Coal to pay for solar: Greens

The NSW Greens are proposing a tax on coal-fired power stations to pay for more generous incentives for solar electricity.

They would raise the feed-in tariff for domestic solar power systems to 35 cents of kilowatt-hour, from the present 20 cents, they announced on Friday.

And they would offer cheap or no-interest loans to low-income households, aged-care facilities and renters to install roof-top solar panels.

To pay for the scheme, they would impose licence fees on coal-fired power stations.

Launching the policy in the electorate of Balmain, where the Greens have high hopes of unseating Education Minister Verity Firth, Greens candidate Jamie Parker said the current solar power incentive was paid for by a levy on all users.

'The residents of seats like Balmain are keen to be part of the solution to global warming,' Mr Parker said.

'The Greens want to make sure that they can benefit from rooftop solar power without burdening other households, by making the coal-fired power stations pay for the scheme.'

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