South Australian energy retailer Energy Australia calls for minimum solar rebate to be scrapped ONE of the state's largest energy retailers is calling for a minimum rebate paid to residential solar power producers to be scrapped. Energy Australia has asked the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) to end its regulation of the solar feed-in tariff premium (FiT Premium). The FiT Premium is a rebate electricity retailers pay to their South Australian customers who feed excess electricity back into the grid from their solar systems. Under a draft determination released in March, ESCOSA proposes to set the FiT Premium at 9.8c per kWh from July, down from the previously determined 11.2c per kWh. ESCOSA also proposes to reset the FiT Premium on January 1 each year. However, after the State Government's decision to end regulation of gas and electricity pricing for small customers, Energy Australia argues regulation of the FiT Premium can no longer defended. "In our view, it is an anomaly that the FiT Premium is still regulated when gas and electricity pricing for small customers in South Australia is no longer regulated," Energy Australia said in a submission. The solar market in South Australia contains vigorous levels of competition, as evidenced by the scale of the solar rollout in the state. "We encourage the South Australian government to consider removing this last piece of price regulation, at least by the end of the current determination period (June 30, 2014), if not before," Energy Australia said. The FiT Premium is paid to customers in addition to the feed-in tariff paid by SA Power Networks, which is set at 44c per kWh for customers who had solar panels installed before October 2011, and at 16c per kWh for those whose installations took place after that date. In its own submission, renewable energy peak body the Clean Energy Council called for the FiT Premium to be pegged at a 10.42c kWh. The Clean Energy Council argued a 9.8c FiT would fail to adequately reward solar panel owners for the overall benefits they provided to South Australian electricity retailers and operators. ESCOSA will make its determination on June 24.