Rockhampton business owner says net zero policies need to make financial sense

Five years ago, owner Glen Dobinson had more than 2000 solar panels installed to reduce his business’s operating costs and cover roughly 30 per cent of his energy needs at the time.

A North Rockhampton business owner says businesses need better financial incentives to adopt technology favourable to reaching a net zero target in coming decades.

Dobinsons Spring & Suspension in Kawana requires high electricity use, often in strong, short bursts.

Five years ago, owner Glen Dobinson had 2000 solar panels installed to reduce his business’ operating costs and cover roughly 30 per cent of his energy needs at the time.

“Originally our power provider was going to make the tariffs that were on for the last 30, 40 years, they were going to make them obsolete,” Mr Dobinson said.

“The new tariffs were going to be a lot more expensive.

“The idea of the solar was to try to bring down our peak demand as well, as well as trying to get some cheaper power of course.”

It was a $1.3 million investment in 2016, and since then his electricity use has increased with the installation of another production line.

But Mr Dobinson said the same investment would not make sense now that the price of electricity was comparatively less.

“After a lot of complaining, they eventually developed a new tariff for me and a few other businesses in Queensland,” he said.

“That then brought the price of electricity down, and that was only February this year they developed that tariff.”

Glen Dobinson.

Asked whether he would recommend solar panels specifically, Mr Dobinson replied: “Yes and no”.

“It’s a pretty complex issue,” he said.

“They talk about zero carbon but someone’s got to make the solar panels and at the end of the time you’ve got to dispose of them.

“Last year we had that hailstorm come through and we had to replace them all.

“(It was) $750,000 worth of replacement, just the panels alone. So it’s not all what it’s cracked up to be.”

He said the damage increased the premiums on his insurance, and in any case the panels did not provide him electricity early in the morning.

Mr Dobinson said his focus was business, not energy, and if a move towards net zero was good for business, then it was good for him.

“At the end of the day we’re all in business to make money, to have our product be competitive,” he said.

“We export to 70 countries and it’s all in our favour to make our product as cheap as we can of course.

“If solar makes our input costs cheaper to run the business, I’m all for it.

“I don't care where the power comes from – solar, power, wind, nuclear – I don’t really care, I just want cheap electricity. I just want to be a manufacturer.”