Thursday, 17 October 2024

Solar energy

Tim READ (Brunswick) (17:27): (877) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Energy and Resources, and the action I seek is for the state to require power distribution companies to accept flexible solar exports and to lift the maximum export offered on single-phase connections from 5 kilowatts to 10 kilowatts, as has been done in South Australia. Currently, most Victorians with rooftop solar cannot export more than 5 kilowatts to the grid, even if their system is capable of generating more. The effect of this is to discourage homeowners from investing in larger systems capable of generating significant amounts of solar power on cloudy days and when the sun is low in the sky.

Many Victorians want to run their all-electric home on solar energy for as much of the year as possible using solar panels and a battery. This is easier in the summer months, but demand for power is higher during the colder, darker days of winter, when we switch to heating our homes electrically. For those with the space and the funds, more panels means more kilowatts and less demand from the grid. A lot of Victorians have neither the space nor the funds, but if we encourage those who do to get more panels, they will produce more power during times of peak demand, particularly on cold, cloudy days. Curtailing exports at 5 kilowatts sends a message that there is no point buying anything much larger than a 5-kilowatt system, when in fact much of the value of a larger system is when it is only generating at 10 or 20 per cent of its maximum capacity and still running the aircon, the heating and the fridge.

In South Australia people with a lot of panels can export up to 10 kilowatts, but this is remotely curtailed when there is a risk of overloading the system. The higher limit means that South Australians benefit from more clean energy when it is available from rooftops. Additional solar power, unlocked by flexible exports, can be used to charge community batteries and EVs rather than wasting it. I understand CitiPower and Powercor are currently trialling flexible exports for a hundred households. Given that this is already up and running in South Australia, I suggest that this be made available across Victoria as soon as possible. If South Australia can do it, so can we.