CEC Retains Solar Product Gatekeeper Role Amid Protests

It’s official. The Clean Energy Council will continue to be the product listing body for solar panels and inverters under Australia’s Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) – but not everyone is happy.

This is an important role. The SRES is the mechanism that provides for Australia’s solar rebate. In order for solar panels and inverters to be eligible for the rebate (and some state incentives), they must on the CEC’s approved product lists at the time of installation. Some Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSPs) also require solar systems have CEC approved products in order to be granted permission to connect to the grid.

The Clean Energy Regulator said yesterday its decision is the final result of industry consultations and review of applications; of which there were two – one being the CEC.

Not Business As Usual For The CEC

During the consultations, a number of gripes with the CEC were raised; including lengthy delays in product approvals, process transparency issues, a lack of technology advancement and high fees.

The Regulator has said the organisation will need to make a number of improvements, including:

• More rapid application processing times.
• Technology enhancements to improve data quality and visibility during application processing.
• Support for applicants when additional technical assessment is required and to track application progress.
• Improved technical support for industry through employing more engineers.

Furthermore, increased transparency is required; covering:

• The approval process.
• Application status updates.
• Risk-based sampling and solar product audits.
• Maintaining accurate status of approvals, suspensions, delisting and recalls of solar products.
• Fee structure.

A Happy And A (Very) Cranky Reaction

Welcoming the announcement, CEC Chief Executive Kane Thornton said its application contained a detailed plan for program improvement.

“… and we have already taken steps to drive enhancements including improving the user experience through our online product listings and we have already doubled the capacity of our Products team and are actively working to bring on more staff to meet what are unprecedented levels of demand.”

Not everyone is pleased with the news. Smart Energy Labs’ Glen Morris didn’t mince words:

“What was the Clean Energy Regulator thinking giving the CEC the right to continue their slow and sloppy service after the mountain of complaints that was submitted during the so-called ‘consultation’ period,” he said. “How you can let the CEC maintain the clean energy approved product list, it is just crazy.”

The Road Was Long, With Many A Winding Turn

To get to this point has taken 4 years. So, where did this all begin?

Then-Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor ordered a review of the SRES by the Clean Energy Regulator back in 2020. Among the issues to be investigated were the CEC’s solar installer and designer accreditation role, and the approval process for panels and solar inverters.

In 2022, the Clean Energy Regulator undertook a public consultation regarding nominating an organisation to publish inverter and solar module product lists under the SRES. If it didn’t nominate, the CEC would remain the body responsible. But 89% of respondents wanted the Regulator to nominate a product listing body.

In July this year, the Clean Energy Regulator proposed to nominate the CEC to continue in this role; followed by another consultation that wrapped up in August. That consultation saw 175 submissions, with key concerns raised like those heard in 2020. However, the Regulator stated:

“The CER considers these key themes have been addressed and can be managed through regular reporting, measurement against key performance indicators and process reviews.”

The CEC is also the administrator of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC). With regard to installer accreditation, that role was transferred to Solar Accreditation Australia earlier this year – the CEC chose not to apply to continue that function.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/cec-solar-product-listing-mb3042/