Revisiting feed-in tariffs in Australia: A review

Globally, solar photovoltaic (PV) is rapidly becoming a key source of energy, incentivised through the use of feed-in tariffs (FiTs). Solar PV is enjoying a similarly swift adoption in Australia, encouraged through FiTs. This review builds on earlier work, compiling and comparing FiTs in Australia across its states and territories for residential small scale photovoltaic installations. The purpose of this review is three-fold: (1) to synthesise a set of data on FiT policy which can be used to inform future Australia-wide policy analysis; (2) to understand the coevolution of: policies to subsidise solar panel installation; installation costs; and installation numbers; and (3) to employ this set of data on FiT policy to examine whether FiT policy corresponds with unintended adverse energy justice outcomes (i.e. electricity disconnections from the grid). The analysis presented in this review indicates that FiT policies correspond to a greater number of electricity disconnections from the grid. These findings are discussed in the context of broader debates.

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