MEDIA RELEASE

The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources

T61/07
11 May 2007
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SOLAR REBATE START-UP

Householders planning to take advantage of the Australian Government’s new $150 million solar
power rebate can apply immediately for the increased rebate.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull, said the photovoltaic
rebate, which was doubled in this year’s Budget, was effective from 9 May 2007.
In a $150 million package for solar announced in the Budget this week, the rebate for solar panels
on homes provided through the Government’s Photovoltaic Rebate Programme (PVRP) will
increase from the current $4 per watt, up to a maximum of $4,000, to $8 per watt, up to a maximum
of $8,000.

The Australian Government has invested around $52 million in the PVRP, which is part of a
broader commitment of more than $340 million for solar technology in Australia.
“Over the next five years, the number of solar panels on Australian homes will more than double,
and householders and communities will have a greater opportunity to take an active role in reducing
their greenhouse gas emissions.”

A new competitive grants element of the programme announced in the Budget enables schools and
community groups to apply for a grant of up to 50 per cent of the cost of a solar power system, with
an upper limit of two kilowatts.

Under the Australian Government’s Photovoltaic Rebate Programme, which commenced in 2000,
cash rebates are available to householders, owners of community use buildings, display home
builders and housing estate developers who install grid-connected or stand-alone photovoltaic
systems. By June this year, around 10,000 domestic systems will have been installed under the
programme, and around 14,000 more will be funded under this new measure.

For more information please contact the solar rebate hotline on 1300 138 122.

Media Contact: 02 6277 764