Criminal prosecution commenced against Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme participant
The Clean Energy Regulator says nine charges have been laid against a Western Australian man, for providing false or misleading information to access renewable energy certificates through the federal rooftop solar rebate. These charges follow a lengthy investigation that involved the Federal Police and included the execution of a criminal search warrant in 2021.
The CER has alleged that from 23 May 2018 to 12 February 2021, the man knowingly and deliberately provided false information which was subsequently relied upon to create small-scale technology certificates (STCs). STCs are issued under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, as part of the federal government’s system for subsidisation of rooftop solar system installations.
The regulator has been keeping a close eye on compliance with the SRES, since an integrity review led to a major tightening of the rules around the retail and installation of rooftop solar. One of the key rule changes requires CEC accredited installers to be at the site of a rooftop solar job during setup, installation and commissioning – and to provide evidence of compliance. The rule aims to ensure that the person ultimately responsible for the safety and quality of the installation is on site when needed.
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