 Information Sheet How to access financial incentives for small-scale wind and hydro systems Eligibility requirements System size - Wind and hydro small generation units (SGUs) are eligible to create deemed smallscale technology certificates (STCs) if they do not exceed the rated system capacity limit and the total annual electricity output criteria. Wind: rated system capacity limit - 10kw total annual electricity output limit – 25MWh/year Hydro: rated system capacity limit – 6.4kw total annual electricity output limit – 25MWh/year If the system exceeds either of these criteria, please contact Green Energy Trading for more information on registering your system as a small renewable energy power station and creating large-scale generation certificates (LGCs). System components - The SGU must be new and complete. Systems that use second hand components may not be eligible to create certificates. • Turbines - Unlike Solar PV modules, the Clean Energy Council (CEC) does not manage a list of approved small wind or micro-hydro turbines. Installed wind SGUs must use components that meet all relevant Australian standards. • Inverters - All SGUs, including small wind and hydro systems that use inverters, must use an eligible product from the CEC’s list of compliant inverters and PCEs. Installer requirements - The system must be designed and installed by a CEC accredited person. The CEC accredited person who signs the installer declarations must hold the correct endorsements for wind or hydro design and installation at the time of installation. Calculating STCs for small-scale wind and hydro systems Deeming period - Due to moving parts and shorter product warranty periods, wind and hydro system owners are only eligible to claim 1 or 5 year deeming period for STC creation. The system owner can claim certificates every 1 or 5 years the system will continue to operate, for the life of the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme. The scheme is scheduled to end in 2030. When claiming the third or subsequent 5 year deeming period the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) requires a CEC accredited person, with the relevant wind or hydro installation endorsement, to inspect the system and make a declaration that the system will continue to operate for a further 5 years. Complying with this requirement is the responsibility of the system owner. Resource availability - The CER has calculated the average number of electricity generation hours, across the whole of Australia, as 2000 hours for wind and 4000 for hydro. This is the default number of resource availability hours for creating STCs. Green Energy Trading Pty Ltd ABN 21 128 476 406 2 Domville Avenue Hawthorn VIC 3122 Australia T 1300 077 784 | +61 3 9805 0700 F +61 3 9815 1066 [email protected] greenenergytrading.com.au Rewarding sustainable choices Part of the Green Energy Group While the default resource availability factor does not take into account specific installation site conditions, system owners are encouraged to use the default resource availability calculation to make the creation of certificates easier. If you prefer to claim higher resource availability hours, please refer to our information sheet on ‘Claiming higher resource availability hours for small-scale wind and hydro systems’. Calculation formula - One STC represents one mega-watt hour of renewable energy generated. To estimate the number of STCs your small scale wind or hydro system will be eligible to create, please use the following formulas: Wind: system capacity (kW) x 0.00095 x wind resource availability (default 2000 hours) x deeming period (1 or 5 years) = STCs (whole number only) Example calculation: 2kW x 0.00095 x 2000 hours x 5 years = 19 STCs Hydro: system capacity (kW) x 0.00095 x hydro resource availability (default 4000 hours) x deeming period (1 or 5 years) = STCs (whole number only) Example calculation: 2kW x 0.00095 x 4000 hours x 5 years = 38 STCs How to claim STCs 1. Download the relevant assignment form from the STC section of Green Energy Trading’s website 2. Complete the form and collect the required supporting documentation 3. Use the relevant formula to calculate the STCs (our current STC buyback price can be found on our website) 4. Submit your form and documentation by email – [email protected] or fax 03 9815 1066 5. Receive your financial incentive – please refer to the payment terms and conditions on Green Energy Trading’s website. About Green Energy Trading Green Energy Trading is a leading, independent environmental certificate agent and clean energy market advocate. We strive to make clean energy options more accessible to Australians by enabling access to available financial incentives and affordable finance options. Contact us For more information: T 1300 077 784 | 03 9805 0700 F 03 9815 0166 [email protected] greenenergytrading.com.au The information in this document is believed to be accurate at the time of writing and we do not guarantee the accuracy of any information or data contained and accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by users of this document. 2 | April 2014