An independent testing program is being introduced for solar panels and inverters to ensure the actual performance of products sold in Australia lives up to their marketing claims.
Products not up to standard will be removed from the Clean Energy Council's (CEC) Solar Accreditation web site.
CEC chief executive, Kane Thornton, said the program is the latest in a series of proactive steps taken by the industry to ensure the absolute highest standards for people buying solar power systems.
“Solar panels and inverters already need to be independently tested and demonstrate their compliance with Australian Standards before they can be sold here, which is an appropriate protection for consumers,” Thornton said.
"This testing program takes it a step further and will help improve standards across the entire industry.
“Likewise, products can now be de-listed if suppliers breach consumer law – such as a failure to honour warranties – effectively removing their eligibility for government incentives.
“These changes will improve overall product quality in the solar industry by making sure customers get what they pay for when buying panels and inverters, and by penalising companies that do the wrong thing. Protecting consumers is our highest priority.”
Thornton said the introduction of other initiatives by the CEC such as the Solar Retailer Code of Conduct and the continuous professional development program for solar installers were also helping to progressively improve industry standards.
“We are gearing up for an intense period of delivering large-scale projects such as wind and solar power plants between now and the end of the decade, which will create more jobs and investment in regional areas of the country,” he said.
New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show significant jobs growth in the renewables industry since 2011/12.
Large scale solar PV jobs increased from 50 to 830 jobs in the 2014/15 financial year while wind jobs are up 11 per cent, hydro jobs 23 per cent and biomass jobs are up seven per cent.
Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, said that when it comes to the renewable industry the government is focused on jobs and stability.
"Since we fixed the Renewable Energy Target (RET) last year, investments in projects to create almost 400 MW of capacity have been announced – and we expect significant further announcements in the coming six months," Hunt said.
Australia’s Renewable Energy Target will see 23.5 per cent of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020.