Solar Citizens is a people powered movement campaigning for sensible clean energy and transport policies. The organisation was started on the understanding that if the millions of solar owners and supporters in Australia stand together, we can be powerful. Here's how we're winning...

2024 Wins: 

WON! New National Standards to Support Vehicle-to-Grid Charging

The Federal Minister for Energy has announced that agreement has been reached on new national standards to enable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bi-directional charging for electric vehicles (EVs). Minister Bowen expects that EV owners will be able to use their cars as household batteries-on-wheels by the end of 2024, however this will be dependent on timeframes for equipment suppliers and installers.

Solar Citizens has been campaigning for accelerated V2G charging following our very successful EV Ute Roadshow and Affordable EVs campaigns. In August 2024 we released the 'Batteries on wheels' report on the steps needed to accelerate V2G charging in Australia, which included the publication of this new standard as well as other steps including subsidies to assist with the upfront costs of charging equipment. 

Not only will V2G charging help households get the full value out of their EV, but the Australian Energy Market Operator has modelled a need for over 8GW of household energy storage in Australia and V2G charging is well placed to contribute to this target. 

WON! NSW Consumer Energy Strategy Delivers First Solar and Battery Targets

Solar Citizens was involved with the development of the NSW Government's Consumer Energy Strategy, launched in September 2024. We participated in roundtables, made a submission to the draft consultation and met with the Energy Minister and her advisors throughout 2023 and into 2024.

Specifically, we made recommendations around delivering both solar and batteries for social housing - which was included in the final strategy. We also recommended targets for both solar and battery uptake - also included in the final version of the strategy.

Because of our advocacy efforts and the actions of our supporter base, as well as political pressure from other organisations, NSW is now the first jurisdiction in Australia to have specific targets set for both solar and batteries! We'll be checking in on their progress towards the 1 million solar and battery households in NSW by 2035, to make sure they deliver on this. 

Read more about the Consumer Energy Strategy here.

WON! NSW Household Battery Incentive 

In 2023, Solar Citizens contributed a detailed submission to the draft NSW Peak Demand Reduction Scheme, asking the NSW Government for a stronger battery incentive than the one they were originally proposing. We included results from our 2023 supporter survey to provide evidence that the upfront cost was a significant barrier to installing a battery, and that households would need ample financial support to increase uptake. 

The government listened, and in May 2024, they announced a stronger financial incentive under the Peak Demand Reduction Scheme, which would come into effect from 1 November 2024. This scheme will deliver discounts to solar households in NSW, including:

• between $1600 to $2400 off the up-front installation costs of a battery for homes and businesses with existing solar, depending on the size of the battery
• between $250 to $400 for connecting your household or business battery to a Virtual Power Plant (VPP). This incentive is available twice, a minimum of 3 years apart.

WON! National Consumer Energy Resources Roadmap

Solar Citizens has played a lead role in supporting and co-ordinating advocacy efforts across the environment movement to develop a National Consumer Energy Resources (CER) Roadmap. Working with like-minded organisations, we ensured that our proposals to the CER Roadmap Taskforce - who are responsible for advising the Energy Minister - were well-informed and aligned with other advice from civil society. 

Solar Citizens’ main contribution has been to commission Nexa Advisory to produce the Accelerating Consumer Energy in Australia report into the primary barriers to the widespread adoption of CER in Australia, with recommendations on how they can be overcome. 

The July meeting of the Ministerial Council in Energy and Climate Change adopted the CER Roadmap as proposed by the responsible Taskforce, and confirmed that most of the recommendations from the Accelerating Consumer Energy in Australia had been adopted. 

WON! Support for local solar manufacturing 

Australia invented the solar panel but unfortunately, our local manufacturing industry has barely benefitted from local production. 

As part of our support for the Renew Australia for All campaign, Solar Citizens has been engaged in advocacy at the national level for government support for local renewable manufacturing - which contributed to the announcement of the Federal ‘Future Made in Australia’ program that includes $1.5 billion to support local solar and battery manufacturing.  

We also identified the opportunity to link incentives for local solar panel manufacturing with state government procurement to deliver rooftop solar for social housing residents. 

