Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien and other MPs contesting their seats in Queensland are under fire from solar households for their lack of support for home renewable energy. Voters with rooftop solar comprise more than 60 percent of these electorates, according to data from the Clean Energy Regulator, says community clean energy group Solar Citizens.
Queensland has the highest penetration of rooftop solar in Australia, and in fact the world, with 60.1% of solar uptake in Dickson, Peter Dutton’s seat (that he holds by a margin of less than 2%), 60.6% in Fairfax - Ted O’Brien’s seat, 60.9 % in Wide Bay - held by Llew O’Brien, 61.7% in Hinkler - held by retiring MP Keith Pitt, and the highest uptake of 68.5% in Fisher held by Andrew Wallace with a margin of 8.7%. (1)
These seats have twice the national average solar uptake of about one third of homes. (2)
On Monday 28 April, Solar Citizens will deliver a national petition signed by more than 14,500 people calling for a federal home battery rebate, to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton at his electorate office in Strathpine, after recently delivering it to Labor Energy Minister Chris Bowen.
Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas said:
“Queenslanders have voted with their wallets to install rooftop solar in more than 1 million homes - the highest home solar (per capita) take-up rate in the country, and indeed the world.
“So it is puzzling that the Coalition is not leaning into this strength and delivering any energy policies that support solar households and make clean energy available to more people.
“Queensland solar home-owners are telling us they’re concerned that they haven’t heard any detail from Peter Dutton or Ted O’Brien about how the Coalition’s nuclear plan will impact solar households and their ability to export clean energy to the grid.
“They are also wondering why the Coalition has not announced any support for households with the cost of a home battery, which would benefit all energy consumers by supplying low-cost energy at peak demand times, lowering energy prices for everyone.”
Modelling by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) shows Australia needs 1 million home batteries by 2030 to keep energy bills low (2). Solar Citizens believes the Albanese government’s recently announced “Cheaper Home Battery” policy shows how this target can be met by a government committed to harnessing rooftop solar to lower energy bills. Until now, household batteries have remained the only technology in AEMO’s energy roadmap without a federal government policy to drive delivery.
Bianca Sands lives near Hervey Bay in the Hinkler electorate with her husband and two teenage children in a 4 bedroom home. They have a 3kW solar system of 16 panels, recently bought an electric vehicle (EV) and would like to add a battery, especially if there will be a substantial subsidy.
"My family has saved thousands of dollars on our energy bills over the past 15 years with our rooftop solar. I'm concerned that household solar and the cost saving benefits and local energy resilience this offers is not supported by the Coalition’s energy plan and is actually at risk from their nuclear energy proposal.
“I welcome the home battery announcements made by Labor and The Greens, this is the missing piece in my family's energy security. We haven't heard anything from the Coalition about support to help families like mine to access cheaper home batteries - I was hoping they would at least match this.
Mark Purcell lives with his wife and two young children (aged 8 and 10) in a 4-bedroom house in Noosa in the Wide Bay electorate. They have 18 kilowatts of rooftop solar, 40kWhrs of battery and two electric vehicles.
“Before we put in our solar panels in 2020 our energy bills were $1000/quarter, now we pay no energy bills, in fact we’re always in credit. We charge our batteries during the day (when energy costs us 5 c/kWh), use that saved power at night, and sell excess power to the grid (for 30-50 c/kWh)
“If we had 50,000 houses with solar and batteries (exporting from 4-8pm) , you could replace a gas peaker plant.”
“I don’t understand why the Coalition is not backing their own successful Small Scale Renewable Energy scheme and expanding it for home batteries. My concern with their nuclear plan is that it doesn’t hold up to any analysis. It won’t give any energy bill relief for 20 years and it will slow down the deployment of additional solar and batteries, which are proven to bring down energy costs.”
Colin Lambie is retired and lives with his wife in a 2-bedroom home with a small solar system of 3 Kilowatts on the Sunshine Coast in the Fairfax electorate:
"I would like to get a battery to soak up the daytime power my solar system is producing and have cheaper electricity at night, but I will need a significant rebate for the economics to stack up.
"I've heard my local member, Shadow Energy Minister Ted O'Brien say he believes nuclear power is the right thing to do, but I just don’t believe it. I believe the CSIRO reports which say that nuclear is the most expensive way for us to generate electricity.
"I’d like to see the Coalition support energy policies that provide us with the cheapest and most reliable forms of electricity - and that’s renewable energy with storage - that can be deployed long before the coal fired power stations die or get shut down."
Danyelle Guyatt lives with her partner in a 4 bedroom home near Caloundra in the Fisher electorate. They installed a 10.73kw solar system on their roof 3 years ago, as well as having solar hot water and energy efficiency measures like tinting windows and smart ducted air conditioning.
"Since we put solar on this house we haven't had an energy bill, we’re actually in credit. Previously we paid about $2000/year. During the recent ex-cyclone we know people who were able to charge up their 3appliances from their batteries, so we're really keen to build up our energy resilience with a home battery, but we could only afford it with a decent rebate or discount.
Solar Citizens CEO Heidi Lee Douglas continues:
“Australia’s home solar uptake is world-leading because it’s been a bipartisan government policy for many years. It’s in the best interests of all Australians for the Coalition to match the Australian Labor Party’s commitment to a 30% discount on the upfront cost of a home battery,” said Ms Douglas.
“Home solar batteries typically cost upwards of $10,000 with payback periods ranging between 5 and 10 years depending on the tariff and other variables. With the current cost of living crisis, batteries are often not an affordable option and that’s why government financial support for batteries is welcomed.
“A home battery will provide $1200 a year savings, on top of their $1200 a year home solar provides.
“For the price of the proposed nuclear reactors, which the Coalition wants taxpayers to foot the bill for, we can instead have home solar and batteries on every home in Australia three times over. (4)
“Australians are ready and willing to install home batteries - over 250,000 household batteries have been installed across the country so far, with 57,000 installed last year.
“Some state governments have led the way, with the NSW government releasing new financial incentives for home batteries under their Peak Demand Reduction Scheme from 1 November, 2024. The Queensland government offered a generous subsidy for home batteries but this closed after only 3,500 submissions.
“Labor’s Cheaper Home Battery scheme would enable people to stack federal and state battery rebates.”
NOTES
(1) Solar panel installations as at 31 October 2024,Commonwealth Electoral Divisions, Parliamentary Library. Source: Clean Energy Regulator (postcode data)
(2) Australia hits rooftop solar milestone, Dept of Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water, Nov 2024
(3) The Australian Energy Market Operator’s modelling in the Integrated Systems Plan to achieve the lowest cost energy transition requires 8GW of household batteries by 2030. This is equivalent to one million behind-the-meter batteries.
(4) Solar Saves, Nuclear Costs - Renew Australia for All & Energy & Resource Insights, March 2025
Media Contact: Carolin Wenzel +61 434 983 633 E: [email protected]