Power Up: Survey shows why we must throw light on renewable energy process and benefits

A new report into Australians’ attitude to renewable energy transition proves more must be done to capture hearts and minds, reports Bevis Yeo.

Large scale solar hasn't kept up with the march of rooftop solar. Picture: Getty Image

A new report into Australians’ attitude to the transition to renewable energy suggests more must be done to capture hearts and minds.

The nation’s adoption of renewable energy – at least at the grid-scale – has been woeful in recent months, with new investments and approvals slowing to a crawl.

While rooftop solar continues to go from strength to strength, its large counterparts have failed to match this growth … though this is a problem that has been recognised and is being addressed.

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Victoria for one is planning to accelerate the development of some $90 billion worth of projects that have been stalled by red tape, after NSW had approved 18 projects throughout 2023 that have the potential to power more than 1.5 million homes.

However, that brings us back to the “hearts and minds” problem.

Moves to cut red tape have run into opposition from various groups, with farmers in Victoria expressing concern that they are eroding property rights.

So changing attitudes may be just as important as cutting red tape and securing investments.

Survey says more needs to be done

Last week, Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, released results of the most comprehensive survey of Australians’ attitudes toward the renewable energy transition … and the results might be a little sobering.

While it found that most Australians supported change towards an energy system that relies more on renewables, energy affordability ranked high on their concerns.

Additionally, the number of those preferring a moderately paced transition (47 per cent) was slightly higher than those who prefer a faster and more extensive change (40 per cent).

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People living out in regional areas were also less likely to tolerate the development of renewable energy projects or supporting infrastructure near where they live.

Solar farms were the most tolerated, while transmissions lines were the least – despite their importance to getting renewable energy where it is needed.

These findings have some interesting implications.

What it all means

First off, the finding that 82 per cent of Australian’s rank energy affordability is one that companies developing new projects need to heed.

It means that new developments need to be capable of delivering power into the grid at a reasonable cost to consumers.

What “reasonable” means can vary, but it is safe to say that the mark gas prices have soared to in recent years isn’t it.

And with renewables tending to flood the grid during the times when there’s plenty of sun – to the point that supplying electricity at those times could yield you nothing for your effort, it is worthwhile for projects to consider including batteries that can take some of this surplus and feed it into the grid during peak periods.

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Meanwhile, the finding about how Australians view the pace of the renewables transition should ring alarm bells as it suggests we are still not fully on board with why renewable energy is needed.

It indicates that more needs to be done to educate people about why we need to achieve net zero emissions, the role renewable energy plays in this and to address the multitude of myths that are quoted by those who think it is all one big conspiracy.

Taken together, it says that quite a fair bit needs to be done in terms of education and community outreach to ensure that people are on board with the need to deliver faster renewable energy adoption.

Doing so is at least as critical as the other aspects needed such as approvals and investment as it could cut back significantly on opposition hindering development.

This content first appeared on stockhead.com.au

The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not represent the views of Stockhead. Stockhead has not provided, endorsed or otherwise assumed responsibility for any financial product advice contained in this article.

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Originally published as Power Up: Survey shows why we must throw light on renewable energy process and benefits