Wednesday, 2 September
WA Greens Energy spokesperson Robin Chapple MLC said he was astounded to learn of a provision in Synergy customer agreements that prohibited them from installing a household battery, or charging an electric car.
"Battery storage systems are going to completely revolutionise the way that we use energy, offering West Australians the opportunity to simultaneously save money and cut their household emissions," Mr Chapple said.
"The Greens solar postcodes report, produced by Senator Scott Ludlam, has shown that 1 in 5 WA households now have rooftop solar - an increase of 19% in just one year - suggesting that WA is prime for the uptake of emerging battery technology.
“The WA Greens predict battery storage systems will be at the forefront of a huge energy shift and as such are re-evaluating their Energy 2029 plan so that we have the best policy to allow West Australian's to benefit from new energy generation technologies.
“But bizarrely the Barnett government seems to be blocking it out of the market completely; a response that is protectionist and frankly not in the best interests of their constituents.
"Under it’s current structure – with an almost $600 million annual subsidy – Mike Nahan has conceded the WA grid is unsustainable, yet in practice the Barnett government’s policies tell a different story.”
Mr Chapple said he had grave concerns about some of the broader implications of the policy for society.
“These systems will allow people with sleep apnoea or home dialysis machines to be secure in the knowledge that their device is not going to switch off in the event of a power outage which, let’s face it, is an all too common theme across parts of this state,” he said.
“Home security systems will be less reliant on grid power, as will firefighting capabilities in an emergency situation – I could go on and on.”
Mr Chapple said he was also afraid large numbers of Synergy consumers might have already signed the agreement.
“We have almost 50% of households in the Canning electorate with some form of rooftop solar; did Synergy force them all to agree to these Terms and Conditions?” he said.
“To me, this is a policy that is punishing those very consumers who have taken the first step towards sustainable energy generation. It is a policy approach that dictates to those wishing to take up solar that they must maintain the status quo.”
For comment please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255.
Media liaison: Tim Oliver // 0431 9696 25
