Whether solar power is ultimately ‘the winner’ is a conclusion that remains premature. But of course solar has a future, as our analysis demonstrated
A new world of distributed electricity generation is emerging that will profoundly challenge the business models of generators, grid operators and retailers. In cities, consumers will draw less power from the centralised system as they generate and store their own. In rural areas, individuals, clusters of houses and even small towns may find it financially viable to disconnect from the grid.
But, critical policy reforms are urgently needed to support these changes, and we must learn from the expensive mistakes of the past. A new report for the Grattan Institute, Sundown, sunrise: how Australia can finally get solar right, identifies and quantifies these past mistakes and makes recommendations on what must be done to deliver electricity in a way that is fairer, cheaper and more sustainable.
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Related: The benefits of solar do outweigh its costs. Some have a hard time accepting it | Giles Parkinson