Community Renewable Energy

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY ANNUAL REPORT 2014–2015

2 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY 2014–2015 Annual Report

100% RENEWABLE WHO WE ARE100% Renewable is a community-initiated campaign working to move Australia towards a future powered entirely by clean, renewable energy.

Through a nationwide community organising program we empower local leaders to build community power,

engage decision makers and win measures that boost the development of renewable energy in Australia.

Since our launch four years ago we have worked with over 100 community groups around the country and built a

supporter base of 75,000+ people.

100% Renewable is non-partisan and has no affiliations with any political party.

2014–2015 Achievements

Secured a commitment to at least 50%

renewable energy by 2030 from the Australian

Labor Party.

Protected the small-scale component of the

Renewable Energy Target (RET) with bipartisan

support.

Locked in big swings in all three Queensland

election target electorates.

More than 12,000 people pledged to Stand

Up for Solar, including 4,500 brand new Solar

Citizens.

150 Solar Citizens volunteers met with 72 MPs

and Senators or key advisors in electorate offices

all over the country.

Stopped unfair charges by SA Power Networks in

their tracks with a 3,000-signature petition.

27,000+ Australians signed the Keep Solar

Strong petition.

200 Cuppa Sunshine letter-writing events held

around Australia and another 500 individuals

pledged to write a letter to their senator or MP.

500 solar businesses representing 3,700

employees signed a group letter calling on the

Federal government to protect the RET.

75 volunteers conducted 1,700 ‘community

conversations’ in the Great Solar Power Poll.

More than 2,000 people attended the national

Rally for Renewables.

2014-2015 SOLAR CITIZENSIn 2014–2015, 100% Renewables’ focus on Solar Citizens

went from strength to strength, delivering high-impact

campaigns that successfully defended attacks on solar

and set a new, higher bar for renewables in Australia.

Our membership grew from 48,692 to 76,392, state-

based volunteer teams developed and we connected

with more decision-makers than ever before.

Thanks to the efforts of thousands of volunteers and

supporters around the nation, we demonstrated to

politicians many times over that Australians would

not stand by if they attempted to hold back the clean

energy revolution. Working together in loungerooms,

school halls, at MP’s offices and in our parliaments,

Solar Citizens cemented the strategic role it plays in

advocating for consumer rights and the acceleration

of our nation’s necessary transition to 100% renewable

energy.

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY 2014–2015 Annual Report 3

LETTER FROM THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR

As I type this, the sun is shining on another bright, cool, Sydney winter

morning, a morning that is a reminder of why solar energy makes so much

sense to so many Australians. It’s hard to comprehend that it’s been little

more than a year since I joined the Solar Citizens team – in that time we’ve

run multiple campaigns, deployed high-impact tactics and developed

a strong and evolving community organising program, all in the face of

outright attacks on solar and renewable energy that have come from the

Federal government, network operators and big power companies.

We are winning these battles, bit by bit, step by step. Poll after poll

demonstrates high engagement in clean energy that is influencing our

politics in ways we have not seen before. We have built to 75,000+

supporters, developed state teams with committed volunteer leaders

and improved our national profile, in the media and among Federal and

State/Territory politicians. All of these activities serve to build the power

and influence of this emerging consumer constituency. When I talk to our

volunteers and supporters, their passion for a renewable energy future is

as clear and as warm as a sunny day.

Solar Citizens accomplished a huge amount in the past year – from saving

the small-scale component of the Renewable Energy Target (known as

the SRES), to winning fights against unfair charges and fees. I’m sure the

coming year will be just as busy too - reviews of network tariffs are in train

and the conclusion of feed in tariffs schemes in New South Wales and

Victoria loom large. Not least, a Federal election is on the cards before the

end of 2016, where there are enough solar owners in every one of the top

25 marginal electorates to decide the outcome in those seats at the poll.

That’s why Solar Citizens backs an achievable goal of at least 50%

Renewable Energy to the next election and we will turn up the heat,

campaigning with volunteers and supporters in key communities around

Australia to make this goal a reality for our nation. I’m excited about

what’s ahead and I know that there are thousands of people around the

country who feel the same way. Thanks to all - supporters, volunteers,

staff, donors, partner organisations and the 100% Renewable Steering

Committee - for sharing your passion and enthusiasm for Solar Citizens as

we grow. I know that when we work together with a positive shared vision,

the sky’s the limit.

Best wishes,

Claire O’Rourke


In 2014, the Renewable Energy Target faced an existential threat from a hostile Federal Government, which set out to undermine the policy by launching the notorious “Warburton Review” headed by noted climate skeptic and former head of Caltex Dick Warburton.

In August 2014, the long-awaited findings

unsurprisingly recommended axing the Target,

despite modelling conducted for the review showing

the policy would reduce the wholesale price of power

in the long run if it was retained in full.

In response to this outright threat to the future

of solar and renewables, Solar Citizens launched

our Keep Solar Strong campaign which in large

part focused on securing public support from the

Federal Senate crossbench - a mix of minor parties

including the Palmer United Party (PUP), Australian

Motoring Enthusiasts Party (AMEP) and a number of

independents. Our strategy also aimed to reach out to

Coalition MPs in order to garner support and educate

politicians about the Target’s importance.

KEEP SOLAR STRONG: PROTECTING THE RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET

The campaign delivered strong results:

The small-scale renewable energy scheme (SRES),

an uncapped scheme that helps consumers installing

systems up to 100kW with the cost of installation,

was saved. This scheme continues to enjoy

bipartisan support.

The large-scale component of the Target (LRET)

reduced to 33,000 GWh, a smaller reduction than

the Abbott Government’s desired 26,000 GWh.

Securing the first public commitments supporting

the Target from PUP and AMEP.

Federal Cabinet rejected the findings of the

Warburton review (straight after the Rally for

Renewables.)

Keep Solar Strong involved a range of creative

campaign tactics, including community surveys, a

national “Cuppa Sunshine” event, skywriting, actions at

Federal Parliament in Canberra and a nationwide Rally

for Renewables held in conjunction with our industry

allies.



Keep Solar Strong Postcard Petition

In August we handed over a colossal postcard petition

calling on Prime Minister Tony Abbott to Keep Solar

Strong and protect the Target. More than 27,000

Australians signed the petition, including more than

6,000 signatures collected in communities around

the country by over 450 groups and individual Solar

Citizens supporters who ordered our postcard kits.

On a frosty August morning in Canberra, dozens of

volunteers created a display of solar panels made out

of the returned postcards on the lawns of Parliament

House and then presented the petition to Coalition

MPs Sarah Henderson and Warren Entsch. Greens

Leader Christine Milne, Shadow Environment Minister

Mark Butler and former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto

Kan attended the event, which secured six print and

online media stories. A professional video of the event

was produced and sent to all of our supporters, who

chipped in to raise $13,825 to fund skywriting above

Parliament House in September.

Cuppa Sunshine

In August, we asked supporters to have a ‘Cuppa

Sunshine’ – a cup of tea, a catch up with friends and

a few minutes to write hand-written letters to the

crossbench senators calling on them to stop any

changes to the Target. The inaugural national Cuppa

Sunshine saw 200 events held around Australia and

another 500 individuals pledging to write their own

letter to their senator or local MP. The letters were

highlighted by Clive Palmer in a speech to Parliament

in September 2014 that reaffirmed the party’s support

for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the

Target.


A letter from Australia’s solar workers

Close to 500 solar businesses representing 3,700

employees signed a letter calling on the Federal

Government to protect the Target and back jobs and

investment in the solar industry it supports. The joint

industry letter, coordinated by Solar Citizens and the

Australian Solar Council was accepted by Palmer

United Party Senate Leader Senator Glenn Lazarus at

Parliament House in September 2014.

The Great Solar Power Poll

From July to September 2014, 75 volunteers took part

in our Great Solar Power Poll, conducting ‘community

conversations’ with more than 1,700 community

members about the future of the Target and the

position of key crossbench senators in their state.

