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As part of the new stimulus package announced this morning by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in response to the Covid-19 situation, the Government has extended the instant asset write-off, which allows a business to claim a tax break for what they spend on equipment, assets etc.
The instant asset write-off is currently restricted to companies with turnovers of up to $50 million, for maximum asset value of $30,000. But this will now be significantly lifted, allowing companies with turnovers of up to $500 million to make instant assets write-offs of up to $150,000. This is great news for our industry particularly our commercial customers who wanted to get solar however put it off due to the cost, now's the perfect time to install solar and write it off on your tax!  Hi John,
Congratulations on becoming a Silver Master Electrician! This is a deserved recognition of your membership tenure and commitment to quality, safety and the industry. Attached for your use is the Silver Master Electrician logo and style guide. Your certificate and decals were dispatched prior to Christmas 2019. I have detailed below a few common FAQ’s, however please let me know if you have additional questions. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) Why have I been acknowledged as a Silver Master Electrician?
Kind regards, Malcolm Richards CEO, Master Electricians Australia   JinkoSolar is currently the world's largest solar panel manufacturer, shipping 11.4 GW of modules in 2018. It is known to have world-leading high-efficiency technology and history of reliable performance. RECORD-BREAKING PANEL EFFICIENCY JinkoSolar has achieved maximum conversion efficiencies of 24.38% and 24.58% for its cheetah size cells and N-type photovoltaic (PV) cells, respectively, during testing conducted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in March 2019, China’s authoritative national academy for the natural sciences. On the other hand, P-type solar cells have reached 23.95%. TRUSTED BRAND WORLDWIDE JinkoSolar is a Tier 1 Brand which means that the company is in good position in terms of their bank-ability or financial stability. Since JinkoSolar has its own manufacturing facility, the market can trust that there are strict quality control guidelines in place which ultimately will result in highly efficient and more reliable solar modules. Simply put - JinkoSolar has invested in their own manufacturing in order to maintain the highest level of standard and service to its customers. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS For the second consecutive year, JinkoSolar was awarded the "Top Brand PV Seal" in Australia by EuPD Research. EuPD Research awards The Top Brand PV award based on results from the Global PV Installer Monitor Survey of installers in various areas in Australia and selects additional markets around the globe. JinkoSolar also won a "Top Brand PV Seal" in Europe for the first time in its corporate history.
In addition, JinkoSolar has won its 5th All Quality Matters Award for PV Module Energy Yield Simulation (Mono Group) at the Solar Congress 2019 organized by TÜV Rheinland. 
Excerpt from today's Courier Mail. As a company, Driftwind Electrical has been operating for 20 years, we have seen a lot of solar companies, come and go in this time. While its been a fledgling new industry, in recent years, its a been a very cut-throat industry, and whilst prices have dropped on the solar products, due to high demand, there have been a number solar companies offering very very low prices, with how low these prices have dropped, while this might be good for the consumer's pocket in the short-term, its has proven these prices are unsustainable to survive in the industry and therefore its the consumer that loses out in the long-term, when the company is no longer able to service the warranties and their system for the warrantied years. Driftwind Electrical, whilst being competitive in this industry, have also ensured that we could continue to service our existing and new customers. Driftwind Electrical is only too happy to help customers, who may have installed solar with a company who is now no longer around, with any warranty issues (including submitting warranty claims to the manufacturer, if these manufacturer's are still in the solar market place), solar system health checks, and any works that might need to be performed to keep your solar system running optimally.  Solar Safety in the Industry As the Clean Energy Council points out: safety and quality are of vital essence when installing your solar system. Feel free to contact us to have a chat about installing a new system, or for your exisiting solar system, is it time for a solar health check to make sure your system is safe and performing optimally? See the Clean Energy Council Newsletter below with more information about solar safety. Last night 27th May 2019 ABC’s 7.30 Report highlighted some potential safety issues in the rooftop solar industry, but disappointingly didn’t give an entirely balanced perspective. Sadly, when stories like this come out our whole industry is tarred by the incorrect perception of poor safety and quality of rooftop solar – which we all know is generally not the case. There are over 2 million solar systems installed in Australia, and the vast majority are safe and reliable systems, while the percentage of potentially unsafe systems has continued to decline from over 4% in 2010 to 2.7% today. In terms of safety, we would like to specifically address some points made in the program: Firstly, there is more work to be done in driving up safety, standards and compliance across the industry and the Clean Energy Council is committed to leading on that front, working closely with the range of regulatory and safety bodies across Australia. This is an area we spend a considerable amount of time and resources enforcing and this will only increase as the industry grows. In 2018 alone, the Clean Energy