Newcastle's Going Solar

Round Two Offer

Would you like to make your own clean, green electricity on your roof?

Following on from the great success of Round 1 of Newcastle's Going Solar where CAN arranged for the bulk purchase of 140 photovoltaic systems, we have much pleasure in announcing Round 2. Our successful solar supplier is Aussie Solar who will supply a fully installed basic 1 kilowatt grid connected system for $1,386 after allowance has been made for the $8,000 Federal Government rebate. A system of this size has the ability to produce around $200 of renewable electricity each year at today's prices, which we know are set to rise.

The full details of the offer and the options available including 1.5 and 2 kilowatt systems are available by clicking here.

The Round 2 offer will be open until the 31 December 2008. If you wish to participate, please read the full details then register by sending an email to NewcastlesGoingSolar@live.com.au with your name, telephone number, email and address. We will use the email to give you updates on how Round 2 is progressing.

Be a part of Round Two of Newcastle's first community-based bulk solar energy project!

Round One Offer (now CLOSED)

We have had a busy couple of months at CAN with a particular focus on working with Solar Companies, CAN members and supporters and the community to bring the best possible deal on Solar PV to our supporters. With only one email being sent to CAN members and supporters to see who might be interested in getting some Solar Power on their homes for what we thought would be between $2000-$3000 (for a 1kW system), we have had enquiries from more than 240 people!  The power of online communication is amazing.
 
Following an Expression of Interest (EOI) process with a number of Solar Power providers we were able to select the best deal for people through the Sydney Energy Cooperative (thanks to Maurice & Thomas) with 1kW systems starting at only $1800 after rebates.
 
We then arranged a public meeting for those people who had registered their interest. This was an amazing night.  Despite intense weather on Friday 5th of September, we had over 160 people come to hear about this offer at Newcastle High School.
 
Congratulations to those 140 people who have completed their application with Sydney Energy Cooperative (SEC) and are now awaiting clean, renewable energy from the Sun!

That is over 140kW of installed renewable energy in the Newcastle area on its way!

NEWCASTLE'S GOING SOLAR!!

Climate Action Newcastle has negotiated with several Australian companies to get bulk installations of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on roofs in our region significantly cheaper than market prices, due to the economies of scale and the reputation of CAN.

A 1kW system would typically generate about 1/4 to 1/3 of the average household’s electricity, but it could be more if you implement energy efficiency measures throughout your home. As you might expect, the more installations we get, the cheaper it is for everyone. The program assumes your eligibility for the federal government’s $8000 rebate (see below) and the suitability of your house. Note that the federal government recently announced that to obtain the rebate your household taxable family income must be less than $100,000.

Until now, it has been difficult to justify the outlay for solar panels but with the increase in electricity prices the numbers are really stacking up, particularly if you have a north or west facing roof. With the introduction of smart meters (time-based metering), your solar panels will be generating electricity (and saving you money) when the sun is most intense and electricity prices are highest (2-8pm). It is no secret that electricity prices will be going up significantly in the coming few years, so now is the time to go solar!

See more information about your eligibility for the rebate at:

http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/renewable/pv/index.html