“Solar-powered households face higher fees to use grid” read the headline in The Australian. “Australia’s one million households with rooftop solar photovoltaic panels face the prospect of higher charges to use the poles and wires that distribute electricity” it went on.

The article was about a new report by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) – one of the main organisations in charge of our energy system. The AEMC is bowing to big power companies and claiming that solar homes are being subsidised by other energy consumers.

The simple fact is that the AEMC is wrong. The main driver behind power bill price rises is investment in network poles and wires – not solar homes. But when it comes to the big power companies' war on solar, it looks like the facts don’t matter.

The AEMC will be making recommendations to our Federal and State Governments. But we know what can move these governments – the voice of the people. Together, we can tell our governments to get behind solar - not penalise it. 

That's why we've launched our "Don't Tax the Sun" petition - and we're working to get at least 25,000 signatures by month's end to present to politicians in Canberra to the support for the sun across Australia.

Want more information on the AEMC, the "Don't tax the sun petition" or looking to bust the myths on solar? Check out our background paper on the petition here.