"The sun is setting on the era of 'cheap' coal-fired electricity, with the price of renewables consistently dropping in the past decade while the price of polluting coal-fired power climbs ever higher," Chief Executive Officer Pepe Clarke said today.
"The number of Australian households generating power from the sun has grown exponentially since the late 1990s. As the number of photovoltaic systems installed has grown, costs have come down, dropping by 22 per cent each time cumulative capacity has doubled.
"However, the incredible potential for our clean energy future relies on a stable, predictable investment environment for individuals and business.
"We need the State government to ensure electricity retailers pay a fair market rate for household generated solar power fed back into the grid, and the fledgling solar industry is supported while tariffs for household systems are set.
"The consistent drop in the price of renewables and the trend towards grid parity with fossil fuels clearly shows that we do not need new coal?fired power stations in NSW. It's time for the NSW Government to rule out the construction of polluting coal fired power stations at Mount Piper and Bayswater.
"We do not need new coal fired power. What our state needs is smart government policy to encourage investment in medium and large scale renewables, drive massive improvements in energy efficiency and encourage the uptake of solar hot water systems.
"Replacing fossil fuelled power sources with world?class renewable energy and energy efficiency programs will secure our state's energy security, create new jobs, stimulate economic growth and help make the deep cuts needed to carbon pollution," he said.
Written by the Nature Conservation Council of NSW
Image by truds09 via Flickr Creative Commons