Results showed overwhelming support for the RET

(95% on average) and collated powerful messages

to pass on to the senators asking them to maintain

support for solar and the Target.

Poll results were delivered in person by teams of

Solar Citizens volunteers at meetings with each of

the following target senators and their advisers: Glenn

Lazarus (Qld), Jacqui Lambie (Tas), Dio Wang (WA)

and Ricky Muir (Vic). Sending our Poll briefing paper

to Clive Palmer’s office prompted an immediate tweet

from the lively MP that was published the next day

on the front page of The Australian newspaper as

confirmation of his crucial support for the Target. Glenn

Lazarus also made very strong public statements in

support of the Target during the period of the polling.


National Rally for Renewables

On September 26, 2014, Solar Citizens joined with the

Australian Solar Council, Clean Energy Council, Solar

Energy Industries Association and the Australian Wind

Alliance to coordinate a national Rally for Renewables.

Rallies were held across the country outside the

electorate offices of key federal Cabinet Ministers

in each state including Prime Minister Tony Abbott,

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Treasurer Joe Hockey.

The event collected 1,050 online RSVPs and more

than 2,000 people attended across Australia. At each

flagship rally, we presented a giant letter on behalf of

the Australian people calling on MPs to protect the

Renewable Energy Target and the jobs, growth and

investment it creates. MPs including Barnaby Joyce in

Tamworth and Ann Sudmalis in Nowra emerged from

their electorate offices to speak to us.

In Sydney, a ‘Convoy of Consequence’ travelled from

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s Manly office to Treasurer

Joe Hockey’s office in North Sydney, with beeps and

shouts of encouragement from passersby. Newcastle

constructed a mini wind turbine and Brisbane kept

things sizzling with a solar-themed BBQ for the crowd.

Importantly, less than a fortnight after the rally was

held, Federal Cabinet publicly rejected the findings

of the Warburton review and began a process to

negotiate a bipartisan agreement with Labor on the

Target.



Rhonda, one of the first volunteers to have a

meeting with Luke Howarth, Member for Petrie

in Queensland (pictured bottom left), had this

to say:

We got Luke Howarth to pose in a photo with a

sign saying he supports solar in Australia and he

agreed to go and personally visit the local solar

businesses that came along to the meeting. Jobs

in his electorate are very important to him and we

were able to make it clear to him that local jobs,

like mine, are at stake.. - Rhonda

Time to Shine MP meetings

We launched this constituent MP meetings tactic in

September 2014, when the Coalition was deciding on

its response to the Warburton review of the Target.

The tactic demonstrated community support for

solar, educated politicians about the Renewable

Energy Target and solar and identified potential

Solar Citizens leaders in key electorates. Drawing on

resources provided by Solar Citizens, more than 150

Solar Citizens volunteers met with 48 MPs in electorate

offices around the country.

G20 Billboards

In November, the G20 summit was

held in Brisbane, Queensland’s sunny capital.

We grasped the opportunity presented by a

generous supporter to place messages targeting

Prime Minister Tony Abbott on electronic

billboards towering over major roadways in

the area. These simple but engaging messages

were displayed for a week leading up to the G20

and during the conference itself at 11 prominent

locations on major highways and at intersections.


“MORE THAN 150 SOLAR CITIZENS VOLUNTEERS MET WITH 48 MPS IN ELECTORATE OFFICES AROUND THE COUNTRY.”

100% RENEWABLE ENERGY 2014–2015 Annual Report 9PHOTO (L–R): Bruce Cook, Jane Prentice

(Liberal Member for Ryan), and John Gardner.


Around the world, the sun is rising on solar with more and more nations turning to the technology as a key energy source. But the light has been dimming in Australia of late, with political argy-bargy leaving jobs, growth and investment in renewable energy stuck in the political quicksand.

To kickstart a new direction for solar in Australia, Solar

Citizens launched Stand Up For Solar, a campaign

to shift the national debate on renewables and drive

awareness and action in communities around Australia.

The campaign set down three main, broad asks:

A national goal of at least 50% renewable energy by

2030,

A fair go for solar owners, including a fair feed-in

tariff, no discriminatory fees and a specialist solar

ombudsman, and

A national program to help low-income households

and renters with soaring power bills to go solar.

The Federal government’s hostility to renewables had

become crystal clear in 2014, with its moves to cut the

Renewable Energy Target and scrap the Australian

Renewable Energy Agency and Clean Energy Finance

Corporation. So the first logical step to change the

national debate was to shine the spotlight on the ALP,

calling on the party to spark a race to the top and lead

the return to a bipartisan, positive policy approach.

Securing strong solar policy on the ALP’s federal

election platform was a key step to getting back on

track to a solar-powered future.

We created three ways people could engage with

the campaign, spread the word and engage with our

campaign targets:

Solar Citizen – someone who signs the pledge to

Stand Up For Solar.

Solar Neighbour – someone who spreads the

word, and recruits their friends, neighbours and

family members to the campaign.

Solar Champion – someone contacts their MP or

recruits at scale.

STAND UP FOR SOLAR

SUNSHINE COAST

ADELAIDESYDNEY



LAUNCH EVENTS Stand Up for Solar was launched in April with six

energising events across Australia, in Brisbane and

in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and

in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. We also held an

webinar for those who couldn’t make a live event. All

up, more than 1,000 people attended a live launch

event and another 300 people attended the webinar.

Attendance was standing room only in Sydney, in part

due to generous supporters bringing along a Tesla

Model S and a Zero electric motorbike.

The launch events were designed to be informative,

inspirational and engaging and, importantly, motivate

people to get involved by spreading the word and

visiting their local politicians. National Director

Claire O’Rourke was joined by speakers with expert

knowledge and deep commitment to advancing solar

and renewable energy, including: Mary Hendricks,

Industry Executive for the Australian Energy Storage

Alliance; Nigel Morris, director of Solar Business

Services; Robert Simms, Adelaide City Councillor and

an Academic at Flinders University; Monica Oliphant,

former President of the International Solar Energy

Society and Adjunct Associate Professor at the

University of South Australia and an Officer of the

Order of Australia; Jenny Paradiso, Managing Director

of the solar company Suntrix; Giles Parkinson, founder

of the independent website RenewEconomy; Mike

Swanston, an energy customer advocate, formerly

with the network Energex; and, Keryn Jones, a former

Sunshine Coast councillor.

SYDNEY

BRISBANEMELBOURNE


Danny Kennedy, founder of the rapidly growing solar

company, Sungevity, author of the book “The Rooftop

Revolution: How Solar Power Can Save Our Economy”

and long-time clean-tech entrepreneur, provided a

video message that was screened at each event.

Glenn Lazarus, Independent Senator for Queensland

and leader of the Glenn Lazarus Team political party,

opened the Brisbane launch event, proving his long-

standing support for renewable energy. Glenn was

the first Australian politician to publicly endorse the

Stand Up for Solar campaign and spoke about why

he wants to see his colleagues in Canberra working to

grow and protect renewable energy instead of trying to

destroy it at every opportunity. Julie Owens, Member

for Parramatta, attended the Sydney launch event.

Robert Simms, Greens Area Councillor for Adelaide City

Council, welcomed us to South Australia.

The events saw 27 volunteers participate, including

some brand new faces keen to be part of the campaign

from the outset. The events were designed to launch

the campaign with a bang and strongly engage

members right from the get-go.

WATCH THE DANNY KENNEDY VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/KlDK50ItgY0


I’ve always been interested in renewable

energy, triggered by growing up with a

solar hot water system through the 1980’s,

which made a hot shower on a winter’s

morning nearly impossible!

So much has advanced in solar technology

since then, with it now being an option

void of consequence; beneficial to homes

and businesses through reduced costs

and a necessary change to maintain this

beautiful world we live in. I can’t understand

why the industry is not growing at a faster

pace, and why our government is not

getting behind the movement, while the

rest of the world is.