We connected with Sundrive, a new innovative manufacturer of copper-based solar panels, who were at the time scoping locations in Australia and overseas to upscale and launch their manufacturing operations. 

On 28 March 2024, the Federal Government announced it will invest $1 billion in the new Solar Sunshot Program. The program seeks to support the commercialisation of Australian solar photovoltaic (PV) innovations and to enhance solar PV supply chains in Australia. We will continue advocating for State governments to provide support for local manufacturing through procurement agreements. 

WON! $175 million for Social Housing Energy Upgrades 

Solar Citizens ran a campaign to ensure the NSW Government responded to the Commonwealth’s offer of a share of $300 million nationally for social housing energy upgrades, including solar, under the Household Energy Upgrades Fund (HEUF). 

Our advocacy included supporter email actions, initiating a joint letter from environment and social service organisations and direct advocacy with the NSW Government. 

We were very happy to see the fruits of that campaign, in an announcement in early January that the NSW and Federal governments would jointly fund a $175 million Social Housing Energy Performance Initiative (SHEPI) to deliver rooftop solar and energy efficiency upgrades to social housing properties.

WON! $30 million for Clean Energy Access for Locked out Households 

Announced alongside the social housing energy upgrades was $30 million for apartment dwellers and renters to either install solar panels or access a solar garden. Solar Citizens became aware that NSW was considering excluding strata associations from this scheme, and led an effort among industry and local government participants to achieve a better outcome. This announcement saw the successful resolution of the campaign.

WON! Clean Energy & Jobs Legislation with bi-partisan support in QLD 

In April 2024, the Queensland Government passed landmark legislation guaranteeing 80% renewable energy generation by 2035, and powerful emissions reductions targets of 75% reduction by 2035. This commitment from the Queensland Government locks in the work of Solar Citizens supporters over the past 10 years demanding cleaner, cheaper energy.

Solar Citizens had campaigned alongside allied organisations for the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan to include firm commitments on emissions reductions and strong renewable energy targets since it was formed a decade ago. Read more here.

WON! Solar for Renters in QLD 

In March 2024, the QLD Opposition Leader David Crisafuli said he would provide short-term cost-of-living relief via the supercharged solar-for-renters scheme, with full details to be outlined during a budget reply speech later in 2024.

WON! New Vehicle Efficiency Standards 

It's been a long journey and taken several years but on the 16 of May 2024, the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) legislation passed Federal Parliament. This legislation will bring more affordable electric vehicles, and more efficient fuel vehicles, into the Australian market from January 2025!

Solar Citizens, our supporters and our allies have been on a long journey to achieve this monumental result. Read more here.

2023

WON! Large-scale Renewable Energy Storage Target

As fossil fuel prices continue to soar and ageing coal plants close, we urgently need more clean energy storage to get our grid ready for more renewable energy and household electrification. Thousands of solar citizens have taken action, signing the petition and emailing their energy minister to support a renewable energy storage target (REST). Solar Citizens joined with clean energy advocates to lobby Federal MPs in Parliament House in November 2022 to call for a REST.

Then in December, Australia’s Energy Minister’s agreed to a ‘capacity investment scheme’ that would act like a REST to roll out large-scale storage projects. 

In June 2023, NSW has become the first state to kick off the scheme with an auction process for renewable storage! Now we just need to roll-out a REST for small-scale and household storage. Read more here.

WON! National Electric Vehicle Strategy

Petrol prices and transport emissions are skyrocketing, but Australians are being left behind on electric vehicles, which cut pollution and are cheaper to run and maintain. 

Over 4,000 solar citizens have signed the petition calling for a plan to accelerate electric vehicles, which Solar Citizens delivered to Energy Minister Chris Bowen in August 2022, and more than 600 made submissions to a consultation on a draft EV strategy. Then in April 2023, the Federal Government finally announced the first National Electric Vehicle Strategy to grow the uptake of electric vehicles. The Strategy also committed to developing a Fuel Efficiency Standard – the key policy championed by our community to unlock a supply of affordable EVs in Australia. Now the next step is to ensure that a strong Standard with no loopholes is introduced so we can fast-track clean transport and emissions reductions.

