Here’s a rare sighting: A federal Coalition MP who says that the future of energy systems may lie in solar-based decentralised energy, and who recognises that it’s cheaper for many people in regional areas to go off-grid now, without the need for subsidies.
What makes this all the more interesting is that it comes from Angus Taylor, the Coalition MP for Hume (around the NSW city of Goulburn) who has been such a virulent opponent of large-scale wind farms, both in his own electorate and beyond. Solar, however, has got him excited.
“Innovation in energy technologies has the potential to break the trade-off between cost, carbon abatement and energy security, with low-cost, decentralised solutions,” Taylor writes in The Guardian.
“Witness the potential in solar particularly in rural areas, where the costs of going off grid have already dropped below the costs of being on the network, even without subsidies.”
The fact that solar and battery storage offer that potential is not new – the large regional network operators such as Ergon Energy in Queensland and SA Power Networks in South Australia have both predicted this. In fact, it is happening now, and the CSIRO has forecast a huge shift in “distributed generation” in the near future.
What is new is that this is now recognised by a Federal Coalition MP. We think this may be a first in the Abbott government, which appears to have calibrated its energy policy around the principle of defending centralised, fossil fuel generation, and the primacy of the centralised grid.
At least, that has been the preoccupation of the energy green paper, which focused almost entirely on coal, gas and nuclear energy. Prime Minister Tony Abbott wants all coal to be extracted, energy minister Ian Macfarlane wants every last molecule of gas extracted too.
Not that Taylor is the first Coalition MP to recognise this – NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes, a Liberal, has long recognised the potential of solar and distributed generation, and has been an active supporter of the technology, and innovative community projects that support its installation.
What does clash with Taylor’s views, however, is his view on innovation and the resistance of vested interests.
“It is time for policymakers, commentators, and all engaged in the political process to stand with mainstream Australia – the taxpayers who support the delivery of government services – by insisting on innovation in the delivery of government services.
“That way we can determine our future, rather than allowing vested interests and budget constraints to control it.”
Gosh, wouldn’t it be great if for just a moment Taylor and the rest of the Coalition applied that principle to the renewable energy target, which is being held hostage by some nasty politicking for the sole interest of the incumbent fossil fuel generators?
Not only is the government wanting to dramatically reduce the large-scale target, but it has also signalled it wants to dismantle the very organisations that are facilitating the development of off-grid and new energy systems that will be able to deliver exactly what Taylor has heralded – new energy systems that are cheaper and cleaner and do not require subsidies.
“So what’s stopping us?” asks Taylor. “As a new member of parliament, I am struck by how successful both groups – the false prophets and Luddites – are at capturing the political process. In health, education and welfare, aggressive fact-free campaigns put the brake on the natural innovation process. Stakeholders pursue their own interests, not the national interest.”
And in energy, and wind farms in particular, Taylor has also encouraged a fact-free zone on wind turbine impacts and the costs and benefits of renewables, as we pointed out here.
But at least, we should note, this is progress.
