Understanding the Current Adelaide City Incentives

Posted on 20 January 2020

If you live within the Adelaide CBD there are a number of great rebates available to you when it comes to solar power. Depending on your circumstances you could receive up to $20,000 in financial incentives, as part of Adelaide City Council’s Carbon Neutral Adelaide Sustainability Incentives Scheme.

At present, there are three financial incentive schemes available:

• Energy Storage Systems Rebate
• Solar PV Systems Rebate
• Shared Solar PV Systems Rebate

Here we’ll break down what each of these means for you, how best to apply, including pre-commitments and criteria, things to ensure before you apply and who to contact for more information on the rebates.

To be eligible for any of these incentives your property must be located within the City of Adelaide municipal area.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Rebate

Who is eligible?

• Tenanted houses
• Concession houses
• Apartment buildings
• Small businesses
• Multi-storey commercial buildings
• Non-profit community and sporting establishments

Rebates available

≥1.5 kW to ≤10 kW Solar PV Solar PV systems of 1.5 kW up to and including 10 kW capacity are eligible to receive 20% of the installed system cost up to a maximum of $1,000.

>10 kW to ≤20 kW Solar PV Solar PV systems of more than 10 kW up to and including 20 kW are eligible to receive 20% of the installed cost of the system up to a maximum of $2,500.

>20 kW Solar PV Solar PV systems of more than 20 kW are eligible to receive 20% of the installed cost of the system up to a maximum of $5,000.

Pre-commitments

Rebate pre-commitment agreements are available for:

• Tenants or Commonwealth Concession Card holders
• Solar PV systems of 10 kW or more
• Applications for more than $30,000 to a single site in a financial year (Partnership Projects)

Pre-commitments are subject to funding availability at the time of application and will not be offered once 75% of the Sustainability Incentives Schemes (the Scheme) funding has been allocated.

Solar PV Rebate specific criteria

There is a maximum of one incentive per electricity meter (National Meter Identifier – NMI).

The system has to be a permanent fixture to the property and can’t be removed for five years from the date of the rebate payment, without the prior consent of Adelaide City Council. You will be required to repay your rebate if Council discovers the system has been removed during this period.

You are still eligible to apply if your Solar PV system was purchased on a solar lease or power purchase agreements, as long as the outright ownership is vested with the property owner or tenant at the end of the contracted term.

Shared Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Rebate

Who is eligible?

• Apartment buildings
• Multi-storey commercials

Available rebates

>20 kW Solar PV with a shared solar system

Maximum rebate of $20,000 per site comprising:

a. Up to $500 per premise connected to the shared solar PV system;

and b. No more than 20% of system costs.

Pre-commitments

Rebate pre-commitment agreements are available for:

• Tenants or Commonwealth Concession Card holders
• Solar PV systems of 10 kW or more
• Applications for more than $30,000 to a single site in a financial year (Partnership Projects)

Pre-commitments are subject to funding availability at the time of application and will not be offered once 75% of the Sustainability Incentives Schemes (the Scheme) funding has been allocated.

Shared Solar PV Rebate specific criteria

As with the standard Solar PV Rebate, there is a maximum of one incentive per electricity meter (National Meter Identifier – NMI).

The system has to be a permanent fixture to the property and can’t be removed for five years from the date of the rebate payment, without the prior consent of Adelaide City Council. You will be required to repay your rebate if Council discovers the system has been removed during this period.

You are still eligible to apply if your Solar PV system was purchased on a solar lease or power purchase agreements, as long as the outright ownership is vested with the property owner or tenant at the end of the contracted term.

However, with this rebate, the property must be multi-storey with a premise located above another premise and may include embedded networks or other technology-based solutions. You should also note that a non-residential premise is defined as >500m2 (for calculation purposes.)

Shared solar PV systems must be able to demonstrate a governance and billing system to distribute >25% of annual solar generation to their tenants’ electricity usage.

Energy Storage Systems Rebate

Who is eligible?