I decided I would like to get into the

industry myself and a friend told me about

Solar Citizens and the work they do. I

went along to a launch event and was so

impressed with the speakers, I decided to

join up and volunteer and help spread the

word about the solar industry and the great

things that the Solar Citizens are doing.

- Jasmine, Sydney

JASMINE’S STORY


The campaign’s next phase was to ensure that the

Australian Labor Party heard the call to Stand Up For

Solar loud and clear. In the lead up to the ALP National

Conference in July, meetings were held with Members

of Parliament, Senators, key ALP figures, union leaders

and influential party members. Solar Citizens attended

meetings with 24 ALP MPs and Senators or their

advisers. We also met with key leaders from other

political parties including Greens leader Richard Di

Natale, Independent MP Glenn Lazarus and a volunteer

coordinated a constituent meeting with LNP member

for Paterson Bob Baldwin.

These meetings were diverse and the approach was

dependent on the individual. Constituent meetings

with elected MPs and Senators were prioritised with

our community organisers working directly with Solar

Citizens in targeted areas to coordinate meetings.

These meetings had fantastic outcomes, with senior

ALP figures like Mark Butler and Sam Daystiari taking

the pledge.

More than 15 meetings were held with union leaders and

other prominent ALP figures. These meetings included

the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions

Ged Kearney and National Secretary of the Transport

Workers Union Tony Sheldon, who seconded the

motion for at least 50% renewable energy by 2030 at

the ALP National Conference.

WHO’S STANDING UP FOR SOLAR?

Online Pledge

A brand new Stand Up For Solar

website was developed for the

campaign. At time of writing far

12,585 people made their personal

pledge to Stand Up for Solar,

including 4,500 brand new Solar

Citizens. There are almost 300

Solar Champions actively recruiting

people to the campaign.

www.standupforsolar.org.au


Solar Briefers

Solar Citizens published the latest in our popular ‘Solar Briefers’ series in

June, a persuasive publication designed to educate MPs about the number

of solar homes, amount of investment, savings on power bills and the

amount of CO2 reduced in each electorate. The fourth briefer in the series

also provided case studies on key sectors of the community that benefit

from solar – solar workers, small businesses and low-income households.

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A strong renewable energy goal of at least 50% by 2030 will create at least

20,000 new, ongoing jobs

GROWING JOBS AND INVESTMENT

The Renewable Energy Target has been a successful piece of public

policy that has, until recently, enjoyed full bipartisan support. The Target

has helped almost 1.4 million1 Australian households go solar and take

control of rising power bills - these days more than 5 million Australian

homes have solar panels or solar hot water on their rooftops.

What’s more, the renewable energy industry has seen investment grow to over

$20 billion and more than 24,000 jobs have been created so far. But the Federal

Government’s Warburton Review of the Target has driven continuing uncertainty

in the industry. This led to an 88% decline2 in investment in large-scale projects in

2014 and confidence in the industry has crashed.

The popularity of renewable energy remains sky-high, with 89% of Australians

supportive of maintaining or increasing the Renewable Energy Target3. Australia has

the chance to take the lead and grow a thriving renewable energy sector. Thousands

of ongoing jobs and enormous growth in investment are possible with the support of

forward-thinking public policy to expand renewable energy.

THE RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGET

The price of solar power per watt per year

Number of kilowatts installed annually

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AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PV:VOLUME INSTALLED AND PRICE TRENDS OVER TIME(Average size installed = 5 kW)

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Helen and Bernie Williams run a busy service station and workshop in

sunny Nuriootpa, about an hour’s drive north of Adelaide. After four years

of enjoying the benefits of a solar PV system on their home - which Helen

says helped them generate more power than they could use - the couple

decided to install solar on their business. This has helped them reduce

their electricity bills, a significant chunk of their operating expenses.

SOLAR MAKES SENSE

Families living in lower income suburbs are much more likely to install solar than families living in wealthier suburbs.6– Ric Brazzale, President of the REC Agents Association

Keeping our costs down is allowing us to tread water and not fall behind.– Tina Fry

“

“

”

”

Helen says: “We installed a 20 kW system,

and based on our current savings the

system will pay for itself in only 5-6 years

- and we’ll be in business a lot longer

than that. Several of our friends who are

in business have solar systems installed

and are happy with the savings.”

Solar owners have been described as “champagne sippers and

the latte set”4 but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact,

people in lower income and regional areas around Australia

are most likely to put solar on their roofs.5

Tina, who lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, says: “I always wanted solar

power, but we couldn’t even consider it because of the costs. Then in 2009, with the

state and national incentives available for low-income earners, we were able to install

solar for only $2-3,000.”

POWER FOR THE PEOPLE

HELPING SMALL BUSINESS THRIVE

In such a sunny country, solar just makes sense. In recent years, more and more Australians have turned

to solar as a way to take control of their power bills and generate clean energy from the sun. However,

uncertainty created by the Federal Government-commissioned Warburton Review of the Renewable

Energy Target has seen investment plunge – putting jobs, growth and investment at risk.

Troy Ryan has worked in the solar

industry for more than two decades,

including the last 10 years running his

Adelaide-based business, Solar Depot.

“We used to do a lot of domestic

installations, but now we do a lot of

commercial ones - especially rural

stand-alone jobs like sheep and cattle

stations, and road houses.”

SOLAR DEPOT, ADELAIDE

NOTE ON FIGURES: These figures are estimates, based on an average 2.5kW system size and Clean Energy Regulator, SunWiz and Australian government data.

“We grew 30% every year from 2005-

2008, even though our market share

was decreasing. Now, it’s the opposite -

even though our business is declining our

market share is increasing, because so

many have closed their doors. We count

ourselves lucky to still be here.

– Troy Ryan, Solar Depot

”solar homes

Generating

of clean energy

Investing

in solar power

Saving

tonnes of CO2

Saving

on power bills

AUSTRALIA:

1,352,2393938MW

$6379.1m4,922,126

$757m

The Solar Revolution in AUSTRALIA


In the lead up to the Labor Party’s National Conference

in July 2015, we organised a national week of action, the

Stand Up for Solar Shindig, to demonstrate widespread

community support for solar at a key moment.

Approximately 1,000 people attended the 54 Solar

Shindig events in 44 Federal electorates around the

nation. From Western Australia to the NSW Southern

Highlands we celebrated solar in style. Some were

huge, like Transition Margaret River in WA, some had

picnics like the folks from Bermagui in NSW and we

even had one at Solar Citizens’ HQ in Sydney.

The week was in full swing when we achieved a critical

goal in the Stand Up For Solar campaign, with the ALP

announcing a goal of at least 50% renewable energy

by 2030 to be confirmed in its National Platform.

Labor members got in touch asking to have their photo

taken with the pledge card and to organise their own

Shindig events and promote our events too. This was

a massive win for the campaign and couldn’t have

happened without the incredible amount of hard work

of Solar Citizens volunteers and supporters across

Australia.

Stand Up For Solar ‘Selfies’

We asked people to take a ‘Solar

Selfie’ with the I’m Standing Up for

Solar declaration sign during the Solar

Shindig week of action. Selfies from

across the country flooded in, with

over one hundred people putting on

their sunniest smile.

A Carnival of Coal?

Greens NSW Upper House MP John

Kaye held a lively Solar Shindig at

State Parliament which prompted

outrage from Liberal MP Dr Peter

Phelps, who held a ‘Carnival of Coal’ in

response in August 2015. The pictures

speak louder than words here – which

party would you rather be at?

A NATIONAL SHINDIG FOR SOLAR!

OR


Solar Citizens had a strong presence at the Australian

Labor Party’s National Conference in July, an important

engagement activity to help cement our asks in the

Stand Up For Solar campaign. We held a stall complete

with a small army of volunteers ready to engage

with conference delegates, including a Tesla Model S

on display to engage the crowds. We had hundreds

of conversations with conference delegates - MPs,

Premiers, party officials, union leaders and rank-and-file

members, signing up new supporters along the way.

