Since the establishment of the Solar Victoria in 2018, the Victorian Government has continued to lead the clean energy transition, setting ambitious renewable energy targets, and investing in Victoria’s energy future through the re-establishment of the State Electricity Commission.
Industry growth over the coming years will be essential to delivering renewable energy projects of all scales and this will require a highly skilled, quality, and professional workforce to maintain momentum.
The solar and plumbing industries have been at the forefront of delivery for the Solar Homes Program, with over 250,000 Victorian households making the transition to solar, heat pumps and batteries. The continuation of this important work is key to delivering Victoria’s ambition to be a climate and renewable energy leader.
This partnership between industry and government has improved program delivery, enabled smoother grid integration and flexible exports for more solar customers, and lifted industry standards through subsidised training initiatives. Each of these deliverables is another step towards building a stronger, highly skilled and quality industry focused on the future energy needs of all Victorians.
The Notice to Market commits everyone involved in the delivery of Solar Victoria’s programs to continuously improving safety and quality standards and protecting workers and customers. It plays a key role in raising the bar for Victoria’s solar industry.
New requirements and recommendations in this Notice to Market seek to support stability of the energy grid and Victorians’ transition to all-electric homes, ensure systems installed under our programs are future-ready, and strengthen consumer protections. Quality and consumer safety are at the heart of our industry development initiatives and will continue to be our highest priorities into the future.
The introduction of a requirement for all solar PV and battery retailers to be New Energy Tech Approved Sellers under the New Energy Tech Consumer Code further builds on our consumer first mandate and strengthening consumer protections through clear and fair sales and marketing practices, transparent quoting practices and improved customer service commitments.
Increasing demand and uptake of solar means that our new and existing requirements must be ambitious to ensure the right settings are in place. Meeting these requirements will help deliver the best safety and quality outcomes for Victorians who are enthusiastically making the move to all-electric homes.
Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MP
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Action
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