A Fair Go For Solar In Queensland : Greens

A Fair Go For Solar

The Greens have unveiled a plan to pay all Queensland solar households a fair price for their electricity exports and give 100,000 extra households the opportunity to control their power bills by installing solar panels.

If elected after the upcoming state election, the party will invest $100 million on research into solar electricity generation, storage and transmission, $30 million into low-interest loans for household installations and $40 million to install solar for social housing, low-income households and charities.

The Greens have also committed to rolling out a Queensland State Renewable Energy Target of 90% by 2030.

The party says it will ensure a fair return for solar households by mandating that power companies pay customers what the exported electricity is worth at the moment it is produced.

“We want to restore balance to the system by ensuring that electricity companies can’t make windfall profits from solar households, and that solar households get a fair price,” said Greens leader Senator Christine Milne.

An extra 60,000 Queensland households will be able to go solar through fixed low interest loans, to be repaid through council rates. An additional 40,000 social housing tenants and low income households would benefit from the installation of small solar power systems that would bring down their overall electricity bills.

Further details of the Queensland Greens “Fair Go” solar policy can be viewed here.

The Queensland Greens have a field of 89 candidates for the state election and say this gives and every Queenslander the opportunity to vote for a cleaner Queensland.

“Renewable energy and environmental tourism are capable of creating more long-term jobs than tearing resources out of the ground and dumping the waste back on the land or in the sea,” said Queensland Greens lead spokesperson Dr. Charles Worringham.

Anti-solar activity by the Newman Government may come back to haunt it at the polls. Queensland is a solar stronghold and has the second highest residential solar market penetration rate in Australia at 20 per cent.

“The Sunshine State is a natural home for solar but Campbell Newman’s Government has been determined to shove solar where the sun doesn’t shine,” said Australian Solar Council CEO John Grimes earlier this month.

Mr. Grimes said the Council will get behind any party supporting good solar policy, and “will campaign strongly against any political party that is determined to destroy solar.”

The Australian Solar Council will be continuing its successful forums in Queensland this month. The Townsville Solar Forum will occur on Thursday, January 22 and at Springwood on Thursday, January 29. Details of both events can be viewed here.

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