Friday, 10 August: This morning’s decision by state and territory energy ministers to withhold binding support for the anti-renewable National Energy Guarantee (NEG) is welcomed by community group Solar Citizens.
“Solar Citizens welcomes Victoria, Queensland and the ACT standing up for solar households and consumers and deferring a final decision on the National Energy Guarantee,” said Joseph Scales, Solar Citizens’ National Director.
“The National Energy Guarantee continues to be a flawed mess of a policy that favours big energy retailers at the expense of solar households and power prices.
“Under the current National Energy Guarantee proposal, the big energy retailers would be able to claim the emissions reductions achieved from the contributions of households who invested in rooftop solar, without any benefit to those households.
“What we need now is strong policy that recognises the contributions of solar households; supports renewables, and helps more people take up rooftop solar.”
Experts agree that renewable energy helps bring down power prices. An Energy Synapse report commissioned by Solar Citizens last year showed that wholesale power prices in NSW would have been 33-50 per cent higher if it weren’t for rooftop solar.
But while power prices are sky-rocketing, Turnbull’s NEG will stifle renewables and give the big end of town a free ride at the expense of households.
“The Turnbull Government has been too busy designing a policy to appeal to a small section of the Coalition party room instead of responding to Australians desire for more renewable energy,” said Mr Scales.
“The targets in the NEG are woefully inadequate and all evidence points to them being met by the time the NEG comes into effect.
“Every home and business can benefit from cleaner, cheaper power, if Turnbull just stands up to the dinosaurs on his own backbench, but the NEG as it stands only takes us backwards.
“Today’s decision to delay binding support provides an opportunity to try and fix this mess of a NEG. Solar Citizens calls on all energy ministers to hold out until there is a national plan that backs a renewable future.”
Article courtesy of www.solarcitizens.org.au
