The Clean Energy Council has been appointed by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) as the product listing body for small-scale renewables, including solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and inverters.
Clean Energy Council CEO Kane Thornton says the organisation is proud to continue its stewardship of the products listing role for small-scale renewables and will now focus on enhancing the program.
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“Small-scale renewables are a critical and growing segment of Australia’s clean energy future, driven by millions of households and businesses,” Thornton says.
“Our focus and indeed our application to the Clean Energy Regulator included 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 doubled the capacity of our Products team and are actively working to bring on more staff to meet what are unprecedented levels of demand.”
Changes in the immediate pipeline include streamlining processes and providing applicants with transparent tracking of their applications, a stronger focus on customer service and response times and clearer communication on program updates, as well as uplifting program governance through the establishment of a manufacturer working group and performance reporting to industry and the CER.
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“While we chose not to apply to be the Installer Accreditation body, with that function transferring to Solar Accreditation Australia earlier this year, our program and policy focus on this part of the sector remains strong,” Thornton says.
“In addition to being the product listing body, we are the administrator of the New Energy Tech Consumer Code (NETCC) and our policy and advocacy work, which just this year has seen us produce a consumer energy resources roadmap, is focused on securing the policy settings that increase the uptake of rooftop solar and home batteries by consumers and drive activity for installers.”
