Page 1243 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 11 April 2018
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By looking to create a larger virtual power plant, we could create our very own big battery. This big battery can be right here in the ACT segment of the national electricity market, or the NEM. By doing this we can generate our own energy and store it locally for when it is needed, in case the NEM fails and we are subject to the pitfalls of the failure of federal government policy. Recall what happened last February during a heatwave. Instead of being reliant entirely upon the NEM, virtual power plants could help bridge these shortfalls, ensuring we had the power we needed when we need it. Not only can such plants help with energy security; they are a win for the consumer. Virtual power plants and the smart energy solutions they deliver to homes to better control their energy needs can also help reduce power costs for homes.
A recent report on RenewEconomy that looked into a study undertaken by the CSIRO for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency suggested that a virtual power plant trial in Brisbane helped reduce household power costs by 60 per cent. According to ActewAGL, participants in the first phase of their South Australian VPP demonstration will see their energy bills reduced by $500 a year. Of course, having more generation will help put downward pressure on electricity prices for all consumers.
These plants can be a win for energy security, a win for households and a win for all consumers. We have an opportunity to lead the development and the deployment of virtual power plants. I would encourage the government to look into how this can be achieved. In looking at options, I would particularly ask the government to explore how these projects can benefit those in our social and community housing and those in lower income households. These households are particularly vulnerable to the changes that climate change will bring.
As a Labor member in this place and member of the Australian Labor Party, I am proud of the steps that members of our movement have taken to protect the environment. Ours is a party that does not just talk about protecting the environment; we act. We have shown that you can be sustainable and also be economically responsible.
It took a Labor government to create the first state park in Australia, now known as the Kosciuszko National Park. It took a Labor government to protect the Franklin River by enacting the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act. And it was a Labor prime minister that led world efforts to protect and preserve Antarctica as a natural reserve dedicated to peace and science. It was Labor that world heritage-listed the wet tropics of Queensland, the Daintree, and created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the authority to manage it. It was a Labor government that signed and ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and it took another Labor government to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, in 2007.
This tradition of firsts and leadership is one that this Labor government follows proudly. As we grow our city and deliver more services, we are working to build a sustainable and low carbon Canberra. It was under ACT Labor that the territory began charting an ambitious and bold course towards a renewable energy future. To keep the
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