supported by the availability of voluntary cost reflective network tariffs with all NSW distribution networks;
• align the time intervals with those of consumption tariffs where it is practical, and not inefficient, to do so; and
• promote the efficient deployment and use of batteries, particularly to address localised distribution system constraints and regional transmission and wholesale peak demand.