It’s also an opportunity to create homes, cities and towns we love to live in. Places that have cleaner air, less noisy traffic and stronger local economies. Across Australia, 1.8 million rooftops are generating power from the sun and saving on power bills. In Canberra, community-owned company SolarShare is building a 1 MW solar farm in the Majura valley, big enough to power 250 homes. We aim for investors to make a decent return while helping Canberra reach its 100 per cent renewable energy target by 2020. In Kidston, 270km north-west of Townsville, an abandoned mine will soon be home to a pumped hydro and solar facility, powering 140,000 Australian homes and creating hundreds of jobs.

New energy retailers are entering the scene too, like Enova, a community-owned energy retailer in northern NSW, and DC Power Co, a social enterprise that wants crowd-funding from 95,000 investors to create an energy retailer by and for solar households. More cost-effective renewables and energy storage are creating a golden opportunity to make a transition away from fossil fuels that benefits ordinary Australians. Renewables have the potential to reinvigorate rural communities and regional towns. To power remote communities. To provide low-income earners and pensioners with affordable electricity. 

We don’t have to be beholden to the decisions made by parliaments and corporate board rooms. We can create new models. Now is the time for communities to get involved, take this opportunity by the horns and reap the benefits.