National Director Claire O’Rourke spoke at three major

conference events: the Australian Solar Council’s

‘Save Solar Forum’ attended by Opposition Leader Bill

Shorten, Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler

and a host of state Labor premiers and leaders; at a

panel debate hosted by the Labor Environment Action

Network and Transport Workers Union on the topic: ‘Is

the environment a middle class obsession?’; and at the

Safe Jobs, Clean Power rally.

Solar Citizens was publicly recognised by Bill Shorten,

Mark Butler and Jim Chalmers, MP for the seat of

Rankin, who acknowledged Solar Citizens’ work from

the floor of conference. Many ALP members, including

the influential MP for Grayndler Anthony Albanese,

thanked us and informed us that our campaign had a

strong impact across the party.

A personal message from Solar Citizens supporters

As conference approached we

invited our supporters to send in

messages to conference delegates,

which were then printed on

individual cards and handed out

across the three-day event. When

conference closed, delegates

were well and truly saturated with

2,000 individual message cards,

thanking them for taking the first

step towards strong solar policy by

adopting the 50% goal and calling

on them to do more to protect and

grow solar for Australia.

ALP NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2015


Energy Storage Expo

From June 3-4, the Australian Energy Storage Conference

and Exhibition was held in Sydney. Solar Citizens was the

only NGO offered a stall. During the expo, Solar Citizens

volunteers signed up scores of people to the Stand Up

For Solar Pledge and made some great contacts in the

industry. Our volunteers were also pretty impressed with

all the cutting edge technology on display!

Solar Expo

Solar 2015 is the Australian Solar Council’s annual solar

expo and conference, held this year in Melbourne on

May 13-14. The expo is one of the biggest events on

the solar calendar, attracting thousands of delegates.

Our friends at the ASC invited us along and provided a

much coveted stall space.

Solar Citizens Melbourne volunteers had a great time

running the stall. We had many conversations with

delegates, signed up hundreds of new supporters

to the Stand Up For Solar campaign, and collected

small donations. We caught up with many friends and

contacts in the solar industry and likeminded NGOs.

Solar Citizens goes global!

In October 2014 Solar Citizens was offered

a fantastic opportunity to participate in

an international workshop in Istanbul to

kickstart a new global renewable energy

campaigning network, hosted by Climate

Action Network International. Campaigns

Director Taegen Edwards, representing

Solar CItizens at the event, showcased

the work that we have been doing in

Australia and made connections with

delegates. Solar Citizens is now in regular

communication with a diverse group of

global and national renewable energy

campaigning organisations from across

Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South

America who are all keen to share ideas

and continue to build ties to strengthen

our global impact.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT


BIG POWER COMPANIES IN THE SPOTLIGHTAn important part of Solar Citizens’ work involves fighting

unfair and discriminatory charges against solar owners from

big power companies and network operators. This covers

a range of issues, from slashing feed-in tariffs to hiked-up

grid connection charges.

AEMC rule change – Demand Management Incentive Scheme

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) was

seeking submissions on a new rule that would help solar

owners regain control of their energy bills – the Demand

Management Incentive Scheme Rule Change. This new rule

would mean that by reducing energy usage, people could

reduce their bills accordingly. The rule works by rewarding

power companies for encouraging customers to save

energy. This provides incentives for power companies to

support the installation of more solar with storage, helping

to lower energy bills. In fact, according to AEMC research,

household bills would be reduced by $120 to $500 a year.

Solar Citizens put out a call for submissions, asking the

AEMC to adopt the new rule. More than 1,500 supporters

made a submission through our online process. If the new

rule is rejected there will be fewer and fewer reasons for

Australians to go solar, current solar owners will continue to

be hit with discriminatory charges, and all Australian energy

consumers will face rising fixed costs.

Senate Inquiry into Goldplating

In December 2014 we coordinated a flood of thoughtful

submissions from everyday Australians to the Federal

Senate Inquiry into the gold-plating of the electricity

network and the behaviour of power companies.

There was an incredible response from Solar Citizens

around the country and we rapidly collected over

550 submissions to the Inquiry. Solar Citizens

National Director Claire O’Rourke was also asked to

give evidence at the Sydney public hearings for the

Senate Inquiry in February 2015. There was a strong

media response to Solar Citizens’ submissions to the

Inquiry, and a positive response from supporters for

representing their interests.


QUEENSLAND STATE ELECTION The Queensland election in January 2015 presented

an opportunity to hold the Newman Government to

account over its hostile attitude towards solar as well

as testing organising and campaigning strategies for

future elections.

The Newman government had proved itself to be no

friend to solar in the past, slashing the Queensland

feed-in tariff and vilifying solar owners, with Liberal

National Party Treasurer Tim Nicholls famously dubbing

solar owners “latte sippers and the champagne set”.

Solar Citizens aimed to set the record straight on solar.

We ran an online pledge asking Queenslanders to ‘Vote

1 Sun’ in the snap election and contacted all the major

parties, LNP, ALP, Greens, PUP, KAP (Katter’s Australia

Party), to see where they stood on key issues affecting

solar in Queensland. We received responses from all

parties and these were ranked on a scorecard which

made it easy to see the parties that were best, and

worst, for solar.

In a rather unexpected turn of events, Queensland

Labor won the election. In the lead up to voting day,

Solar Citizens gained committments from Labor for

a goal of 1 million more solar rooftops in Queensland

by 2020, and for an investigation into a fair price

for residential solar fed back into the grid. Solar

Citizens is now working to hold the Queensland Labor

Government to their word.

Major achievements of our Queensland

election campaign:

Responses received from all 5 major parties

Raised the profile of Solar Citizens and had direct

contacts with at least 10 candidates

Big swings in all 3 of our target electorates (such

as Murrumba 16% and Caloundra 17%), and sitting

LNP members lost their seats in 2 of 3 of our

target electorates (Ashgrove & Murrumba).

The policy commitments made, especially by the

ALP, set a new bar and is set to hold the new

government to account on its promises to be

supportive of solar with good policies.

We helped put the issue of solar on the agenda for

all parties, and raised the profile and influence of

Solar Citizens.

STATE CAMPAIGNS

This election daySaturday, January 31, 2015

Make your pledge today!www.solarcitizens.org.au/vote

STOP ATTACKS ON

QUEENSLAND SOLAR

FINDOUT MORE

Authorised by C O’Rourke, Solar Citizens, Level 1, 33 Mountain Street, Ultimo, 2007.


Creative election tactics

A group of Solar Citizens transformed into Solar

Warriors for the election. Complete with gladiator

outfits and solar panel shields, these warriors were

proud to be fighting for the solar future of the Sunshine

State - out the front of Campbell Newman’s electorate

office and on the Sunny Coast, they were there

defending solar!

The warriors certainly helped make us more noticeable

to the media, the parties and the public, and it was

great to see so many volunteers donning the costumes,

embracing their inner warrior, and getting involved.

Media hits included 4BC and ABC Brisbane radio, and

an APN story syndicated in ten regional media outlets,

print/online – Brisbane Times, Sunshine Coast Daily,

RenewEconomy and The Australian, and tweets by the

Courier Mail and Channel 9.

We also held an information night, numerous street

stalls and door knocking sessions. These definitely

helped to raise awareness of solar among voters in

each of our target electorates.

Meeting the Minister

To cement the gains made in the Queensland election,

in May 2015 we delivered 662 of letters collected from

Queensland Solar Citizens directly to Energy Minister

Mark Bailey.

This meeting was our opportunity to remind Labor of

their election promises on behalf of over 420,000 solar

households across Queensland and many thousands

more looking to go solar. In the lead up to the election

the ALP committed to a goal of 1 million solar rooftops

across the sunshine state by 2020, to investigate a fair

price for solar energy fed back into the grid and trial

solar storage projects.

While progress has been slow, Minister Bailey reiterated

the Government’s commitment to keeping its promises.

