The leader of the Opposition has pushed the case for household solar and battery storage, in a speech at the University of NSW last Friday.
Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten said energy markets were in the midst of a “seismic shift” and an “energy revolution” that was being driven by individual consumers, and in which the upfront and operating costs of solar power were decreasing at a remarkable speed.
“Over 15,000 Australian small businesses have already taken up small-scale solar, and taken control of their bills. More than 1.4 million Australian families have embraced household solar power,” Shorten said.
He noted that in NSW, a household could get an upfront loan of $4,000 and install a 3 kW system on their roof, and see their power bills decline from day one and their system fully paid off within five to seven years.
He also quoted Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis, reported previously here, which said that within five years a 4 kilowatt of rooftop solar panels, with a 5 kilowatt hour battery will give you cheaper electricity than you get off the grid.
“This is a consumer revolution, as much as it is an energy transformation empowering Australian households, communities and businesses,” Shorten said. (It is) putting control back in the hands of the user, shifting the balance away from big power companies.”
Click here to read Shorten’s speech in full
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