Schools to miss out on solar panels

Thousands of schools that want to go green have been told the federal government has
no money to help them.
The government has abruptly shelved a popular program which provided up to $50,000
to schools for solar panels, solar hot water heaters and water tanks.
Any school which had not put in an application by 3pm on Thursday (October 15) has
missed out for the next eight months.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett put the $480 million program on ice
because it has already used up the funding set aside for this financial year.
It will reopen next financial year.
More than 2,000 schools - primary and secondary, public and private - got in before
the cut-off.
But another 2,500 that had registered with the scheme will have to wait.
The government might be out of cash to green up schools, but it is continuing to
spend significant sums on school halls and libraries under its economic stimulus
package.
There was no warning the solar schools program was to be cut, and no media release
has been issued.
The government caused a furore earlier this year when it suddenly axed a popular
$8,000 rebate for household solar panels. It later introduced a smaller rebate.
The government also ended a rebate for people in remote areas to build renewable
energy facilities.
Opposition climate change spokesman Greg Hunt asked why Mr Garrett did not have the
"guts" to publicly announce the decision to close the solar schools program.
Mr Garrett was a "solar fraud", he said.
"We have a government that can waste $16 billion on unwanted school halls but
suspends a key solar program for schools," Mr Hunt said.
"What message does that send to our kids about helping the environment?"
Mr Hunt asked why the government was pushing for emissions trading while ending a
program to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"The hypocrisy of shutting a solar program while lecturing others about climate
change is breath-taking."
Adrian Ferraretto, managing director of the solar installation company Solar Shop
Australia, labelled the decision "pretty disappointing".
He called on the government to stop making snap decisions on solar and put
sustainable policies in place.
Mr Ferraretto said the government had changed the various solar rebates too many
times since its election.
A spokesman for Mr Garrett said more than 1,800 schools had been approved for
funding, and more than 700 applications were still in the pipeline for assessment.
"The government is contacting all 5,000 registered schools to let them know that the
program has reached its 2009/10 target," he said.
"It has been suspended until next year's funding round opens."
The program is due to run from 2008 to 2015.