The 100% Renewable community campaign yesterday welcomed Tony Abbott’s ongoing support for the Renewable Energy Target and his willingness to listen to the evidence that renewable energy is keeping power prices rises down.
“On Monday, Mr Abbott held firm in the Coalition party room and once again committed the Coalition to supporting the 20% by 2020 Renewable Energy Target,” said Andrew Bray, spokesperson for 100% Renewable.
“We are heartened that Mr Abbott clearly understands the overwhelming community support for renewable energy and is prepared to tell his party room once and for all that the Coalition supports the Renewable Energy Target.”
After months of engaging with Mr Abbott in public events around the country through the Let_’s Build Big Solar campaign, a constituent of Mr Abbott’s Warringah electorate and representatives of the 100% Renewable campaign met with Mr Abbott in his Parliament House office last month and outlined the findings of the report, 12,000 Voices: Australia’_s Vision for Big Solar.
“Our main messages to Mr Abbott were the high levels of public support for big solar we found in the community and the role that renewable energy can play in lowering power prices.”
“We very much welcome Mr Abbott’s preparedness to listen to evidence that renewable energy is driving power prices down and not up.
A recent report from the Renewable Energy Certificate Agents Association was the latest in a string of reports highlighting how renewable energy is limiting power price rises. It quantifies how uptake of rooftop solar PV and hot water was delaying the need for new generation capacity and therefore reducing network charges, which are the largest part of energy price rises.
“We congratulate Mr Abbott and will continue to call for an expansion of the current RET target to guard Australia against ongoing power price rises,” concluded Mr Bray.
