The Australian Government welcomes changes announced today by the Clean Energy Council (CEC) that will substantially lift the bar on the quality of solar power products sold in Australia.
The renewable energy industry’s peak body has introduced new initiatives following the Government’s push for continuously improved standards in the industry.
An independent testing program is being introduced for solar panels and inverters to ensure that the actual performance of products being sold in Australia meets marketing claims.
Products that are not up to standard will be removed from the CEC’s list of approved products.
As more households look to install solar panels and reduce their electricity costs, these changes will ensure that consumers can have greater certainty about the quality and safety of their purchase.
The CEC changes will improve overall product quality in the solar industry by making sure that companies that do the wrong thing will be held to account.
The changes mean that consumers will get what they pay for when it comes to clean energy.
The Government will be working closely with the sector on ensuring compliance with the solar retailers’ code of conduct and we are pleased to see the continuous professional development program for solar installers.
Australia is one of the sunniest continents in the world and has the highest proportion of households with rooftop solar.
Already over 2.5 million rooftop solar systems (including solar photovoltaic and solar hot water) have been installed with the support of the Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Target scheme.
This represents the highest proportion of households with solar panels in the world – around 15 per cent.
The Renewable Energy Target will see more than 23.5 per cent of Australia’s electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020.
(ENDS)