Government subsidies for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems are ineffective, costly and unfair, new research published by The Australia Institute shows. The research, by Andrew Macintosh, Associate Director of the ANU Centre for Climate Law and Policy, and Deb Wilkinson, evaluated the outcomes from the Australian Government’s decade-long residential solar PV rebate program. It found that despite costing the government $1.1 billion, it will only reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by around 0.015 per cent and failed to generate significant domestic economic benefits.