Every Australian solar business owner will at some stage say “Good grief, who came up with these insane rules/standards/rebates? Don’t they understand the impact this is going to have on my business?”. Over and over again programs are announced that seem to lack any practical input from the people who are most heavily impacted.
Will this ever change? Can anything be done to lessen the negative impacts? Who’s job is it to solve this challenge?
In Australia we are lucky to have several industry associations who are arguably our first line of defence on such issues. They each have their own area’s of focus but all of them often get advance notice of changes and (occasionally) get asked for input on program design.
Many of these organisations include experienced people who know the solar industry well, but increasingly they also include committees, reference groups or panels where you can directly have your say as a solar installer or business owner.
“But I’ve got a business to run” you say. “I don’t have time to volunteer and getting these regulations right is what our membership fees pay for” you say.
Industry associations are there to help you, but just a little bit of your time can ensure they understand the consequences of changes from the coal face, before decisions are made.
Whilst there are many examples of policies and programs that had huge unintended consequences, in almost all cases a primary factor is the lack of industry consultation – which is exactly why a little bit of your time is so incredibly valuable!
In fact, the solar industry has successfully convinced several State Governments, DNSPs, energy retailers and other departments to get more of you involved to avoid dumb policy decisions, and we have made some amazing changes!
Take New South Wales for example and the pending Emergency Backstop (CSIP) rollout that was scheduled for late 2025.
At the NSW SEIA 2025 event, the State Government and DNSPs made a huge effort to listen to the room and try to avoid the mistakes of other States. One outcome and huge win was the formation of NSW Installer Reference Group for CSIP and even a small payment for being involved. These meetings have been really productive and are a chance to debate issues like portal design, minimising replication of details and so on. They also formed a NSW OEM Reference Group for CSIP where manufacturer issues and testing is discussed.
Western Australia is also facing challenges with policy and regulation development that was rushed. After much discussion, it now seems likely that an Installer Reference Group will be created there too, so they can help get things back on track and fine tuned.
Like it or not the Australian solar industry is heavily influenced by politics, policy, standards and legislation so if you are in this business you have two choices.
- Don’t invest any time in it and hope that the needs of installers are catered to
- Invest some time by joining a committee and influence how policies are formed
Being part of a solar industry committee or reference group improves your chances of good policy being delivered which will benefit your business and the entire industry. It’s a chance to prepare for issues early, meet other people facing the same challenges, build long relationships and collectively solve problems. Sometimes, it’s even fun!
In case you didn’t know, SEIA also has several committee’s and from time to time seeks help and input to tackle major issues and is always seeking fresh energy from new people. If you are interested in getting involved we’d love to hear from you at admin@seia.org.au
Stand up, make your voice count and build a bigger better industry!