Public investment in energy retail a positive direction for Queensland

Queensland Conservation Council welcomes today’s announcement that a Labor Government would create a publicly owned retailer to put people and clean energy before profit, and calls on the Opposition to detail their plans to help Queenslanders realise the benefits of clean energy in emissions reduction and cost savings.

A publicly owned retailer could help put households and consumers at the heart of the future energy system, to unlock the renewable potential of households and communities through batteries, solar and other technologies, to reduce energy bills and slash emissions, addressing both climate change and the rising cost of living.

Queensland Conservation Council, Energy Strategist, Clare Silcock says:

We welcome placing greater emphasis on the important role that household and community solar and storage can play in slashing power bills and meeting our renewable energy targets.

Our current energy retail regulations are holding particularly regional Queenslanders back from accessing the benefits of community renewable energy and storage, and innovative products like Virtual Power Plants.

A new publicly owned retailer could help overcome some of these barriers, together with changes to the regulation and direct support for households to install solar and storage technology to maximise consumer benefits.

Through the Power Together Alliance we’ve been calling for more support to make the benefits of small-scale renewable energy available to everyone, including renters and low income households.

We need to be building all scales of renewable energy to end our reliance on polluting fossil fuels. No matter who wins the state election, we look forward to continuing to work closely with the next Queensland Government to make sure that more Queenslanders can access the bill savings of renewable energy and storage.