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Volume 4, Thursday 23rd August, 2007
GREEN POWER BLACK OUT Written by Michelle Thomas
The Rann Government has excluded 90 per cent of the state in its bid for the green vote. Under new legislation, South Australian cities with more than 10,000 electricity customers will be eligible for a new solar rebate, but towns like Roxby Downs have not been included. A new solar feed-in scheme will see householders with solar panels paid 44 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity they feed back into the grid, but as our electricity provider, Roxby Power, distributes power to less than 10,000 domestic customers, Roxby Downs is classed as an ‘excluded network’. Speaking exclusively to The Monitor, a spokesperson for Premier Mike Rann said that as Roxby Downs is not connected to ETSA’s distribution grid its residents will not be able to participate in the scheme. “The feed-in scheme applies to customers connected to the ETSA Utilities distribution network,” the spokesperson said. “Roxby Downs is not connected to ETSA’s distribution grid and ETSA has no presence there, as such, people living there will not be able to participate in the feed-in scheme, nor will they be paying
any extra to support the scheme. “This is a pioneering program, the first of its type in the nation, and the Government considers the current regime as a first step,” he said. “This is a practical measure to promote renewable energy, and one of the many policy initiatives of the Rann government aimed at tackling change. “The Government is currently considering alternative mechanisms to support renewable technologies in Roxby Downs and other communities not currently on the ETSA network,” the spokesperson said. This means residents in Roxby Downs who choose to go solar will continue to receive only what Roxby Power chooses to pay them for their excess energy. At the moment that is 12.35 cents per kilowatt hour, almost 32 cents less than what an Adelaide resident would get. Electrical Services Manager for the Roxby Downs Council, David Hallett said the scheme could end up costing power distributors a lot of money. “If distributors do not raise their rates to cover this scheme it could end up costing them a lot in loss of sales and payment,” Mr Hallett said. “In small areas a large uptake of a scheme like this could generate large negative incomes for distributors,” he said. Continued on Page 4
Above: A young Brown Falcon spotted north of Roxby Downs recently.
With the Red Earth Festival all wrapped up, take a look at our pictures and testimonials from some of the workshops. See pages 10 and 11.
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