23 April 2021
The Victoria Labor government is launching a new pilot program that will create “virtual power plants” that will bundle together the excess energy from the state’s growing amount of rooftop solar installations and household battery storage units.
Energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the state is seeking expressions of interest in the program from companies with experience in aggregation and battery power.
VPPs are designed to aggregating the power from household-scale batteries and sell that power back into the grid when demand is highest. It offers additional revenue streams for solar households and boosts the reliability of the grid for everyone else.
Labor Promises Tax Exemption for Electric Vehicles
Australia’s federal opposition Labor Party announced on March 31 an election pledge that imported electric vehicles (EVs) will no longer be subject to import tariffs and the fringe benefits tax (FBT).
During Labor’s national conference, the opposition promised that, if elected, non-luxury EVs that is, those costing less than around $77,565 (US$59,178) will be exempt from a 5 percent import tax, as well as a 47 percent FBT for electric cars provided by work for private use.
More specifically, a $50,000 car could save around $2,000 without the tariff, and be an additional $9,000 cheaper if supplied by an employer.