Welcome to our January industry update. No images? Click here Welcome to our January industry updateHi there, Happy new year and we hope you’re keeping safe while gearing up for another busy year ahead. Even with an expected small dip in installations over the summer break, December was our second highest on record for solar PV installations and November the highest ever. Growth and uptake are continuing as we see applications and demand increase. Keeping pace with demand is our continued focus on safety, with more site visits and audits happening post-installation. We encourage you to have a look at our rectification tips – ten simple things you can do to help maintain safety and quality, while avoiding the need for rectifications later. Our independent auditors have detected issues over the past few months with inadequate earthing, in particular. Before the year gears up, please also book in for mandatory safety training. The countdown is now on for solar workers who must complete unit VU22744 Work Safety in the Solar Industry by 30 June 2021 in order to participate in the Solar Homes Program from 1 July 2021. Kind regards What's in this edition: ☀️ Back-to-work safe installations ☀️ Countdown to mandatory training deadline ☀️ Earthing an opportunity for improvement ☀️ New year’s fresh ideas for your business ☀️ December report on allocations and impact ☀️ Access to audit reports made easy ☀️ Reminder: Update your Service Victoria app ☀️ Rebate release dates to June 2021 Back-to-work safe installationsStart the year by continuing to work smart and staying safe. Our work with Energy Safe Victoria and WorkSafe is helping match Victoria’s solar boom with an increase in the safety and quality of solar installations across the board. Together we’re keeping #SolarSafe, increasing site inspections and audits to ensure solar installs are being conducted safely and in accordance with all industry and safety regulations. Countdown to mandatory training deadlineWe’re on countdown to 30 June 2021. This is when all workers on Solar Homes installation sites must have completed the VU22744 Work Safety in the Solar Industry unit. If you don’t complete this unit by 30 June 2021, you risk not being able to participate in the Solar Homes Program. This year will be busy, with increasing demand for solar. Don’t risk your participation in the program – enrol as early as you can to complete your training by the deadline. Over 1200 workers in the Solar Homes Program have already completed their training. Earthing an opportunity for improvementIndependent audits conducted over the past few months show that some installers are not adhering to AS/NZS 5033. This requires PV arrays with a PV array maximum voltage greater than ELV to have all exposed conductive PV module frames and array mounting frames earthed by connecting the conductive parts to the installation's earthing system. This includes systems with a.c. modules and microinverters with LV outputs. Read our safety and quality tips to find out what you can do to address this, while avoiding the need for rectifications later. Energy Safe Victoria’s Senior Compliance Officer Sandy Atkins also looked at PV array earthing in Energy Safe issue 59 (p.10). New year's fresh ideas for your businessNew year could be the perfect time to generate fresh ideas for your business. Guy Ward is one of over 150 mentors with wide-ranging experience who can help. “It’s important to take a step back from your business and to look at it from the outside – and that’s where a mentor can help,” he says. Guy says generally business owners have the answers but may not have asked the questions yet – and mentoring can help tease these out. Hear Guy run you through what this free program is about, what you can expect, why you should participate and who the mentors are. December report on allocations and impactDecember was big for new applications – the biggest since June 2020 – following the release of additional solar PV owner occupier rebates. It was also our second biggest month ever for installations completed, even with the expected dip over Christmas. Our monthly reports highlight retailer rebate allocations and the program's impact on solar in Victoria. Access to audit reports made easy Retailers can now more easily access their audit reports by downloading them from the portal. The audit section of the portal is your one-stop-shop for audit information, saving you time and helping you better track your audit results. Where an installation has been found to be non-compliant, you’ll now see a new ‘Documentation’ section on the Rectifications screen. You can download your audit report at any time from here, instead of hunting back through your emails to find the report we emailed you. Reminder: Update your Service Victoria appAs flagged with you in previous editions, a new Service Victoria app is available for installers to update or download. When you go into your app, you’ll be prompted to update it before you’re able to use it. The updated app addresses the issues some installers were experiencing when attempting to scan the customer’s QR Code at installation. When you scan the QR code – and at all other times onsite – please remember to maintain physical distancing by keeping 1.5m from your customers and others. Rebate release dates to June 2021Keep up-to-date with rebate release dates for customers to apply for a solar PV, solar battery or solar hot water rebate by checking back to our website. Coronavirus (COVID-19) construction sector guidanceThe solar industry is part of the small-scale construction industry. You can read more about its operating guidelines during the pandemic on the Victorian Government website. Assistance for apprentices and traineesRemember that support is available for apprentices and trainees as part of the Australian Government’s economic response to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Need to speak with us? Have a question? Want to know more about the program? You can call us on 1300 376 393 between 8:00am – 6:00pm Monday - Friday (except public holidays). Interstate callers can contact us on (03) 4334 0613. If you’d like to speak and require an interpreter, you can access free phone translation services on 131 450. |