Minister Bailey and the Palaszczuk Government

definitely know that Solar Citizens are here, and that

we’ll be loudly reminding them of their commitments

throughout its term.

Image L-R: Energy Minister Mark Bailey, Alycia Johnston (Community

Organiser), Bruce Cooke (Brisbane Team) and Dan Scaysbrook (Director

of Campaigns and Organising).


NEW SOUTH WALES STATE ELECTION2015 certainly was a busy year for elections, with New

South Wales residents heading to the polls in March,

soon after Queensland. In the lead up to the election

we contacted all major parties with our solar policy

asks to see where they stood. We ran an action to

email Premier Baird and Opposition Leader Luke Foley

insisting they respond to our questions on what they

would do for solar. More than 500 people took this

action and we heard back from the Liberal Party within

48 hours!

The parties’ responses were compiled in our NSW Election

2015 Solar Scorecard and sent to NSW voters. Late last

year NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes said “When it

comes to clean energy, [NSW] can be Australia’s answer

to California,” but while the Baird Government has been

strong on rhetoric, they haven’t turned good intentions

into action or supported solar owners. However, it was a

welcome sign when they announced a local energy trading

trial in Byron Shire Council during the campaign, among

other promises.


SA POWER NETWORKSIn May, SA Power Networks applied to the Australian Energy Regulator

(AER), asking for permission to introduce a discriminatory penalty on all

solar owners in South Australia. This would have seen solar households

paying close to $100 more in supply charges than other residential

households who consume the same amount of electricity.

Solar Citizens initiated a rapid response petition that was signed by

almost 3000 people and volunteers in Adelaide letter boxed thousands

of solar homes about the unfair charges. The Adelaide Solar Citizens team

contacted the State Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis, and met with the

Federal Shadow Environment Minister Mark Butler to discuss the issue. In

June, the AER rejected SA Power Networks’ application to introduce the

new charge - campaign won! What’s even better is that the AER noted in

its ruling that there is no measurable difference in impact on the electricity

network between solar households and non solar households, and as such

they should not be treated differently. This sets an important precedent for

solar owners across the National Energy Market.

Adelaide Team

“The Adelaide team came together as a result of the

Keep Solar Strong, Protect the Renewable Energy

Target campaign in 2014. We now have a core team

of seven which meets every 2-3 weeks and which

organises Solar Citizens on the ground campaign

activities in SA.

The team has established good working relationships

and an ambitious agenda to make our campaigns

successful and build Solar Citizens’ supporter base

across the state. However, we have adopted the policy

of making sure that we enjoy what we are doing so our

meetings are relaxed and always feature homemade

pizza and some drinks.

Our activities in 2014-15 have included launching Keep

Solar Strong, organising Cuppa Sunshine events, an

online and letter-boxing campaign against SA Power

Networks proposal to impose a penalty on solar

owners, launching the Stand Up For Solar campaign in

SA, organising a Rally for Renewables event at Liberal

MP Jamie Briggs’ office, holding several Solar Shindig

events and meeting with many MPs. We had a very

constructive meeting with Mark Butler MP Shadow

Environment Minister and briefed him on Solar Citizens’

Stand Up For Solar campaign objectives as well as the

impact of Power Network policies on solar owners.

Other MPs that the team has organised to meet with

are Christopher Pyne (Liberal MP for Sturt), Nick

Xenophon (Independent Senator for SA), Matt Williams

(Liberal MP for Hindmarsh), Kate Ellis (ALP MP for

Adelaide), Amanda Rishworth (ALP MP for Kingston),

Tony Zappia (ALP MP for Makin) and Nick Champion

(ALP MP for Wakefield). Our repeated attempts to

meet with Dr Andrew Southcott, the Liberal MP for

Boothby, have been rejected but we’re still working on

it!”

Steve, team coordinator

Image L-R: Steve Fuller, Deidre Knight, Thanasis Avramis, John Herbst,

Mark Butler MP, Simon McKay and Valdis Dunis.


Western Australia’s Treasurer Mike Nahan signalled plans for unfair

attacks on solar homes in the May Budget, reportedly considering

plans to slug solar owners with higher fixed fees just for accessing

the grid. Solar Citizens launched a petition to raise the voices of the

175,000 West Australian families who have made the responsible

decision to take control of their energy bills by generating clean

power from the sun. Local Solar Citizens volunteers delivered the

3,200 petition signatures to Nahan’s office, along with a letter

calling on the Barnett Government to go much further to protect

and grow solar in WA. Under pressure from WA Solar Citizens,

the Government backflipped on plans to increase prices for solar

owners – but is looking to allow power companies to set higher

prices instead. Solar Citizens will continue fighting to make sure

that doesn’t happen.

WA FIXED CHARGES CAMPAIGN

TASMANIA IN ACTIONThe people of Tasmania love their solar power with over

24,600 homes and businesses having made the move to

take control of their electricity bills and draw their power

from the sun. The State Government should be rewarding

Tasmanians who have gone solar. Instead we have seen

constant changes to the feed-in tariffs and unfair metering.

Key Solar Citizens ally, the Tasmanian Renewable

Energy Alliance (TREA), launched a petition in July to:

Ensure a fair feed-in-tariff that recognises the many

benefits to Tasmania of a growing solar industry

including the savings for all consumers from

generating electricity close to the point of use.

Fix solar metering so that solar owners are not

charged for using electricity they have generated

themselves.

The petition was hosted on the Stand Up for Solar

website and emailed out to our supporters and has been

signed by almost 400 local supporters so far.


VIC FEED-IN TARIFF In July 2015 the Essential Services Commission (ESC),

the state body that determines minimum feed-in

tariffs for Victoria’s solar owners, recommended a 20

per cent cut to the minimum tariff. This means solar

owners could get as little as 5 cents per KWH for

energy exported to the grid in 2016.

Having made the sensible decision to produce their

own clean energy from the sun, Victoria’s solar owners

deserve to be paid a fair price for power fed back into

the grid. Solar Citizens launched a petition calling on

the Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio to step

in and delay the ESC’s recommended cuts until a fair

price for solar fed back into the grid is determined by

the State Government’s upcoming review. Currently,

more than 3,500 Victorians have signed.

“VICTORIA’S SOLAR OWNERS DESERVE TO BE PAID A FAIR PRICE

FOR POWER FED BACK INTO THE GRID”


TRAINING & MENTORING

State teams’ training

Solar Citizens has run several state-based volunteer

trainings on a range of campaigning and organising

skills to skill up key volunteers across the year. A

training evening was held in Melbourne in September

for several Melbourne team volunteers to help kick-start

action in their communities. A full training day was held

in Adelaide in October for the Adelaide team, followed

by a social dinner and training workshop. Included

in these were workshops on national campaigns,

leadership types, group organising, effective facilitation,

recruitment, relational organising and theories of

change. In March we held a Strategy and Planning

workshop with the Brisbane Team.

Mentoring

One of the ways that Solar Citizens supports its

network of volunteer teams is through regular

‘check-ins’ and mentoring. We use a mix of phone

and Skype calls and Google Hangouts to keep in

touch and troubleshoot problems together. It also

provides opportunities for grassroots volunteer

teams to provide feedback and give input on national

strategy – a key part of Solar Citizens’ campaign

planning process.

To further enhance communication, this year we

established regular phone linkups between our

volunteer leaders in the different states. This has

created a forum for ideas-sharing between teams, as

well as another space for getting feedback and input

on national strategy and tactics.



The retreat was a huge success. Held over three days,

Solar Citizens volunteers learnt new skills in areas like

strategy, organising, campaigning, event management

and recruitment and media. We were surrounded by

the beautiful Canberra bushland, which offered the

perfect backdrop for deep-thinking and reflection.

Participants were assigned buddies to check in and

debrief with every day, and some ran group sessions.

We explored options for what 2015 could have in

store and finished off the three days with a fun night

of dance, poetry, shout-outs and balloon-popping at

the pub.

