It’s all over the news! Some of Australia’s politicians are not taking science based positions on Australia’s energy supply. They are openly fondling lumps of coal as if fossil fuel is not a 19th century technology. They are rejecting 21st century energy solutions. Australia should be a global leader in the fight against global warming and climate change. Instead, these same politicians insist on subsidies for the coal industry. But the market is overtaking them. TEC has worked for years to encourage the growth of a solar and wind friendly energy supply system. We’ve also campaigned hard to popularise energy efficiency. And we’ve lobbied to reform the National Electricity Market (NEM) which employs a set of laws that have protected polluting power. So what are we up to now?
Change is happening!
A revolution is transforming Australian homes. While the political debate about energy security oscillates from one extreme to the other, on-site battery storage is sweeping through the middle ground, making it possible for every Australian family and business to adopt green energy and become less reliant on the current dirty grid of the National Energy Market (NEM). Innovative battery technology means we can manage the fluctuations of wind and solar power to create sustainable supply for all. But there are risks to this new and complex market. While sales of home and grid-scale batteries is booming, we could face massive price rises for years to come IF the electricity networks are allowed to to dominate the battery market. TEC believes the risks of investment must be shared fairly.
Using a grant from Energy Consumers Australia, TEC is developing a position with other energy consumer groups on the regulation of the battery market. Essentially, we propose that networks should be kept out of the home battery market altogether and required to buy grid- side battery services annually through the competitive market. We are taking this position into various rule changes and other reforms in 2017. Stay tuned! We also invented the Green Electricity Guide website which ranks retailers’ green energy activity.
What You Can Do:
Support our rule change proposals to the Australian Energy Market Commission. For tips and analysis check out Green Electricity Guide Read our Report: Networks + Batteries – What’s Best For Consumers? Donate to support this campaign.