Renewable Energy will Bring Prices Down

First published in the Logan Reporter on 26 September 2014.

Over the last couple of weeks, many of you have come to me with concerns about electricity prices in your latest bills.

Before the election, Tony Abbott promised us that abolishing the carbon price would lower energy costs.

But as so many of you now know, the repeal of the carbon tax has not delivered the amount of savings to households that he promised.

That’s because the greatest driver of electricity prices over the last couple of years has been investment to upgrade and develop the network, not the cost of renewable energy technology or the carbon price.

In fact, some renewable energy, like solar power for instance, can actually help lower electricity prices by taking some of the burden of the electricity network during peak times. That’s why now is not the time to be attacking renewable energy like the LNP wants to.

It’s a little-known fact that our community has one of the highest take up rates of solar power in Australia, with more than 42 percent of families in Rankin having made the investment in home solar technology. This is almost twice the national average.

Local families are clearly recognising something that Mr Abbott does not: that investing in solar not only helps the environment for our children’s future, it can also help lower bill uncertainty and drive down electricity bills in the medium to long-run.

Everyone who has contacted me about this recently can rest assured I will continue to stand up for renewable energy in the face of Mr Abbott’s broken power promises.

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