How Installing Solar Benefits Your Community
It's well known that installing solar on your home reduces your energy costs. What's less well known is that solar benefits everybody by producing electricity when it's the most expensive to do so and it reduces the need for expensive upgrades to electricity networks.
Infinite Energy has a unique insight into this being both a solar provider and an electricity retailer.
All electricity retailers pay a levy as part of Australia's Renewable Energy Target which will delivery over 20% of electricity generation via renewable means by 2020. This levy currently makes up about 3% of electricity bills. In addition to delivering a significant reduction in emissions, bringing about the retirement of dirty polluting coal fired power stations (if you're in any doubt about how dirty see the ongoing impact of the fire at the Hazelwood coal mine) , and meaning most of Australia's new generation plant will be renewable it also delivers the following solar benefits:
- 13,000 Jobs in the solar industry (which is more than Oil & Gas Extraction, Gas Supply and Petroleum & Coal Product Manufacturing combined)
- Billions of dollars in investment
- Lower electricity prices (due to low cost solar and wind displacing high cost and higher polluting plant)
- Less need for expensive electricity network upgrades
All these benefits for 3%.
But wait for it, here is the best part...... it actually lowers electricity prices by more than 3% due to the above factors.
The Renewable Energy Target is under threat though. The Federal Government has announced a review of the RET and appointed a well known climate skeptic to head the review.
What can you do to help ?
- Write or email your local Member of Parliament
- Sign the RET petition at Solar Citizens
- If you're voting in the upcoming WA Senate election, support a candidate or party that supports retention of the RET.
And by the way, if you're thinking about getting solar for your home or business we suggest you get in quick !
