With all of the news on Monday about Tony Abbott looking into axing the RET altogether, there has been a huge public outcry. The response to this came in thick and fast.

“We need to stand up and be counted and rally every single consumer we can muster to show the Government at a minimum that axing the RET is going to cost them 4 Million votes. It’s going to cost them in the near term at a State level and in less than 24 months time, they will be reminded at a Federal level by the most powerful voting bloc in Australia’s history. The Solar Citizen,” said Nigel Morris from Solar Business Services.

“The Australian public has again shown its overwhelming support for renewable energy through this review, in addition to the fact that over 4 million Australians already live or work under a solar power system,” said Clean Energy Council Acting Chief Executive Kane Thornton. “Any proposal to slash the RET would therefore be out of touch with 99 per cent of the community, particularly when the review’s own economic modelling shows that slashing the RET would result in no savings on power bills.”

The Clean Energy Council also says that the RET Review has attracted 23 272 positive submissions from people in the community as well as 865 more detailed submissions. Of the detailed submissions 754 were supporting the RET being maintained or increased. Only 56 submissions called for the RET to reduced or abolished – that’s 0.23% of the public who agree with Tony Abbott.

The decision has not yet officially been made but many big names in the industry say that the damage bill has already begun. It seems another project may not go ahead after some funding concerns by investors who are unwilling to risk investments in our country as a result of RET uncertainty.

“With the current wholesale electricity prices, which are falling because of overcapacity in the market, and the continuing uncertainty around the Renewable Energy Target, it made it very difficult to make the project viable and raise the rest of the funding that we needed to,” said Silex Systems Chief Executive Michael Goldsworthy.

“This was a policy that was working. It tripled the number of jobs, it attracted billions in investment, it started to reduce carbon pollution from the electricity sector and it was a policy that Tony Abbott signed up to on two elections – not just one, but in two elections,” said the Opposition’s environment spokesman Mark Butler.

If you would like to support renewable energy in Australia there are a number of things you can do. Contact your local member, signing the Solar Citizens Petition or going to your local Save Solar Forum.