Renewable energy is Australia’s booming party pleaser, says Reachtel

We all knew renewable energy was popular, but according to a recent poll by Reachtel, it’s a lot more popular than we thought.

The poll, commissioned by Greenpeace Australia Pacific, found that more than two-thirds of Aussies want the Federal Government to set a high renewable energy target (RET) to cut the cost of power bills.  

Getting specific, more than 67% of those polled agreed that renewable energy deserved to receive more government support than fossil fuels, like coal, while 25% of respondents disagreed.

“Australians want lower electricity prices and the way to achieve that is to get more renewables in the energy mix. The Australian people know it and expect governments to act on it,” said, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Head of Research and Investigations, Dr Nikola Casule.

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According to Greenpeace, the result is set to sting Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull and Energy Minister, Josh Frydenberg who are set to pass their National Energy Guarantee (NEG) - a policy that is predicted to hit the booming renewables industry.

“Turnbull’s NEG is a policy that directly undercuts the renewable energy industry, going against both the will of the people and market realities. Turnbull’s pathetic NEG dis-incentivises the clean and reliable renewable energy that the public knows is bringing down prices and pollution right now,” said Dr Casule.

Adding to the disappointment, 66.7% of Aussies agreed that the best way to guarantee cheaper electricity supply was to invest in renewables as well as dispatchable storage solutions, like batteries. 

And according to the Aussie voters, 59.7% believed that power sources, like solar and wind generation, would supply most of the nation's electricity by 2030. 

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“It is clear that Australians love renewable energy and want more of it. They want government to champion the industry, as this polling clearly shows. Unfortunately, Turnbull’s NEG goes against both market realities and the desire of the Australian people – why attempt to strangle such a popular technology?” 

Present support for the NEG

However, while the poll results prove a clear disappointment for the proposed NEG, the Property Council of Australia have today urged state and territory governments to support the NEG implementation come Friday. 

‘The NEG represents a viable way forward for Australia in achieving emission reductions while ensuring affordable and reliable energy supply for Australian households and businesses. We strongly support the objectives of the NEG to depoliticise energy policy and to integrate energy and climate policy,’ said Chief Executive of the Property Council, Ken Morrison.

According to the Council, Australia’s property industry is leading the world in terms of design and development of sustainable buildings, which is said to support the emissions reduction target. 

‘It’s time to quit the partisan and ideological point-scoring and work together in the national interest to support a policy framework which can deliver certainty on the supply and cost of energy for Australian households, business and industry,’ Mr Morrison said.

So if you’re an Aussie keen to go green with your energy plan, head on over to our energy comparison tool to find a solar plan that’s right for you.