Tough new installation rules could fry solar in Queensland
Queensland has fast-tracked a rule requiring licensed electricians to install panels on solar farms.
Queensland’s $10 billion pipeline of solar projects faces delays and a hike in costs after the state government fast-tracked a new rule requiring licensed electricians to install panels on solar farms, due to fears over the safety risks of labourers undertaking the work.
Faulty solar units were discovered in an audit by the government’s Office of Industrial Relations, with concerns raised over unlicensed workers and a lack of understanding in the industry about when licensed electricians are required to mount and remove solar panels.
While the new rule has been fast-tracked to start on May 13 — subject to a final sign-off by Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace — the renewables industry is aghast, hitting out at the lack of industry consultation and the effect it will have on the state’s booming renewable industry.
Concerns were raised “that the regulation was excessive, unnecessary, and potentially very damaging to the solar industry due to the large and sharp increase in electricians that would be required for construction,” the Clean Energy Council’s director of energy generation Anna Freeman said in leaked email correspondence with its members.
It warned projects may come to a “grinding halt” should the planned change requiring licensed electricians be approved.
“Were the 1300MW of new utility solar generation capacity that were under construction in Queensland this year to have been subject to this new regulation, we estimate that the industry would have required in the order of 580 additional electricians to meet demand,” the CEC said in its submission to the Queensland government on the issue. The move may result “in project delays and budget blowouts worth millions, if not tens of millions, of dollars to the industry”.
The government edict is a fresh blow for the fast-growing solar industry, which has been buffeted by a range of challenges in the last few months including grid congestion, delays connecting to the electricity network and the uncertainty of federal government policy on clean energy.
Queensland boasts by far the biggest pipeline of large-scale renewable energy projects, valued at $10bn — double the amount of both NSW and Victoria — as part of its aim of achieving 50 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
But the explosion of investment across the state has sparked fears within government that electrical safety may be compromised, with unlicensed workers mounting and removing panels at solar farms.
“To address these issues it was proposed that a new regulation be introduced to require all mounting, locating, fixing and removal of solar panels at solar farms to be undertaken by licensed electricians,” the Office of Industrial Relations deputy director-general Tony James said in an April 5 email to industry players.
“In light of the anticipated continued and accelerating growth in the sector and the need to ensure these known safety risks are addressed, the government progressed the regulation to Governor-in-Council for approval as a matter of urgency.”
The new regulation applies to all solar farms with capacity above 100 kilowatts but does not affect residential installations, which operate under different rules.
Still, the Clean Energy Council said the move and its implementation in just over a month would hit the industry at a booming period of growth.
The regulatory change “may have significant implications for solar farms currently under construction or in the development and pre-construction phase,” Ms Freeman said in the email to CEC members.
Among its biggest concerns was a lack of industry consultation.
“The CEC together with a handful of other peak bodies were provided with just 10 days to confidentially review the draft regulation and an accompanying Code of Practice prior to Christmas,” Ms Freeman said.
“We urged the government to go through a proper regulatory impact assessment process, in line with its own guidance, if it was determined to progress the proposal further.
“We received no further communication from them about this until this announcement.”
The Queensland branch of the Electrical Trades Union last year called for immediate government intervention into the state’s solar farms after alleging foreign workers were being paid $30 a day to work on a Townsville facility, describing the industry as being “riddled with exploitation”.
The new rule underlines the growing pains of rampant renewables growth in Australia.