IPART has published its solar feed-in tariff guide for customers in 2023-24. Customers can expect to
receive 7.7 to 9.4 c/kWh from their electricity retailer for the solar exports they feed into the grid.
Tribunal chair Carmel Donnelly said that the value of solar is based on wholesale prices at the times that
solar is exported to the grid.
“Wholesale prices have increased significantly over the last year, mainly due to the war in Ukraine which
has led to higher gas and coal prices, and disruptions in several large coal-fired power plants,” Ms
Donnelly said. “IPART’s feed-in tariff benchmark is up from around 5 cents this time last year.”
Ms Donnelly said that most customers get the best value from their solar panels by using electricity when
their solar panels are generating during the day. This allows customers to reduce how much electricity
they need to buy from retailers.
“Solar customers can power their heaters, air conditioners, electric vehicle and pool pumps with their
solar panels if they time it right.” Ms Donnelly said.
Retailers’ prices are higher than the solar feed-in tariff rates because retail prices include network costs
and environmental obligations. They must also recover the high costs of wholesale electricity when solar
is not generating. These can be much higher than the wholesale costs in the middle of the day when solar
is helping to power the grid.
IPART has also published a fact sheet showing the solar feed-in tariffs currently being offered by retailers.
“We found that some retailers offer solar feed-in prices above IPART’s benchmark, but with conditions,”
Ms Donnelly said. “Some retailers pay a lower feed-in tariff rate after export thresholds have been
reached. Other deals are only available if the customer has bought their solar panels through that retailer.
Customers should consider all aspects of a retailer’s offer including usage and fixed charges. The offer
with the highest feed-in tariff may not be the best deal overall.”
Customers can compare retailers’ offers on www.energymadeeasy.gov.au.