The Greens want to offer Australians grants of up to $10,000 and loans of $50,000 to install solar batteries.
Key points:
- The Greens have a $17 billion plan to help households and businesses switch from gas to clean energy
- They will announce the plan in Brisbane as part of the launch of their 2022 federal election campaign
- Climate change is one of the most important issues for Australians this election, according to Vote Compass
It’s part of a $17 billion plan to help households and businesses switch from gas to clean energy, announced as part of their federal election campaign.
The Greens are unveiling the plan in Brisbane during the second week of the federal election campaign, where they are targeting a handful of city center seats held by the Coalition and Labour.
The energy price debate came early in the campaign, with the Coalition claiming that Labor’s ‘re-wiring the nation’ policy would drive up household energy prices.
The Labor plan would upgrade electricity infrastructure to accommodate the influx of renewable energy with a combined investment of $20 billion from the Commonwealth and more than $50 billion from the sector.
Under the Greens’ plan, home and business owners could also apply for grants of up to $25,000 and loans of up to $100,000 to switch from gas to electricity.
The party said the grants were intended to support investment in the local battery manufacturing industry.
Batteries can help solar users store energy for use during peak periods, saving them money on electricity prices.
One in five Australians owns solar panels and battery use is increasing.
However, batteries are expensive: a 13 kWh battery – the average Australian household uses around 18 kWh per day – can cost $12,000 or more.
Meanwhile, states are scrambling to better control rooftop solar panels, as the rise in installations threatens to overload the grid at times.
Western Australia joined South Australia in February in having the power to switch off solar home systems when the electricity grid is considered to be under severe strain.
The Greens say their plan has been costed by the Parliamentary Budget Office.
And the party points to a report by the Climate Council, published last year, which estimates that cooking with gas is responsible for around 12% of the “burden of childhood asthma” and is comparable to household cigarette smoke. .
Greens leader Adam Bandt said the scheme was aimed at lowering electricity bills and reducing pollution.
“Just as we’ve seen solar panels on so many rooftops across the country because government support makes them affordable, we want to do the same with batteries,” Bandt said.
“Electricity is an essential service and it should not be operated for profit.”
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The Greens have also proposed a state-owned not-for-profit electricity retailer, the converted retail division of Snowy Hydro, Power Australia, to supply electricity to businesses at cost.
He said the move would aim to promote competition in the energy sector, by driving down the costs of private energy providers.
Climate change – along with the cost of living and the economy – are among the most important issues for Australians this election, according to Vote Compass.
More Australians mentioned climate change as their number one issue than any other topic, with 29% of people saying it was important.
But there is a big divide along party voting lines when it comes to climate change as the main issue. This was held by just 8% of Coalition voters, compared to 30% of Labor voters and 50% of those likely to vote for The Green.
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