Renewable Energy Certificates
Aura Wind Power Renewable Energy Certificate Agent

The time is right to invest in your new very own clean, renewable power generating Wind Turbine.
There are new rebates available on installed turbines apart from any buy back power schemes available in your state.
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) can be issued on all wind turbines installed at your residence or business.
If the installation date is scheduled or indicated as or after 1 July 2009 the new Federal Government multiplier scheme will take effect.

RECs at the moment can be claimed within 12 month period from the time of a complete installation. Making a purchase of a purchase of a turbine today will not affect the claim of RECs. It is the completed installation date that affects the issue of RECs not when a turbine, tower or other parts for the system are purchased. Simply schedule the installation and paperwork date to sometime after the 1 July 2009.

The REC Scheme

As an REC agent Aura Wind Power can now offer cash rebates for turbines that are being installed at your property. The rebates will apply to your new turbine and can even be issued for an existing solar installation if it has been installed within 12 months. Aura Wind Power offers cash rebates on the Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) that solar and wind generators create, even Solar Hot water systems. They need to be created separately for each wind turbine and solar system.

What is a REC?
RECs are created under the Australian Federal Governments Renewable Energy Target legislation. Each REC represents the equivalent of one megawatt hour (MWh) of generated electricity from an accredited renewable energy source per year.

What can you do with them?
Owners of small Wind Turbines and photovoltaic systems can create RECs themselves through the internet-based REC Registry (www.rec-registry.gov.au), but most owners find it more convenient to assign their right to create RECs to an Agent like Aura Wind Power in return for a financial benefit usually in the form of a cash rebate.

What creates RECS?
RECs are created by small Wind Turbines and photovoltaic systems. These have certain criterion to fulfil to see if they can be eligible. For new wind turbines this means that they need to be fully installed at your premises. Similarly with a new solar system. Turbines and solar systems that have been installed before 6 October 2007 can also be eligible but have a few other requirements to fulfil. RECs can be created by wind turbines regardless if they are battery charging systems of grid connected.

Creating RECs
Wind Turbines
RECs can be created for 1 year periods or 5 year periods. It is your choice of period, known as the deeming period. Once the deeming period has expired RECs for the unit can be issued once again. RECs can be issued on an ongoing basis for the wind turbines' life.

Solar Systems
RECs can be created for 1 year periods, 5 year periods, or 15 year periods. If you choose a 15 year deeming period this can only be done once only and the system can never create RECs again, also, the system must have been designed and installed by a person accredited for stand-alone and grid-connected power systems under the BCSE accreditation scheme or the Clean Energy Council accreditation scheme.
Photovoltaic System

  • In order to work out the RECs available for a solar system Aura needs to be supplied with
  • Your Post Code
  • The systems rated power output (in kW)
  • Date of installation

Solar Credits
Solar Credits is a mechanism under the expanded Renewable Energy Target Scheme (RET), which multiplies the number of RECs able to be created for eligible installations of SGUs. There is not means testing for Solar Credits under the legislation. Solar credits will apply to the first 1.5 kilowatts (kW) of capacity installed. Generation from capacity above 1.5 kW will still be eligible for the standard 1:1 rate of REC creation. Eligibility requirements are as follows:

• the small generation unit in respect of which the certificates are created is installed at eligible premises between 9 June 2009 and 30 June 2015.
• at the time the small generation unit is installed at the eligible premises, there is no pre-approval or funding agreement in force in respect of the unit under the Solar Homes and Communities Plan (SHCP), the Renewable Remote Power Generation (RRPGP), or the National Solar Schools Program (NSSP) and no financial assistance has been provided in respect of the unit under the SHCP, the RRPGP or the NSSP.

• at the time the small generation unit is installed at the eligible premises, financial assistance under the SHCP, the Photovoltaic Rebate Programme (PVRP), the RRPGP or the NSSP has not been approved or provided in respect of any other small generation unit at the eligible premises

• the small generation unit is a new and complete unit. A system is a complete unit if:
• the unit is capable of generating electricity in a form that is usable at the eligible premises where it is installed without the need for an additional part or parts to be added to or incorporated into the unit.
• the unit is wired directly to the eligible premises where the unit is installed so that its output is capable of being metered at the premises or the unit includes a meter that is dedicated to measuring the electricity output of the unit.

• at the time the small generation unit is installed at eligible premises, certificates have not been multiplied in respect of any small generation unit at the premises and:
• on one occasion only, irrespective of whether the certificates are created for a 1-year, 5-year or 15-year period; and
• only if the certificates relate to the first 1.5 kW of the rated power output of the unit.

The multiplication for additional RECs under Solar Credits is 5x the regular allocation from the 9 June 2009 to 30 June 2010

Definition of an Eligible Premises for Solar Credits
The Regulations define an eligible premises to include:
• a house (including the land on which the house is located and any outbuildings on the land)
• a townhouse
• a residential apartment
• a shop (including the land on which the shop is located and any outbuildings on the land)
Refer to the Regulations if the premises falls outside the above classes of premises. If you would like clarification regarding the eligibility of the premises contact Aura Wind Power.

REC Creation
Once you decide on using Aura Wind Power as your agent for creating RECs for your systems we can draw up the necessary forms. We will also require photographs of the systems to be assessed and used as part of the submission form. We will then email the form to you. There is some information that you need to include then you will need to print them out , sign them and have them witnessed. The form needs to be mailed to Aura Wind Power which then is submitted to the government body ORER who will assess the REC claim. If all goes well on confirmation of a successful submission we can make a cash payment to you.

REC Current Value
Please contact Aura Wind Power for the latest price offer. RECs value can fluctuate for week to week.

Remember that once the deeming period has expired more RECs can be created. RECs do not affect any other rebates or power buy back schemes.