Solar bodies attack Abbott over ARENA, renewable costs

Two of Australia’s solar bodies have attacked the Federal Government over plans to scrap the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and lying about the inflated cost of renewable energies.

Australia’s Solar Council has launched a campaign to save ARENA and Solar Citizens has called out the Prime Minister for perpetuating the idea of high costs associated with solar.

The Solar Council has today launched a campaign to save ARENA, pointing out the important work it does for renewable energy, the solar industry and the future competitiveness of Australia.

ARENA continues to fund “big picture clean energy projects generating significant, far reaching consequences … the outcomes of which will benefit generations to come,” said Australian Solar Council CEO John Grimes.  “But the federal government wants to apply the brakes and unless ARENA is saved these and other sorts of advances will be wiped from the drawing board.”

ARENA, established in July of 2012 with a ten-year plan, was created to improve the competitiveness of renewable energy technologies, and to increase the supply of renewable energy in Australia.

Today, the agency has approximately $3 billion in its budget to fund renewable energy projects, support research and development activities and support activities to capture and share knowledge.

Clive Palmer last week said Palmer United Party Senators would vote to protect the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Climate Change Authority, but said he had not yet formed an opinion on ARENA.

The government’s audit commission recommended ARENA be scrapped, despite a Coalition election commitment to retain it, but the reasons cited by the audit commission included the mistaken belief that the renewable energy target funded research and early technology development.

The Abbott government has announced it will scrap ARENA, and any new funding, but that issue is likely to go to a Senate committee in a few months.

Another Australian solar body, Solar Citizens, have attacked the Government over accusations that the Prime Minister lied about the cost of renewable energy, and used it as an excuse to attack the industry.

“Australians love solar. They love the lower power bills. They love reducing their impact. And they are getting solar in record numbers.Australians are investing in solar because they value it.”

According to Solar Citizen’s National Director, Lindsay Soutar, the Prime Minister does not understand that “solar power is the only way Australians can take control of their power bills”.

Soutar asks the Prime Minister to stock “attacking the five million Australians who have solar”, and suggests “the more renewables, the lower the prices”.

“Mr. Abbott’s attack on the industry is relentless and demonstrates that claims that Australia is ‘open for business’ is complete rubbish.”

Soutar contradicts Abbotts view on the industry – that solar is expensive and increases costs for non-solar users – saying that his view is deliberately misleading and factually wrong.

“He needs to stop taking away people’s rights for more solar and he needs to stop adopting the policy of the big energy companies who are trying to protect a damaging, expensive and outdated business model.”