Call for renewable energy revolution to be at heart of election campaign

The 2022 federal election is officially underway, an election set to be fought on responses to cost of living pressures, the Covid-19 pandemic and the global challenge of climate change.

The Clean Energy Council, a peak body representing Australia’s renewable energy sector, has called on political leaders to put the industry at the heart of their election campaigns, given the massive economic opportunities being created by the sector.

The group also issued a reminder to voters that they had the chance to elect a government that recognises the role the renewable energy industry has in Australia’s economic future.

Chief executive of the Clean Energy Council, Kane Thornton, said commitments to stronger action on climate change and growing Australia’s renewable energy industry could be critical to long term prosperity, and they shouldn’t be overlooked during the election.

“Energy policy probably isn’t front of mind for a lot of voters come election time,” Thornton said.

“However, global events probably suggest that this Federal Election should be different.”

“This is the decisive decade for containing global warming to 1.5°C. Clean, low-cost renewable energy will drive economic growth, lower power bills, boost local manufacturing and create jobs.”

Energy consumption is the main driver of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, with the electricity sector contributing around one-third of Australia’s overall emissions footprint.

The Morrison government has been reticent to embrace the renewables industry – instead backing the coal and gas sectors – reflecting both the economic size, and resulting political influence, exerted by Australia’s fossil fuel industries.

The Federal Labor opposition is taking a stronger policy platform to the election – which includes an implied target of 82 per cent renewables by 2030 – but it has previously been burnt by scare campaigns run by the Coalition over the last decade.

The Clean Energy Council recently published its latest annual Clean Energy Australia Report that showed that while the market share of renewables grew to new heights in 2021, ongoing policy uncertainty at a national level was having a negative impact on investor confidence.

The group said that growing the share of Australia’s energy sourced from renewables could make a major contribution to reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, while creating new economic opportunities.

“When you support pro-renewable energy policies, you are voting for a prosperous Australia,” Thornton said.

The Clean Energy Council said that as many as 80,000 full-time jobs could be created through growing the renewables sector, creating new opportunities for those in skilled professions like engineering, construction, and electrical trades.

The opportunity to cost Australia’s energy costs by increasing the adoption of lower cost supplies of wind and solar energy could also help spur a revitalisation of Australia’s manufacturing industry, the Clean Energy Council said.

“The low-cost electricity provided by renewable energy can help expand Australian manufacturing capacity, create more regional jobs and growth, and reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions,” Thornton said.

“If we get our policy settings right, the opportunity is there for wind and solar power to create green energy like renewable hydrogen that becomes a top export earner for Australia.”

“This means jobs and growth for rural Australians – we’ll all prosper,” Thornton added.