Rebates and price subsidies for installed solar panels are ways to help reduce greenhouse gases. In practice, they are expensive and inequitable. They are examples of government directed expenditure with all the economic inefficiencies that this brings.
It costs a lot to administer rebates and it may be better for the environment to spend money on hot water heaters or wind turbines or insulation than on solar panels.
It is inequitable because a person who has the capital to spend on solar panels is subsidised by an increase in electricity prices for those who cannot install panels.
There is a different economically sound solution for governments who want to encourage green investment.
Instead of giving rebates, give the equivalent money to people who produce fewer greenhouse gases but require them to invest the money on ways to reduce greenhouse gases.
It is equitable because those who produce the fewer greenhouse gases are the ones being subsidised.
This will deliver at least twice the reduction in greenhouse gases for the same money as rebates and subsidies.
Kevin Cox, Ngunnawal
The ACT Government's solar panel scheme will cost $14million for 1000 1kW solar panels and save just 623t of greenhouse gases a year.
A Queanbeyan solar panel "farm" has been in operation for some years. It would be in the public interest to publish the actual performance of this installation before committing to a solar project in the Canberra district.
The information must be available and The Canberra Times would serve the public well by publishing it.
Jim Brough, Cronulla, NSW
It is understandable ActewAGL is "cool" towards this inevitable move to a feed-in tariff which makes photovoltaics more affordable ("Utility cool on ACT solar plan, August 7, p1). After all, ActewAGL's job is to sell electricity.
But technology is changing, due to researchers like Professor Blakers and his team at ANU who have designed the sliver cell (not yet available because of economic pressures) and ActewAGL will also have to change if we wish to enjoy a future.
It is interesting all the reports in the media concentrate on the costs but never mention the basic reason why photovoltaics are the right thing to do.
Our planet is in a life-threatening mess, substantially contributed to by our electricity which comes largely from burning coal, causing dangerous global warming. It is also heavily subsidised very bad economics.
Photovoltaics, on the other hand, generate "green" electricity at the house it is becoming known as "distributed generation" and in the future every house should contribute in this way. It's really simple if we don't care what quality of life our grandchildren will enjoy, just do nothing; continue with our polluting ways.
If we do care, then we will be reducing our electricity consumption (pollution) which is steadily rising not falling and we are all to blame.
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