Victoria Labor promises to extend rooftop solar rebate to renters

Victoria’s Labor government has announced plans to extend its rooftop solar rebate to the state’s tens of thousands of renters, if re-elected in the state poll two weeks from now.

The announcement – released alongside a proposal to extend the Victorian renewable energy target to 50 per cent by 2030 – builds on the Andrews government’s Solar Homes program, which aims to install 2.6GW of solar PV on 650,000 rooftops in the state through a generous rebate.

That policy, announced in August, has already received almost 11,000 applications from Victorian homeowners across the state.

The extension to renters – and, equally, landlords – would see Labor invest a further $82 million over 10 years for another 50,000 rebates set aside for rental properties.

To be eligible, landlords would need to “strike an agreement” with their tenants to share the costs of installation.