{"id":44491,"date":"2020-11-03T07:17:16","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T20:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=44491"},"modified":"2020-11-03T07:17:16","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T20:47:16","slug":"cer-annual-report-mb1746","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cer-annual-report-mb1746\/","title":{"rendered":"Clean Energy Regulator Annual Report Released"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Clean<\/p>\n

The Clean Energy Regulator\u2019s 2019-20 Annual Report tabled last week indicates it was another busy year for the CER.<\/p>\n

Among its responsibilities, the Regulator oversees programs operating under Australia\u2019s Renewable Energy Target; one of which is the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES). The SRES is the mechanism that provides Australia’s solar subsidy, often referred to as the \u201csolar rebate<\/a>\u201c.<\/p>\n

STC Numbers Skyrocket<\/h2>\n

The Clean Energy Regulator validated 40,267,622 small-scale technology certificates (STCs) in 2019-20 compared with 33,265,332 validated in 2018\u201319. STCs are tradeable virtual bits of paper that form the basis of Australia’s solar rebate. The number of STCs a system is eligible for depends on the size of the system, the installation location and when it was installed – you can use SolarQuotes’ STC calculator<\/a> to determine how many certificates accompany a system.<\/p>\n

STC value fluctuates with market conditions and is usually provided as a point-of-sale discount by a solar business rather than solar buyers having to mess around with navigating the certificate system after a system is installed.<\/p>\n

As at the end of the financial year, more than half of STC applications used solar panel validation<\/a>, which is performed by an\u00a0 installer using a phone app to scan solar panel serial numbers just prior to installation. Applications using this are processed much faster – within around 24 hours compared with four to six weeks for those that don’t. As well as speeding up claims, solar panel validation helps protect consumers, installers and manufacturers by confirming the solar panels<\/a> being used are genuine and eligible for the rebate.<\/p>\n

Solar System Inspections<\/h2>\n

Each year, the Regulator carries out inspections of rooftop solar systems to check on conformance with Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme eligibility requirements, relevant Australian standards and the electrical safety standards of the relevant state or territory.<\/p>\n

Over the 2019-20 period, 2,564 solar power systems were inspected. Of these:<\/p>\n