The following statement is attributable to Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, Kane Thornton:
“The Clean Energy Council welcomes the findings of the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC)’s analysis of Australia’s clean energy transition released today.
“This review has found that household electricity bills could be 13 per cent lower over the next decade to 2034, driven by continued investment in the rollout of large-scale renewables and storage.
“The AEMC’s analysis also found that households investing in rooftop solar, home batteries electric vehicles and electrification look set to save 70 per cent off the cost of their energy bills, or $1000 per annum over the same period.
“We know that having surpassed four million rooftop solar installations across Australia this month, everyday Aussies are the ultimate beneficiaries of building a cleaner, lower-cost energy system from home.
“However, while Australia is a world-leader in the uptake of rooftop solar, our nation’s electrification journey is just beginning.
“The Clean Energy Council’s National Consumer Energy Resources Roadmap outlines the key policies needed to empower homes and businesses to embrace an electric future, including the need to incentivise a higher degree of orchestration for rooftop solar systems and home batteries into the grid and standardise these technologies into new builds.
“Consumer Energy Resources (CER) will continue to play a huge role in helping Australia transition toward a cleaner energy future via the lowest-cost pathway, while generating over $22 billion in added value for all Australian energy customers, even those without these technologies installed.
“One of the critical findings of AEMC's report is the importance of wind generation as a key resource in putting downward pressure on prices. Wind generation offers a valuable counterpart to solar generation, helping lower prices through increased resource diversity.
“The AEMC review also finds that reducing delays in connecting new generation puts downward pressure on energy prices.
“The Clean Energy Council has led from the front in addressing these connection challenges through establishing and developing the Connection Reform Initiative (CRI) in tandem with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), aimed at overcoming the most common barriers that slow down new utility-scale projects coming online.
“Finally, the AEMC finds that maintaining the pace of transmission investment is core to keeping prices as low as possible. Transmission enables more generation to connect and is therefore central to delivering a low cost and reliable supply of energy to consumers.
The bottom line of the AEMC’s review is that renewables firmed by storage and transmission, coupled with continued consumer led investment in rooftop PV and batteries, place Australia firmly in the driver’s seat to deliver tangible cost of living relief and achieve our climate and emissions reduction commitments at the lowest possible cost to consumers and taxpayers.Kane Thornton Clean Energy Council Chief Executive
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Liam Straughan
Clean Energy Council Media Officer
+61 409 470 683