Solar Power Nation Under Investigation

7.30 reports on solar energy.

The topic is solar energy.

A man named Adrian Goodfellow had solar panels put on his farm.

Here's a short version:

Solar Power Nation is being looked into in many states.

The company might have done business while having money problems.

Some customers say their work was not done right or not finished.

Adrian Goodfellow bought a solar system for almost $30,000.

The system is not working after five months, and he's unhappy.

Adrian feels angry and disappointed.

He said his solar journey should have ended after the installation.

Adrian bought the system from Solar Power Nation, a big company.

The company says it's the best solar retailer in Australia.

Adrian paid $10,600 for the system, thanks to a government program.

Over 500,000 batteries have been installed with government help.

The government changed the rules for battery discounts.

This caused a rush to buy batteries, and companies were busy.

Adrian says some solar panels were put in the wrong place.

He chose Solar Power Nation because they promised to finish the job on time.

But he was shocked by the poor work.

The concrete under the battery system had cracks.

Another installer said the work was not good enough.

Adrian complained, but it didn't fix his problems.

He's thinking of taking the company to a special court.

Solar Power Nation said they would fix some issues.

The company said they would replace the cracked concrete.

Adrian wants all his problems fixed.

The company said the solar panel plan changed during installation.

The installer said the original plan was not safe.

But Adrian says the original plan was fine.

Many people have complained about Solar Power Nation.

The company is being investigated in several states.

Many customers have had bad experiences with the company.

One customer, Amin Khorram, had a bad experience.

Amin paid $13,000 for a battery system.

But the system was not installed correctly.

Amin spent eight months trying to get the company to fix it.

He took the company to a tribunal.

The company installed the missing part just before the hearing.

Amin wants the company to pay for his extra power bills.

The company says Amin still owes them money.

The case is still in tribunal.

The company is under investigation.

The South Australian government warned people about Solar Power Nation.

The company said they were busy because of a surge in demand.

The Queensland government is also investigating the company.

The company has had some complaints resolved.

The Clean Energy Regulator is investigating the company.

Solar Power Nation was kicked out of a special industry group.

The group has rules for selling solar systems.

The CEO of the Clean Energy Council said the company broke the rules.

The company said most of their customers are happy.

But some customers, like Adrian, have had bad experiences.

The company says these cases are rare.

The company wants to fix the problems.

There's a claim that the company traded while insolvent.

The company was sold to another business.

The original company owed a lot of money to creditors.

The liquidator is looking into whether the company traded while insolvent.

The company didn't answer questions about the sale.

Some people call bad solar installers 'solar cowboys'.

One expert says these installers are not held accountable.

The expert is critical of the industry's self-regulation.

He says bad installers can still get government subsidies.

The CEO of the Clean Energy Council defends the self-regulation.

There are calls for more oversight of the solar industry.

One commissioner wants a mandatory code of conduct.

The commissioner says this would protect consumers.

The government says it has zero tolerance for bad behavior.

The Clean Energy Regulator is watching the industry closely.

The regulator can take action against bad installers.

Adrian Goodfellow thinks the system has failed him.

He says the government subsidies don't ensure good work.

You can watch 7.30 on ABC iview and ABC TV.

You can contact 7.30 with more information.

Do you know more about this story?

See more ABC coverage.

Promotion

Praticar Escuta