Coal mining electorates outstrip solar-shy teal seats in panel uptake

Where are the biggest adopters of solar panels? Data reveals coal miners are much more likely to have green tech than climate-minded voters in leafy teal electorates.

Voters in seats held by teal MPs who were elected largely on their promises to push for action on climate change are some of the lowest adopters of solar panels in the country, it can be revealed.

At the same time, residents in some of Australia’s biggest coal producing areas are among the most enthusiastic adopters of the green technology.

According to data from the Australian PV Institute, which is funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, residents in the Woollahra and Waverley LGAs which are taken in by the Wentworth electorate held by Allegra Spender, have an uptake of just 9.1 per cent and 14.1 per cent respectively.

Ms Spender won the formerly blue ribbon Liberal seat off Dave Sharma in a local campaign that was largely focused on climate.

In the North Sydney LGA, in the heart of the electorate where Kylea Tink won her seat off Trent Zimmerman, just 11.6 per cent of locals have installed solar panels, though in the Lane Cove LGA that number nearly doubles to 20 per cent.

‘Teal’ Independents Allegra Spender and Dr Monique Ryan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Warringah, whose local member Zali Steggall went so far as to attempt to introduce her own climate change bill calling for a 60 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030 two years ago, does not fare much better.

In her electorate’s well heeled Mosman LGA, just 12.8 per cent of residents have solar panels, while in the neighbouring Northern Beaches LGA, the number rises to 19.6 per cent.

Lots of sun, not much solar in Mosman.

It is a similar story in Melbourne, where residents across the Boroondara LGA in the heart of the Kooyong electorate have just a 14 per cent solar uptake rate.

In 2022, Monique Ryan won that inner city seat off Treasurer Josh Frydenberg while promising locals a 75 per cent cut to emissions by 2035.

Some of the lowest uptake, however, was among the constituents of Greens leader Adam Bandt.

In his electorate’s Melbourne LGA, just 9 per cent of locals have solar panels, while in Yarra, also in his seat, 12 per cent have them.

Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

And the Sydney LGA, which is home to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, comes in at just seven per cent.

By contrast, in the three LGAs that make up the Hunter electorate held by Labor’s Dean Repacholi and where most of the state’s thermal coal mining takes place, residents appear to be far more enthusiastic about solar.

In the Muswellbrook LGA in the electorate, 20.1 per cent of houses have solar panels, while in the Singleton and Cessnock LGAs the figure climbs to as high as 31.2 per cent.

And in the three electorates taken in by the Queensland electorate of Capricornia, held by the Nationals’ Michelle Landry, solar uptake ranges from 25.8 to 40.2 per cent.

The data only looks at the percentage of houses and semi-detached dwellings in an area with residential solar systems, meaning the figures are not affected by the large number of unit blocks in some council areas.

Publicly available information also reveals that the number of renters is generally higher in coal mining seats than in “teal” areas.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan said, “your average TV in a Greens household is more likely to be powered by coal than one in a miner’s household.”