Read more about the fight for a strong Vehicle Efficiency Standard here.

2022

WON! Turning Townsville into a Clean Manufacturing Powerhouse

Townsville has all the ingredients to become one of Australia's first clean manufacturing hubs. The region has world-class solar and wind resources, a great port, and is in close proximity to the North West Minerals Province which has deposits of critical minerals needed for clean technology. Over the years we have campaigned for federal and state government support to help set up Townsville as a thriving clean manufacturing hub to power good jobs and the local economy long into the future. 

Our community campaign has had a massive impact, and we've played a major role in winning:

• $70 million in bipartisan federal funding for turning Townsville into a renewable hydrogen hub;
• The Queensland Government recently committed to build the $5 billion CopperString 2.0 transmission line to connect Mount Isa to Townsville, unlocking 4.5GW of new solar and wind potential in North Queensland; 
• A total of $50 million in federal and state funding to progress the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct – Northern Australia's first eco-industrial precinct for advanced manufacturing, processing, technology and emerging industries; and
• $75 million in state funding for a new critical mineral processing facility!

Find out how clean technology is creating jobs in Townsville.

WON! A Plan to Repower Queensland 

From 2020 to the end of 2022, our priority focus was campaigning to turn Australia's most polluting State into a clean energy leader. Thousands of our supporters took action across the Sunshine State and we reached millions of Queenslanders with our advertising demonstrating how clean energy can create tens of thousands of good jobs. 

In September 2022, the Queensland Government finally changed their tune and released a plan to close all of the state-owned coal-fired power stations. 

In the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan the State Government committed to:

• Increase the State’s Renewable Energy Target to 70% by 2032 and 80% by 2035;
• Replace all the state-owned coal-fired power stations with clean energy hubs by 2035;
• $4.5 billion fund for publicly-owned clean energy and hydrogen;
• Deliver a household program, which includes support for batteries;
• Fast-track vital transmission infrastructure to connect new clean energy projects.

More details here.

2020

WON! Keep ARENA and the CEFC clean

The Coalition Government tried to push through dodgy changes to open the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) up to invest in polluting gas, dirty hydrogen, and unproven carbon capture and storage (CCS). However thanks to thousands of solar citizens who rallied, signed petitions, called and emailed decision-makers, donated and more, Angus Taylor’s dangerous plan to use ARENA to fund fossil fuels was blocked by the Senate and our community defeated Taylor's attack on the CEFC when thousands of solar citizens wrote to and called Senators Griff, Lambie and Patrick, forcing Taylor to abandon his plan.

More details here

WON! Supercharge ARENA

Australia's leading clean energy innovation body, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), was on the brink of running out of funding in 2020 after hundreds of millions of dollars of past budget cuts. But nearly 10,000 solar citizens signed our open letter, called their MP, emailed the Federal Energy Minister, and spoke up on social media in support of ARENA. Now we have won half the fight, with the Federal Government pledging $1.4 billion for ARENA in the 2020 Federal Budget.

More details here

WON! Save Queensland's Clean Energy Jobs

Investment in large-scale renewable energy projects in Queensland crashed to almost nothing in 2019. The State Government was not on track to reach their 50% renewable energy target by 2030, and federal energy policy uncertainty was driving investors further away. Thousands of jobs and billions worth of investment was at risk across the regions, so solar citizens across the state leapt into action. 

In the year leading up to the Queensland state election on October 2020, over 6,000 Queenslanders took action to encourage all sides of state politics to implement more ambitious renewable energy policies. Solar Citizens was in the media 230 times, talking about the job and economic benefits of clean energy projects being built and manufactured in the Sunshine State. We ran bus ads, billboards and reached over 800,000 people with digital advertising. 

Some of the key outcomes that we won from the Queensland Government include: $145 million for three Renewable Energy Zones, a $500 million Renewable Energy Fund, and Queensland's state-owned utilities have done deals to help another five solar and wind projects come online. The Sunshine State is now back on track to reach 50% renewables by 2030 – the next step is turning it into a renewable powerhouse!