A National Training and Strategy Retreat was held in

Canberra from November 28 – December 1. It brought

together 20 volunteer leaders from around Australia

for the purpose of connecting with other volunteers,

developing skills, discussing Solar Citizens’ strategy,

and pulling off a big media action and lobby day at

Parliament House.

TRAINING IN ACTION!National Lobby Day and Training Retreat

Office Volunteers

Solar Citizens is helped immeasurably by a small

group of dedicated office volunteers in Sydney, who

come into the office on a regular basis and help to

make sure the wheels stay greased and turning. Peter,

who comes in every Wednesday, says:

“Why do I volunteer for Solar

Citizens? To help the paid staff by

undertaking necessary and often time

consuming tasks, so they can get

on with promoting the interests of

Australia’s solar households. It is also

good for me, working with a team

of young people who have similar

interests in preserving the planet for

my grandchildren..”


Postcard from Tuvalu

Lobby Day at Parliament House

The Lobby Day kicked off with a massive action on

Parliament House front lawn, calling on the government

to protect the Renewable Energy Target and stop

‘blocking the sun’. We had 72 beach towels, 36

umbrellas, 2 paddling pools, 40 star volunteers, 6

media crews, and one giant bottle of Abbott’s Blockout

sunscreen. We made a big impact. Opposition Leader

Bill Shorten and Australian Greens leader Christine

Milne came down to the lawn to talk to everyone at the

action. We were unmissable so it wasn’t surprising that

the action was covered by:

Once the last beach towel was rolled up and all the

umbrellas folded away, we brushed our hair and

neatened our shirts to head up into Parliament House,

following an energising pep talk from The Australia

Institute’s Executive Director Richard Denniss. From our

base at the Queens Terrace Cafe, in twos and threes

Solar Citizens hit the corridors of power, meeting with

12 MPs over the course of the day.

All the participants reported what a great time they

had, and went back to their home states feeling

energised about growing their teams, nicely capping off

a busy three days. 2UE

WSFM

2SM

Norther Star

Sunshine Coast Daily

Gympie times

Ballina Shire Advocate

Caboolture News

Whitsunday Times

Gladstone Observer

Gatton Star

Byron Bay Echo

Dear Solar Citizens,

I am a Renewable Energy Engineer and I joined Solar

Citizens in March 2014 as I was frustrated that the industry

had become a political bounce ball. I decided one of the

ways of facing this hostility was to become more proactive

in expressing my concern, particularly around cutting or

removing the Renewable Energy Target. Solar Citizen’s was

a great avenue for that.

Due to the political uncertainty around this policy many of

the larger scale projects have been on hold making work

opportunities limited thus I looked for work elsewhere in the

region. I have spent the last nine months with CBS Power

Solutions installing over 500kW of solar on the remote pacific

island of Tuvalu assisting in the country’s attempt to reach

100% renewable energy by 2020. I still find it sad being an

Australian here when it is so clearly evident that our politics

will impact the future of this atoll of Tuvalu as their land mass

struggles to survive in the face of a changing climate.

As the project comes to a close I hope to return to Australia

and find work there. A small win in the Renewable Energy

Target will assist in boosting work opportunities, but Solar

Citizens’ work is as vital as ever with ongoing ferociousness

from the Federal Government, utilities and members of the

media..

Clara Mazzone

Solar Citizens

Level 14

338 Pitt Street

Sydney, NSW, 2000


Upcoming Work

Continuing the Stand Up For Solar campaign, targeting

Coalition MPs to get on board with our positive

renewable energy agenda.

Developing and delivering a strong campaign across the

nation to ensure solar is a top issue in the 2016 Federal

election.

Building the power and capacity of State Teams around

Australia.

Running high-impact consumer campaigns that stand up

for the rights of solar owners and help remove barriers

to homes and communities that want to go solar.



The national office has aggressively pursued reactive

and proactive media, particularly on the long-running

debate over slashing the Renewable Energy Target,

securing promises for positive solar policy from the new

Queensland Government and defending state-based

attacks on solar homeowners.

Volunteers and other stakeholder groups have been

provided with materials and direct support so they

could generate their own media coverage around

campaign tactics such senator and MP visits and the

launch of the national Stand up for Solar pledge.

National Director Claire O’Rourke has appeared in

local, state and national news bulletins, participated in

live national radio interviews and had opinion pieces

published in ABC Online and Climate Spectator.

Solar Citizens has strengthened its position as an authoritative media advocate on behalf of solar households and a trusted voice in public debates about solar energy. We achieved more than 303 media hits in the past year across print, radio, TV and online media.

MEDIA

“VOLUNTEERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDER

GROUPS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH MATERIALS AND

DIRECT SUPPORT SO THEY COULD

GENERATE THEIR OWN MEDIA COVERAGE”


Some recent media highlights include:

Poll: 96% of metro Queenslanders back RET, The

Australian, September 2014

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/latest/

poll-96-of-metro-queenslanders-back-ret/story-

e6frg90f-1227053606467

Ninety-six per cent of Queenslanders want the Renewable Energy Target increased or kept steady according to a Solar Citizens poll presented to PUP Senator Glenn Lazarus by his constituents yesterday.

Solar firms tell Abbott to keep renewable energy

target, Sunshine Coast Daily, September 2014

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/

news/200-solar-businesses-renewable-energy-

targe/2388708/

Labor’s solar push puts some heat on Newman,

Syndication in APN newspapers including The

Morning Bulletin, January 2015

http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/

labors-solar-push-puts-heat-newman/2521490/

Solar Citizens national director Claire O’Rourke said renewable energy from the sun would give Queenslanders control over power bills.

“The support for solar energy announced…today would go a long way to winding back the Newman government’s attack on solar,” Ms O’Rourke said.

Why your neighbour’s solar panels are reducing your

power bill (opinion piece by Claire O’Rourke), ABC

Online, 5 March 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/environment/

articles/2015/03/05/4191229.htm

While the cost savings for solar homeowners are clear, what is less widely known is how someone else making the choice to install solar panels reduces everyone’s power bill.

Abbott Government and Labor reach renewable

energy target deal, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 May

2015

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-

news/abbott-government-and-labor-reach-

renewable-energy-target-deal-20150518-gh4161.

html

Solar the new normal (opinion piece by Claire

O’Rourke), ABC Online, August 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/environment/

articles/2015/08/11/4290434.htm

Here’s an incendiary statement: solar is ordinary. Really ordinary. In fact, it’s so ordinary that these days solar has become the new normal in our homes and in our culture.


Solar Citizens has continued to build a vibrant social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Supporter growth and reach for both the Solar Citizens and 100% Renewables profiles

across both channels continues to grow steadily.

Here’s where the numbers were at in August 2015.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook 9,385 likes3,134 new likes

50% growth

9,305 likes1,211 new likes

15% growth

Twitter 2,565 followers1,414 new followers

120% growth

6,231 followers1,206 new followers

24% growth

“WE USED SOCIAL MEDIA

TO ENGAGE OUR AUDIENCE IN ACTIONS TO

PUT DIRECT PRESSURE ON

CAMPAIGN TARGETS”


FACEBOOK

Best performing posts

Our best performing facebook posts

tended to be reactive graphics, for

example, a graphic exposing the

real reason Prime Minister Tony

Abbott cut the Renewable Energy

Target (1,091 shares, 61,152 people

reached) and updates on exciting

new solar technology, for example

Korea’s solar panel shaded bike

lanes (439 shares, 33,703 people

reached).

Taking action

We used social media to engage our audience in

actions to put direct pressure on campaign targets. For

example:

When we heard rumours that the Federal Cross Bench

Senators’ support for the Renewable Energy Target

might be wavering, we tagged each Senator in an

open letter and posted it with a call to action graphic,

urging our supporters to comment, like and share (511

likes, 15 comments, 346 shares). Our targets received

notifications each time one of our supporters engaged

with our post.