• Small businesses
• Multi-storey commercial buildings
• Non-profit community and sporting establishments

Rebate available

Energy storage systems are eligible for up to 50% of the installed system cost to a maximum of $5,000.

Pre-commitments

Rebate pre-commitment agreements are available for:

• Energy storage systems of any size

Pre-commitments are subject to funding availability at the time of application and will not be offered once 75% of the Sustainability Incentives Schemes (the Scheme) funding has been allocated.

Energy storage systems rebate eligibility criteria

As with the other listed rebate, there is a maximum of one incentive per electricity meter (National Meter Identifier – NMI).

The system has to be a permanent fixture to the property and can’t be removed for five years from the date of the rebate payment, without the prior consent of Adelaide City Council. You will be required to repay your rebate if Council discovers the system has been removed during this period.

You are still eligible to apply if your system was purchased on a lease or power purchase agreement, as long as the outright ownership is vested with the property owner or tenant at the end of the contracted term.

Your system must be installed by a licensed electrical installer and in accordance with relevant regulations, standards and current CEC guidelines, including Grid-Connect Accreditation with either Battery Endorsement or Stand-Alone Power Systems (for more information, see www.solaraccreditation.com.au). Also, it has to be installed to optimise internal electricity consumption and not be configured as a mains electricity supply back-up system only. You can be confident that Solar Power Direct meets all the necessary installation requirements.

This rebate is for the installed system cost and relates to the energy storage system equipment and installation only. It does not include additional costs such as switchboard upgrades.

General rebate eligibility criteria to note

You must obtain all relevant approvals, including from the property landlord, body corporation, SA Power Network, and, Council (phone Development Assessment on 8203 7185) before you apply for any of the above listed rebates.

Rebates are available for installations completed after 1 July 2019, but no more than 12 months prior to Council receiving the application form. They are applied to the out-of-pocket installation cost incurred by the owner, the occupier of the premise or body corporation, after all other incentives, grants, rebates and discounts received have been deducted.

As with all rebates, the Solar PV Systems Rebate funding is subject to the Council’s annual budget processes and funding is limited. Therefore Adelaide City Council has the right to cease the Scheme at any time without notification and applications are not guaranteed to receive funding (except where pre-commitment has been approved and activated).

You must have your system installed by an appropriately licensed and accredited installer, such as Solar Power Direct, and it has to be maintained in accordance with any relevant guidelines.

In some cases, such as with a heritage-listed property, a Council Development Approval will be required prior to installation of a new solar system. Where a Council D.A. is required, a rebate will be provided once the D.A. is granted, the system is installed according to the conditions set out in the D.A., and the relevant paperwork is submitted.

How to apply for a City of Adelaide rebate

You must lodge an application form with the Adelaide City Council. These are available on their website.

Prior to lodging your form you should ensure you have contacted your electricity retailer to discuss the implications of installing an energy storage system on your property. You must be able to prove you have used a licensed and CEC accredited electrical installer, such as Solar Power Direct for your system installation. You’ll also need to obtain all relevant approvals, including from the property landlord, body corporation, SA Power Network and Council (phone Development Assessment on 8203 7185).

You will need to attach additional documentation to your signed lodgement form including but not limited to:

• Itemised receipt/s for the supply and installation of the system, demonstrating full payment, discounts or other grants, OR for pre-commitments, quote/s for proposed work and supporting system information
• The manufacturer’s technical specifications for the energy storage unit; Electrical Certificate(s) of Compliance (CoC)
• Photos demonstrating the installation is not visible from the street (applicable for heritage properties)
• If applicable, copies of your Development Approval; your Tenancy Agreement and/or written approval from your body corporation, landlord or equivalent; your Embedded Network Agreement with your Embedded Network Manager and/or Operator; your Commonwealth Concession Card.

Who to contact for more information

Feel free to contact Solar Power Direct for further information on types of systems and installation.

If you require more information about the rebates available and their criteria, please contact the Carbon Neutral Adelaide team on 8203 7203 or at incentives@cityofadelaide.com.au

You’ll also find extra information and application forms at www.cityofadelaide.com.au