The Asbestos Taskforce has softened its stance on solar panels, saying Mr Fluffy property owners can take newer panels with them.
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In December, the taskforce said solar panels must be left behind, because removing them could expose workers to asbestos in the roof cavity. The taskforce was also concerned that panels were difficult to remove without damage and said most were unlikely to comply with new fire standards.
But a spokeswoman said this week if the panels had been installed after July 2013 they would comply with fire regulations and could be removed. The mountings, though, must be left behind.
The taskforce knew of 102 homes with solar panels, she said. It is unclear how many are fire compliant and how many are signed up to the ACT government's generous feed-in scheme. The scheme, now closed to new customers, gives them a premium feed-in tariff for power generated from their panels for 20 years.
Benn Masters, from solar installer Solar Hub, said owners should consider taking their old panels, given the cost of a new system. A new three-kilowatt system of 12 panels would cost about $3000 for the panels alone, with up to $2000 more for the inverter, plus the mount and installation costs, he said. If owners could take their existing panels and the inverter, they would have to pay only for installation and a new mount.
He rejected the suggestion that panels would be easily damaged on removal and said removal was a reasonably simple job. An electrician would have to remove the inverter, which might involve cutting through bolts attaching it to the wall, since the government will not allow any screws, bolts or nails into walls to be removed in case asbestos fibres in wall cavities are disturbed.
New systems would not be eligible for a rebate. "Costs will add up pretty quickly for these guys and if you can reuse what's there, I definitely think that's a better option for them," Mr Masters said.
He urged the government to make a quick decision on allowing owners to keep their feed-in tariff in their new homes.
His company is offering to remove panels free of charge for Mr Fluffy property owners, but owners would have to pay for the reinstallation in a new home.
Solar Hub and Solar Sparx, now merged, had been installing panels since 2009, Mr Masters said. He was concerned about workers' exposure to Mr Fluffy asbestos during installation, since they access roof cavities, but said every electrician and many other tradespeople in Canberra faced the same issue.
An earlier version of this story said the merger was between Solar Hub and Solarstart. It should have said Solar Hub and Solar Sparx.
