[Greens-Media] Media Release: Solar popularity soars – government must protect the RET

[Faerber, Jennifer (Sen C. Milne)]

Media Release
3 December 2014

Solar popularity soars – government must protect the RET

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Abbott government must drop its attack on the Renewable Energy Target, as new ABS data<http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/latestProducts/4602.0.55.001Media%20Release1Mar%202014> confirms renewable energy is hugely popular and a growth market for Australia.

“In three short years the number of Australian households using solar energy has quadrupled from around five per cent to 20 per cent,” said Senator Milne.

“At this rate, we’re looking at a bright, clean, sustainable future for Australia, but Tony Abbott’s Coalition needs to stop demonising renewables.

“Instead of skulking around looking for someone on the crossbench to help them damage the RET, the government should recommit to the cross-party agreement of 41,000gwh by 2020.

“The Renewable Energy Target is even more important since the government and PUP repealed Australia’s emissions trading scheme. It’s critical to having any hope of reaching our emissions reduction targets.

“Post-2020 we’re going to need a much more ambitious emissions reduction target and a higher RET.

“With climate policy under relentless attack by the Abbott government, household solar is one way that people can take the power back. It’s great to see they’re doing it in record numbers and at such a fast pace,” said Senator Milne.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has found 14 per cent of all Australian households are using solar panels, with the strongest showing in South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia. Solar hot water users bring the total up to 20 per cent, with the Northern Territory being the largest user of solar hot water.

SOLAR ELECTRICITY

Across Australia, 14% of households had solar panels to generate electricity. This includes all households with solar electricity, with or without a solar hot water system.

The use of solar electricity varied between the states and territories: nearly one in four (24%) households in South Australia, one in five (20%) in Queensland and one in six (16%) in Western Australia used solar electricity. (Table 2 and Graph 1)

In New South Wales and Victoria, a significantly higher proportion of households outside the capital city used solar electricity compared to households in the capital city. (Table 2)
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Source(s): Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation, Mar 2014 (cat. no. 4602.0.55.001)<http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4602.0.55.001main+features1Mar%202014>


ALL SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR HOT WATER SYSTEMS

The survey collected information on all sources of energy that a household used for hot water systems. Just over half of Australian households used electricity for their hot water system (56%), over one third used mains gas (38%) and 10% of households used solar hot water systems. A household may use more than one source of energy due to more than one hot water system or boosters on solar hot water systems.

The graph below shows the variation between the states and territories in the sources of energy used for hot water systems. (Table 3 and Graph 3)
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Footnote(s): (a) More than one source of energy can be reported; (b) Includes the source of energy for the booster of a solar hot water system; (c) Includes 'mains electricity' and 'solar electricity'.
Source(s): Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation, Mar 2014 (cat. no. 4602.0.55.001)<http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4602.0.55.001main+features1Mar%202014>