Support for renewables sizzles with Summer Solar BBQ!

Victoria is gearing up for a warm and sunny weekend, and you know what that means… Perfect conditions for all those rooftop solar panels pumping clean renewable energy into the grid. It’ll also be ideal conditions for cooking up a storm on the BBQ.

Our friends, 100% Renewable, have decided to merge the two. This weekend heralds Australia’s first Summer Solar BBQ.

100% Renewable’s community coordinator, Andy Bray, took a minute to tell Yes 2 Renewables about their latest initiative.

So, Andy, what issues are you trying to raise with the weekend’s solar BBQ?

Well, there’s a real story to tell about the popularity of rooftop solar around Australia. There are now 1.5 million Australian households with either solar panels or solar hot water on their roof. This has doubled on average every year for the last 5 years and continues to grow as people take back control over their energy bills.

In parts of the community, there is a bit of scepticism about solar energy. I’ve heard community members say rooftop solar doesn’t work in Victoria and that it’s a sham. What do you have to say to those people?

You should ask the people with solar on their roofs. It pays for itself in just a few years and after that, the power is free. The extra power generated during peak daytime hours is helping drive down overall demand and thus lowering the wholesale cost of power. It’s a win-win for the owner and the broader community!

The costs of solar panels have plummeted over the last four years. What policies can governments put in place to assist the rollout of rooftop solar?

Setting feed in tariffs so they are mandatory for retailers and pay solar owners a fair, uniform price across the country would be a good start. Improving the solar PV provisions of the Renewable Energy Target to drive commercial-scale is something that will become more important now that viability is increasing for business.

Where do people need to go to find a solar BBQ in their neighborhood?