Council suspended 160 installers and locked 5500 models of solar panel out of the Australian market that were not up to the latest product standards. Our Product Assurance Program requires products to be certified to Australian Standards through accredited, independent testing laboratories to demonstrate they are of sufficient quality. Our Product Assurance Program includes battery storage products. The ABC were incorrect regarding battery safety. There is already an agreed industry standard for batteries in place and it has been in place since 2018. Currently there are over 60 battery storage products verified to be meeting this standard and we will continue to drive up the standards of storage product offerings this way. DC isolator switches: these switches are currently mandated through the Australian Standards by request from the emergency services. As mentioned in the report, we have been calling for a review of the Australian Standards mandating them for some time and will continue to do so - hopefully this will commence soon. Issues with regulation of replacement solar panels: the STC regulations regarding replacement panels were recently tightened to address these concerns due to a relatively small number of these incidents occurring. This is not a widespread problem, and we believe the recent changes have addressed any issue. As noted in the program, state electrical safety bodies are reviewing their inspection programs. We absolutely support this, including higher levels of inspections where appropriate. Finally, these issues associated with rooftop solar would be picked up by regular maintenance and it serves as a reminder to us as an industry that safety and maintenance needs to be a key message we send to consumers. Unfortunately, the ABC didn’t include Kane’s comments regarding this, but the Clean Energy Council will shortly be ramping up our push to remind householders of the importance of periodic maintenance by an accredited installer. Protecting consumers is of the highest priority, which is why there are so many regulatory requirements placed on the Australian solar industry and why we are continuing to set higher safety standards and increased compliance. There is obviously more work to be done regarding safety, but we should also be very proud of what we have achieved and the continuous improvement underway. Source: CEC newsletter - May 2019
Updated 16/03/2018 -11.30am
Driftwind Electrical team had discussions with Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy regarding the offer for interest-free loans and rebates this morning @ 11.30am. We were advised that this is currently being reviewed and tweaked to determine eligibility criteria before being rolled out. Please continue to review our Website and Facebook pages regularly as we will be updating on this as more information is provided. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Information below prior to 16/03/2018 Queensland has the highest uptake of solar PV installations in Australia. To drive continued uptake of solar, and support customers to adopt battery storage technology, $21 million is being invested to provide no interest loans for these technologies. The no interest loans enable households and small businesses to take control of their own electricity consumption, address electricity affordability, and provide access to the necessary upfront capital required to purchase systems. Customers can save up to $700 per year by installing these new technologies. Note: Actual savings depend on a range of factors, including how much of the power generated is used by the customer. No interest loans for solar and battery systemsNo interest loans for rooftop solar and battery systems will be made available during 2018. Rebates for systems including batteries To complement the loan scheme, and recognising the higher costs associated with batteries, we will provide a rebate on battery systems. The rebate will be made available in 2018. You can find out more on the QLD Government Website www.qld.gov.au/community/cost-of-living-support/solar-battery-rebate Applications for the energy efficient appliance rebate are now open.
Lowering energy usage provides customers greater control over their energy costs. Buying appliances that are energy efficient can cost more upfront, but will lead to long term saving. To help Queensland households improve their energy efficiency, $20 million has been committed for rebates on approved energy efficient appliances under the Affordable Energy Plan. Customers can save up to $50 a year by using an energy efficient refrigerator or washing machine. An energy efficient air conditioner could save up to $100 a year. Rebates availableRebates will apply to purchases on or after 1 January 2018 for the following household appliances:
The scheme will end when the funding is exhausted, so payment of a rebate is not guaranteed. Eligibility criteriaIt’s important to determine the best appliance for your needs. The following information regarding energy efficient appliance rebate eligibility is provided as a guide only and does not entitle you to a rebate. We will check your eligibility for a rebate as part of the application process. Please read the rebate terms and conditions (PDF) to determine your eligibility before applying. To be eligible for a rebate, the appliance must:
Read the full list of eligible 4 star or higher appliances: Applying for the rebateApplications for the rebate are now open. Before you apply, make sure you have:
Note: If you purchased your appliance on or after 1 January 2018 and before applications opened, you have 30 days from the date applications opened to submit your application in full - apply by 20 March 2018. Further information
Positive Payback for householdsPositive Payback lets you earn rewards by using energy saving technologies and switching to economy tariffs for air conditioners, pool pumps and hot water systems. Licence Last updated: 16 February 2018 |
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