In concert with our on the ground lobbying of ALP

MPs for Stand Up For Solar, we posted photos from

every meeting on both Facebook and Twitter, making

sure to tag the MP in the post. When we achieved

our goal of getting to ALP to commit to at least 50%

renewable energy by 2030, we invited our supporters

to say thanks and congratulations in the comments of a

graphic where each politician who took the pledge was

tagged (751 likes, 111 shares, 527 comments).

Growing our supporter base

Solar Citizens have started paying to promote state-based campaign petitions to geographically targeted

groups on Facebook. So far we’ve achieved 4,367 clicks to our website for a cost of $596, averaging

7.30 cents per click. This is a very cost-effective way of bringing new supporters into Solar Citizens, and

we’ll be ramping up our paid promotion in the year to come.


TWITTER

Our most successful tweets were:

Africa’s largest solar farm opening with 66 retweets.

Melbourne Showgrounds installs 400

solar panels with 65 retweets.

Busting the Coalition’s myths on the Renewable

Energy Target with 57 retweets.

Senator Lazarus’ support for the

Target with 51 retweets.

Top influencers following Solar Citizens on Twitter:

Phil Radford, Clean Energy thought leader

GetUp!

Greenpeace Australia Pacific

Sunrise

Cathy McGowan, Independent MP for Indi (VIC)

Christine Milne, former Greens leader

This Working Life,

The Climate Council

Scott Ludlam, Greens Senator for WA

World Wildlife Fund

Top influencers following 100%

Renewable on Twitter:

Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister

GetUp!

Greenpeace Australia Pacific

ABC Current Affairs

Lenore Taylor, Political Editor, Guardian Australia



MEET THE TEAMClaire O’Rourke, National DirectorClaire’s interest in solar began in 2008 when she installed a solar hot water system as part of a

renovation designed to reduce her home’s energy footprint. Claire brings 15 years’ experience

in journalism, communications and campaigning to Solar Citizens. Claire has a broad history of

organising and campaigning in the labor movement and organisations of social value, including

overseeing communications for the successful Every Australian Counts campaign for the

National Disability Insurance Scheme. She has a 2KW solar PV system,

Dan Scaysbrook, Campaigns and Organising DirectorDan Scaysbrook has been involved in social change movements for over a decade working as

an organiser and activist among student groups, unions and human rights organisations. Most

recently he built and coordinated the youth organising program for Amnesty International

Australia. As someone who has predominantly lived in rental properties Dan has had first hand

experience in trying to access clean energy as a non-home owner. He believes access to solar

energy enables everyday people to take proactive steps to build a more sustainable world and

that every person should be able to make this choice.

Nick Taylor, Community OrganiserNick started his journey as an engineer helping to build power stations, before resigning and

committing himself to renewable energy advocacy. He received his crash course in community

organising in WA, but then moved to Melbourne where he helped organise national campaigns,

including being the Director of a 1,500 person campaign summit. Nick joined the Solar Citizens

team to help develop and implement a range of exciting solar campaigns. He truly believes in

Solar Citizens as a powerful voice for solar owners and a way to increase solar in Australia.

Alex Soderlund, Campaigns CoordinatorAlex is passionate about community organising, and has been involved in the renewable

energy movement for many years. She comes from a science communications background

and recently finished her thesis on the climate change debate in Australia. Alex grew up under

a solar rooftop, and joined the team in 2014 because she is passionate about our country

becoming a leader in solar power and the opportunities this would bring for all Australians.

Jason Lyddieth, Community OrganiserJason has been involved in community groups for over 15 years working on various local

environment issues. For the last four years he worked for Greenpeace Australia Pacific

managing the NGO’s volunteer groups. Jason is excited to be part of Solar Citizens because

solar is good for the community, the environment, the economy and our nation’s future.

Aimee Bull-McMahon, Digital CampaignerAimee cut her teeth campaigning for her university to go solar, and has since worked on

diverse campaigns that aim to raise the voice of ordinary people in Australian politics. With a

background in digital campaigns, Aimee joined Solar Citizens to channel the almighty power of

the internet so the millions of Australians across the country who have solar, or want solar, can

join together and act to grow the rooftop revolution.


Steve Fuller, Adelaide Team CoordinatorSteve’s interest in solar began when getting solar for his new ‘old’ home. Navigating the

myriad issues was challenging and intriguing and he found that not only was he going

to be saving money but becoming a part of the democratisation of the once monolithic

energy system. With a background in the welfare sector, the labour movement and

refugee assistance Steve wants to help ordinary citizens to come together to understand

and promote this important part of the transition to a clean sustainable society. SA has

been a pacesetter – now we need to up the pace!

Terry Vertigan, Sunshine Coast Team CoordinatorWe had our solar system installed early in 2011. I’d long thought that going solar was

sensible, and although it was expensive at the time, I thought it was worth doing, and

it has been. I joined Solar Citizens in 2013 after being part of an event and I could see

they represented what I believed. I expected a growing wave of positivity towards solar,

which was true to a degree, but never did I expect such opposition from governments to

something so sensible. Solar Citizens gives a voice to people who would otherwise not be

heard as they Stand Up For Solar.

Vince, core Brisbane Team memberI joined Solar Citizens when a Brisbane group was formed to get involved in addressing

the anti-solar and anti-environment tendencies of the time. I realised how bad

things were when I started to design a solar system for my new house. As a retired

communications engineer, I had significant exposure to application of solar power in

my telecommunications work and found the current policy attitudes lacking. My key

concerns are the unfair feed-in tarrif, lack of industry and jobs support and the devaluing

of good environmental policy. I investigated the opportunities to take action available and

found Solar Citizens had the best approach, was effective and made smart use of modern

communications.

David, Melbourne Team CoordinatorDavid has been active in power generation and distribution as a professional engineer

and project manager for 15 years. His involvement in Solar Citizens is part of a broader

interest in addressing climate change. He became politically engaged in the area of

renewables in the last two years and thinks Solar Citizens is a great way to make an

impact in this area.

VOLUNTEER TEAMS


STEERING COMMITTEE

Lindsay Soutar, ConvenorLindsay Soutar, the founder of Solar Citizens, has spent more than eight years as a campaigner

and community organiser working for a renewable powered future. In this time she

experienced first-hand the continual ‘solar-coaster’ of changes to solar programs in Australia

and the efforts of the big power companies trying to stop the roll out of solar across Australian

rooftops. She lives in Sydney with 2kW of solar on her roof and a gum tree in the backyard.

Lindsay is former Young Environmentalist of the Year.

Sue McKinnon, TreasurerFirst connecting with the organisation after attending the Big Solar Bootcamp in February

2012, Sue McKinnon joined the board in early 2013. Sue brings her background in organisational

finance and accounting – as well a common sense practicality and passion for empowering

community action – to her role. Sue lives in the Sutherland Shire in New South Wales with her

family, is active with the Sutherland Climate Action Network and is the proud owner of a 3KW

rooftop solar system and solar hot water.

Erland Howden Erland is chair of his local community energy group, the Blue Mountains Renewable Energy

Co-op as well as Climate Action Blue Mountains. He works as a campaigner, facilitator and

photographer and is currently studying design at the University of Technology, Sydney. Erland

was a climate and energy campaigner for a number of years with Greenpeace Asia Pacific and

the Nature Conservation Council.

Sarah RoebuckSarah joined the EDO NSW in October 2013 as a Solicitor in the Sydney Office. She provides

clients with advice and representation on a wide range of environmental legal issues including

administrative law, planning, pollution, biodiversity, mining and coal seam gas. Her special area

of interest is marine conservation. Before taking up the role at EDO NSW, Sarah worked in

corporate practice as a Solicitor in the Environment & Planning team at Herbert Smith Freehills

in Sydney. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts/Law (BA/LLB) from Macquarie University. In her

spare time she enjoys swimming, surfing and all things outdoors.

Mark CappsMark started out as an mechanical engineer, but soon moved on to business. His career has

taken him through management consultancy with McKinsey, search giant Google and his own

start up. Through this time he has never lost his engineering passion and is excited by the

potential solar has to transform our energy generation onto a more sustainable footing.


