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Even those of us who want to electrify our homes and cars can’t always do so because of the high upfront cost of buying efficient electric machines. Rewiring Australia has come up with a plan to help every Australian household – regardless of income – fully electrify. They're recommending the Federal Government provide low-cost Government loans for all Australian residences to install solar panels, batteries, efficient electric appliances, and an EV, which could save households up to $5,000 annually on energy and petrol bills. These HECS-style loans would be paid back when a property is sold and help Australia meet our emissions targets and dramatically ease our cost of living crisis. Francis Vierboom, Market Transformation Manager at Rewiring Australia, developed the scheme.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

Low-cost Government loans for all Australian residences could help everyone electrify

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with Scott Sullivan, my friend and one of the best networked executives in the industry. Earthquake excitement has diminished in the New Jersey area, but seismic changes in solar continue around the country. 

In Part 1 we discussed what happens in the solar and storage industry — really every industry — when company profits decline. It’s a tough adjustment to make, and many companies have not yet recovered from this high interest rate environment.


Nevertheless, the majority of companies have figured out the formula, and the topics that Scott and I discussed are summarized below:

* What are the characteristics of a great solar and storage contractor?
 * What should potential customers look for in a contractor?
 * Have you seen any changes with the solar panels offered by contractors?
 * Have you seen any changes with the inverters and batteries offered by contractors?
 * Is solar financing recovering yet from high interest rates?
 * Are Virtual Power Plants (VPP) and Vehicle To Grid (V2G) technologies getting much traction?
 * And last but not least, what do you do for fun?

If you missed any of Part 1 or Part 2 of our podcasts with Scott Sullivan, please visit ENERGYSHOW.BIZ and listen to the full podcasts.

The Energy Show

Seismic Changes in the Solar and Storage Industry - Part 2

Australia falls out of global top 10 solar countries. Plus: GridBeyond's Michael Phelan on the rise of VPPs; and battery rebates.

Australia loses it on solar

Bridget McIntosh from EnergyLab on South-east Asia's energy transition and the role being played by Australian experts. Plus: Battery storage gets really big.

The renewable challenge in south-east Asia

A recent report from Rewiring Aotearoa has shown the rising cost of petrol and gas in New Zealand now means electric homes and EVs are more affordable than fossil fuel alternatives. Even accounting for higher upfront costs, and the interest you pay if you need to borrow to buy these appliances, the report shows a combination of EVs and electric appliances are cheaper over the lifetime of the machines. The average home that uses gas and petrol vehicles could save around NZ$1500 per year at current interest rates (around AUD$1400). Even more – NZ$4,500 - if they get a low interest loan and get their electricity from a combination of rooftop solar, a home battery, and the existing electricity grid. Mike Casey, the Chief Executive of Rewiring Aotearoa, discusses their Electric Homes report, and how he fully electrified his own cherry farm.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au/

NZ is one of the first countries to reach an electrification tipping point

It’s not a flippant comment or a classic jazz solo — but an existential question about the devastating trend our civilization is on due to climate change.

The history of Earth Day shows how the worldwide environmental movement has evolved from concerns about in-your-face air and water pollution … to a focus on the invisible hazard of rising CO2 emissions.

To a large degree we’ve cleaned up the worst of the visible air pollution, contaminated water, and toxic wastes hiding under a few feet of topsoil. In the first few decades of Earth Day, consumers, companies and governments were all pulling in the same direction to right these environmental wrongs.

But something insidious happened due to the profits that can be reaped by polluting the Earth. Economists call it a Negative Externality (the imposition of a cost to one group of people as an indirect effect of the actions of another group of people). To fossil fuel companies, the negative externality they cause by producing oil and gas — which when burned pollutes the Earth with CO2 — is just a side effect to their record profits. For decades fossil fuel companies have been fighting and concealing this unprofitable truth.

There is hope amidst this grim reality. The history of Earth Day shows how public opinion can indeed change this trajectory — especially as the effects of CO2 pollution impact all of us with flooded shores, burning homes and unlivable cities. For insights into our progress amidst this grim reality, please Listen Up to this week’s Energy Show.

Earth Day … So What?

Energy minister Chris Bowen discusses the capacity investment scheme, the Eraring closure, social licence, planning approvals, long duration storage, and why the Coalition’s nuclear plan does not stack up.

Chris Bowen explains the green energy plan

Australians are installing an estimated 940,000 new gas appliances and 800,000 new resistive electric appliances -panel heaters, oil heaters and older style electric hot water systems - every year, which are locking in significant long-term costs for heating and cooking. The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis(IEEFA) found these inefficient appliances will force Australians to rack up $3.4billion in unnecessary energy costs because, whilst they may be cheaper to buy, they are more expensive to run. The problem is Australia has no minimum energy standards for space heaters, water heaters or cooktops which would enable consumers to make informed decisions about these important home appliances. Jay Gordon, IEEFA’s Energy Finance Analyst, says the government could fix the problem with a single intervention.

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

Australians need new energy standards to make informed decisions about our home appliances

10 years in the solar and storage industry qualifies most industry veterans as a solar old timer. But there is one person who stands out as a beacon of leadership, longevity and success. Ed Murray has been heating water molecules (solar thermal), converting photons to electrons (solar PV) and saving customers money since 1978.

That’s 322 dog years!

Ed Murray, CEO of Aztec Solar in Sacramento, knows solar thermal, PV and storage technology like the back of his hand. He’s managed to run his successful solar business in spite of the “solar coaster” craziness.

But what impresses me the most about Ed is his industry leadership. Ed has been on the Board of Directors of the California Solar and Storage Association for 40 years, has been serving as its president since 2016, has been on the Board of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners for 14 years, and served on the Board of the Solar Energy Industries Association for 14 years.

For a detailed dive into what it takes to be successful in the solar and storage industry for the long term, you don’t want to miss this episode of the Energy Show at www.energyshow.biz

40+ Successful Years in Solar and Storage

Victoria energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio on the first offshore project studies, the SEC, and getting a fair share of the Capacity Investment Scheme. Plus: Eraring's future and big batteries take centre stage.

Victoria's big bet on offshore wind

Amory Lovins has been writing and talking about energy policy, renewable energy, sustainability and energy efficiency for over 50 years. His views have been crucial to our understanding of energy efficiency. Lovins has advised major firms and numerous governments, authored hundreds of papers and books, and taught at several universities most recently Stanford. Time magazine named him one of the world’s most influential people. Lovins joins Principal of Strategy at the Rocky Mountains Institute, Daan Walter, to discuss the enormous and still untapped potential of energy efficiency in the transition to a net zero future. 

For more information about electrification and energy efficiency https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au

We’ve barely scratched the surface of how much energy efficiency can help the energy transition

Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.

Low-cost Government loans for all Australian residences could help everyone electrify

SwitchedOn Australia

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