A Blue Mountains solar business has called for a greater focus on renewables during the election campaign, claiming his business is only operating at 50 per cent capacity because of the Coalition government.
Katoomba-based Blue Mountains Solar, which installs solar power, has urged the next Parliament to focus on renewable energy.
Damian McMahon said his business was operating “at 50 per cent of its capacity and with a quarter of the staff it could be employing due to a lack of commitment to renewable energy by the Coalition federal government”. Some similar sized solar businesses were only operating at 25 per cent, he said.
“To tackle climate change you’ve got to get stuck in,” Mr McMahon said.
Labor candidate for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, and Opposition Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Innovation and Start-ups, Blacktown-based MP, Ed Husic, recently visited his operation.
Mr McMahon said the key was finding a way for battery storage to be more accessible for consumers.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten announced Labor’s plan for community renewable energy hubs to boost access in regional areas. Mr Husic said Labor’s focus on renewables was good news for local residents.
“There are currently 20,000 Australians employed in the renewable energy sector,” Mr Husic said. “While the rest of the world added two million jobs in renewable energy over the last two years, Australia went backwards by over 2,000.”
Ms Templeman said “providing access to solar for low income earners, retired people, pensioners and renters was important if we are to meet our renewable target of 50 per cent electricity from renewables by 2030”.
She said a Shorten Labor government would provide $98.7 million to create 10 Community Power Hubs to provide legal and technical expertise for start-up funding. Projects would include: shared arrays of solar panels for groups of renters; retrofitting of existing social housing; community wind farms and working with aged care providers on solar rooftop installations.
The hubs will also explore innovative methods of finance for low income earners and pensioners, including using council rate payments as contributions for projects, she said.
Mr McMahon said he welcomed their ideas.
But Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said far from not investing in solar, the Coalition was fixing problems from the Rudd prime ministership.
“Since coming into government, the Coalition has been focused on jobs and stability for the renewable industry by fixing the Renewable Energy Target which was broken by Labor.”
