Australia’s top solar electorates also its most Conservative

Six of Australia’s top 10 solar electorates are held by members of the Liberal and National Parties, new data has found, putting a huge number of voters directly at odds with the policies of their federal MPs.

A report released by Solar Citizens on Wednesday found that 32 of the top 50 solar electorates in Australia were currently held by Coalition, whose  members were pushing to dump the nation’s Renewable Energy Target and make it harder for households to switch to solar.

In Queensland – where households added another 3,687 new rooftop solar PV systems in the month of May despite, and because of, Campbell Newman’s best efforts to put a dampener on growth – the Conservative seat of Wright, currently held by LNP member Scott Buchholz, boasts the largest percentage of installed PV systems in the country, with one in three households using solar.

Mayo and Grey in South Australia, both also held by LNP MPs, round out the top three.

“More than $1.3 billion dollars has been invested in solar PV by the constituents in the top 10 solar electorates alone,” said Solar Citizens National Director Lindsay Soutar in a statement today. “The (RET) is important because it helps make installing solar cheaper.

“The RET is projected to help another 2 million households go solar by 2020. But if it’s cut that number will be dramatically less – up to 1 million less households will be able to access the benefits of the sun,” and make their power bills cheaper, Soutar said.

Soutar and Solar Citizens will submit a petition signed by 25,000 solar owners and supporters calling on the Abbott government keep the RET to Liberal MP and Member for Corangmite, Sarah Henderson, at Parliament House today.

The handing over of the petition will be accompanied by the formation of a giant solar array on the Parliament House Lawns and a ‘Save Solar’ message written in the sky.

“The government needs to remember that 1.3 million solar homes, also equals at least 2.6 million solar voters,” Soutar said

“It’s time for LNP MPs to stand up for their constituents and tell Tony Abbott to keep the Target strong.”

The top 10 solar electorates are:*