Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator has given extra support to potential solar consumers to help them ascertain whether they are eligible to partake in the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES).

Unde the SRES scheme, consumers are entitled to small-scale technology certificates, which can be sold to recoup a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing the system.

The nation has already hit a considerable milestone of 6GW small-scale renewables capacity, which is dominated by solar, according to the Australian Solar Council.

The Regulator’s new eligibility framework explains in detail how systems can come under the SRES scheme.

It noted: “Systems for which one, some or all panels have been replaced, and have previously received small-scale technology certificates for the entitlement period, will not be eligible to receive additional small-scale technology certificates. In some instances, small-scale technology certificates were previously issued for replacement panels. As some participants may have scheduled or quoted work before this guidance was released, applications for replacement panels will still be considered for small-scale technology certificates for installations up to 31 January 2018, subject to all other requirements being satisfied.”

The regulator also warned that expanding systems may require upgrade of certain components to remain eligible for the SRES and so consumers must carefully weigh up the benefits of expanding and must ask about potential hidden costs and possible impacts on feed-in tariff (FiT) rates.