2019 and prior 

WON! Stopped the Emissions Reduction Fund from Propping up Coal

Following pressure from coal heavyweights, the rule makers in charge of the federal government's Emission Reduction Fund (ERF) were reviewing whether the public funds could be used to pay for coal station upgrades – keeping ageing and polluting generators on life support.

But after community outcry, including from 600+ solar citizens who wrote submissions for the review process, we were able to stop the polluting Vales Point coal plant from getting funding through this process. 

More details here

WON! Save the SRES

The Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) was on the chopping block. Following a recommendation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Comission (ACCC) to wind up and then abolish the SRES nine years early, the Federal Government was radio silent on the future of the scheme. Close to 10,000 solar citizens around the country sprung into action: over 9,300 people added their name to our open letter to Energy Minister Angus Taylor, and over 2,000 sent an email to their Federal MP. On the day we were travelling to Canberra to deliver our open letter to the Minister's office, Angus Taylor came out in the media committing to keep the SRES. 

More details here

WON! Victoria Mandated a Minimum Feed-in Tariff

In Victoria our Fair Price for Solar campaign helped secure a legislated minimum feed-in tariff that recognises, for the first time in Australia, the environmental contribution of rooftop solar. Meanwhile, in NSW the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) doubled the recommended tariff benchmark after our supporters lodged 1,400 submissions. While we’re making headway, there is still more work to do to lock in a fair price for all solar owners.

We've collected more than 10,000 signatures for a national Fair Price for Solar – add your name!

WON! Stop the Solar Swindle

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), they make the rules that govern the electricity market, were proposing to charge solar owners for feeding their electricity back to the grid. That’s right, they wanted to charge solar owners for sharing their clean power. Across the country, Solar Citizens acted and the AEMC dropped the proposal.

We collected nearly 2,500 submissions and made the AEMC back down – for the second time!

WON! Make Solar Thermal Happen in Port Augusta 

The Port Augusta community campaigned for more than five years for the Federal and South Australian Governments to back plans for a local solar thermal plant. People power prevailed in the end with the SA State Premier Jay Weatherill announcing that construction of the $650 million plant will begin in 2018. 

More details here

WON! Save ARENA 

The Federal Government wanted to cut $1 billion from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) but Solar Citizens across the country rallied to protect ARENA and demonstrate the strong community desire to stand up for essential grants funding that supports cutting-edge research and helps get commercial projects off the ground. Together, we saved $800 million of ARENA's funding and pulled it back from the brink.

We saved $800 million of ARENA's funding

WON! Protect the Renewable Energy Target

More than 28,000 Australians signed this petition and in August 2014 we delivered it in Canberra to Coalition MPs Sarah Henderson and Warren Entsch.

The Abbott Government wanted the Target axed entirely, but by joining together and running a strong campaign, Solar Citizens across the country saved the Small Scale Renewable Energy Scheme and defended the bulk of the Renewable Energy Target.

We saved the small-scale component of the Renewable Energy Target

WON! SA Power Networks: drop the solar penalty

Almost 3000 Solar Citizens signed the petition and Adelaide volunteers letterboxed thousands of solar homes to stop SA Power Networks introducing a discriminatory penalty on all solar owners in South Australia. Their application to the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) was rejected, but SAPN didn't accept this and appealed the regulator's decision in the Federal Court (read more here). However the Court ruled in favour of South Australian solar households. Solar Citizens supported the Total Environment Centre’s intervention in the case. Read more here.

We stopped the discriminatory solar penalty

WON! ALP commits to 50% renewables by 2030

As part of the Stand Up for Solar campaign, Solar Citizens met with ALP MPs from across the country, asking them to take the ‘Stand up for Solar’ pledge, asking for a national goal of at least 50% solar and renewable electricity generation by 2030. At the ALP National Conference, Labor announced a 50% renewable energy goal of 50% by 2030. 

Read more here

WON! Keep Queensland the Sunshine State

Queensland has long been known as Australia's sunshine state, but recent recommendations to the government could see QLD's 300,000 solar homes slugged with new charges of $200 a year that would penalise them for going solar. These measures would undermine the multi-billion dollar investment ordinary Queenslanders have made in solar systems.

We stopped QLD solar penalties