Renewable energy wrongly blamed for electricity price rises, while polluting industries are supported
The “Shielding the Big Polluters” report also demolishes the argument that support for renewable energy programs, such as feed-in tariffs and other clean energy subsidies, are responsible for electricity price rises. It’s an important point that has often been flagged by other bodies, but also often ignored by some in the media who choose to instead demonise renewables. ….it is time the scapegoating of renewable energy ends and more scrutiny is applied to government support for the nation’s big polluters.
Climate Institute : Stop Scapegoating Renewable Energy, Renewable Energy News, 17 June 11by Energy Matters, Australia’s Climate Institute is calling for an end to protection for big polluters under Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET), with a new report revealing households and businesses will foot a $7.1 billion bill to prop up the high-emissions sector over the life of the scheme.
The “Shielding the Big Polluters” report also demolishes the argument that support for renewable energy programs, such as feed-in tariffs and other clean energy subsidies, are responsible for electricity price rises. It’s an important point that has often been flagged by other bodies, but also often ignored by some in the media who choose to instead demonise renewables. “Some in politics, business and the media would have you believe that clean energy schemes have caused all the recent electricity price increases when recent regulator reports show that the cost of renewable energy schemes will make up just 4% of average household energy bills in NSW. This is around $1.20 per week,” says Climate Institute CEO, John Connor.
According to the report, trade-exposed industries with a heavy carbon footprint currently receive a 60-90 percent discount on the cost of the RET, which is then reimbursed from the public purse. These discounts to big polluters have resulted in a 23 percent cost increase of the RET. ……
“The Renewable Energy Target is a critical tool to help clean up our ageing energy sector. Australia has the eighth most carbon polluting electricity sector on the planet and the Renewable Energy Target is essential to build capacity to cost effectively meet long-term pollution reduction targets and to unlock jobs and investment in Australia’s abundant clean energy resources like wind, solar and geothermal.”
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