Anna RoseAnna is an Australian author and environmentalist, National Manager of Earth Hour, and the

2015 Australian Geographic Society Conservationist of the Year. She is also a former Young

Environmentalist of the Year, recently won the inaugural Trailblazer award from the Foundation

for Young Australians and is a former Churchill Fellow. In 2006 Anna co-founded the Australian

Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC). At 120,000 members, AYCC is now one of Australia’s largest

youth organisations. Anna achieved first class honours in Law and a Bachelor of Arts (Asian

Studies) from the University of Sydney.

David BarndenDavid is interested in the power of groups to achieve desirable environmental solutions. He

views solar power as a key element of a sustainable modern society. David is currently a lawyer

in the class actions department of Maurice Blackburn in Sydney. He has previously worked for

non-government organisations seeking better outcomes for communities adversely impacted

by international development.

Taegen EdwardsTaegen believes very strongly in the power of community members to speed up the transition

to renewable energy and has nearly a decade of experience working on initiatives to do this.

She worked for Solar Citizens from 2013 to 2015 as a community organiser and as Campaigns

Director, helping to support the growing national network of solar supporters and active

volunteers. Taegen has previously worked in public policy and research roles including at the

Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute. She got hooked on community organising through her

experience helping set up a grassroots climate action group in 2009 and began her ongoing

obsession with solar power after getting involved in the Yarra Community Solar project in 2012.

Andrew BrayAndrew is the National Coordinator for the Australian Wind Alliance, a community advocacy

group for wind power with around 550 members, consisting mainly of farmers, wind workers

and community supporters. He was founding Coordinator of the Alliance since its inception

in early 2013 as the Victorian Wind Alliance and then through its transition in 2014 to the

Australian Wind Alliance. Prior to that Andrew was Communications Coordinator with Solar

Citizens’ precursor, 100% Renewable, and did advocacy and campaigning work with Ballarat

climate action group, BREAZE. In 2014, Andrew completed the Community Organising

Fellowship, training in campaign strategy to ensure a strong and authentic community voice in

public debate.


Hello friends,

At your request I sent a letter to my MP regarding the RET. I only used a

little of your suggestions and basically stated my opinions regarding solar

and renewable energy as a whole. I have been a believer for very many

years.

This morning I was very pleased to get an answer from my MP, Gary Gray.

Basically it states Labor’s position which is good to see. Personally I would

like a stronger approach. At least they are interested and following the

concerns of voters.

No, sorry, but I cannot schedule a meeting with Gary Gray, being elderly I

no longer drive. However I am a strong advocate of renewable energy and

will continue to do what I can.

May I make a suggestion please? Alongside your wonderful fight would it

also be a good idea to praise those concerns, business, local government,

schools, shopping centres etc that actually do the right thing. Praise them in

public or quietly, but let them know how much we all appreciate what they

are doing. That is has been seen that they are doing what is right for our

environment.

I appreciate the amount of work you are all doing at the moment and

perhaps such a thing cannot yet be undertaken, but it bears keeping in

mind!!! Carrots as well as sticks!!!

The first carrot I want to send is to Solar Citizens who are above all taking

an active stand for us all and at the same time standing up for solar and for

the environment. Congratulations, your work is vastly appreciated. Without

you, solar owners would be alone and vulnerable, the environment would

take a massive hit from greed. With you we have not only hope but a real

chance of success that this world can survive greed on the environmental

front. That we as simple solar owners can stand up, protect our investment

and do our part for the world.

Very best wishes,

Mary Temple

LETTER FROM MARY, SOLAR CITIZEN


FINANCIAL STATEMENT

INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2015

Income 2015 2014Grants and large donors 492,714 562,416

Appeals and small donations 140,624 80,133

Merchandise sales 1,138 10,067

Other revenue 17 1,436

TOTAL INCOME 634,493 654,052

ExpensesAccounting expenses 10,010 6,441

Auspice items 28,936 —

Bank charges 3,545 147

Media and advertising 97,381 46,823

Communications 2,335 —

Contract labour 8,752 18,698

Events 5,237 —

Fundraising expenses 2,474 —

General expenses 464 648

Graphic design expenses 13,004 7,482

HR expenses 1,199 185

Insurance 1,351 1,008

Legal expenses 96 569

Light, Power & Heating 3,247 3,532

Meals and accommodation 716 507

Merchandise purchases 750 9,473

Office expenses, Printing and Stationary 3,077 1,518

Postage, Freight & Courier 1,838 2,988

Printing – Campaigns 6,430 15,979

Re-imbursements – Volunteers 1,884 3,892

Re-imbursements – Employees — 80

Rent 12,987 11,832

Subscriptions and memberships 778 380

Superannuation 34,717 24,546

Telephone & Internet 2,087 1,371

Training and Workshop expenses 8,305 7,874

Travel – Campaign 2,081 —

Travel – National 14,386 9,287

Travel – International 33 —

Venue hire 3,691 2,516

Wages and Salaries 375,782 289,547

Website and Video expenses 14,994 22,651

TOTAL EXPENSES 662,567 489,974

(DEFICIT) / SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR (28,074) 164,078

BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2015

Current Assets Note 2015 2014Cash at Bank 2 303,583 261,827

Merchandise on hand 4,641 5,392

Accounts Receivable — 68,500

Prepayments 1,727 —

GST Receivable 1,475 2,833

Total Current Assets 311,426 338,552

Non Current AssetsProperty, plant and equipment — 400

Total Non Current Assets — 400

TOTAL ASSETS 311, 426 338,952

Current LiabilitiesAccounts payable 29,702 11,626

Accruals 4,029 —

PAYG payable — 19,108

Superannuation payable 757 3,072

Provisions – Annual Leave 12,482 12,616

Total Current Liabilities 46,970 46,422

TOTAL LIABILITIES 46,970 46,422

NET ASSETS 264,456 292,530

EquityAccumulated Surpluses at the beginning of the financial period 292,530 128,452

Operating Surplus (28,074) 164,078

TOTAL EQUITY 264,456 292,530



We would like to thank the McKinnon Family

Foundation, Ann and Bruce McGregor, Brian and Diana

Snape, the Diversicon Foundation, Mullum Trust and

Bruce and Sue Cooke for donations they have made

to the community campaign work of the last year. The

Solar Briefers series was made possible with funding

provided by a generous donor.

The consolidation of Solar Citizens and a number

of campaign activities have been made possible by

contributions from the NGO sector and the solar

industry. We would like to thank the Clean Energy

Council, the Australian Solar Council, and companies

that have provided additional financial support along

with support in promoting our campaigns.

Special thanks also goes out to Nigel Morris of Solar

Business Services, Warwick Johnston of Sunwiz and

Andrew Richards of Pacific Hydro for their essential

industry insights and contributions of time, energy and

strategic advice.

Hundreds of individuals have made small contributions

to help us do our work in this last year. From the

dozens of monthly donors to others who have

contributed to support specific campaign activities,

each and every contribution is greatly appreciated.

Every donation, no matter the size, is greatly

appreciated by the team here at 100%. The 100%

Community Campaign has been supported by many

allied organisations—Australian Youth Climate Coalition,

GetUp!, WWF, The Australia Institute, Australian

Conservation Foundation, Climate Council, Greenpeace,

Environment Victoria, Mount Alexander Sustainability

Group, Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions,

Beyond Zero Emissions, Climate Action Network

Australia, Centre for Australian Progress, Alternative

Technology Association, Australian PV Association and

Solar Energy Industries Association. Whether it be in

kind contributions, strategic collaboration, partnership

on specific events or other collaborations, 100% owes

significant thanks to all of our partners.

Similarly, there are many volunteers who have

contributed time and energy to 100% community

organising in this last year. Special thanks to John,

Diego, Vince, Kim, Rhonda, Alycia, Ralph, Jan, David

and Trish, Sue and Bruce and many more for their

ongoing work to build a strong volunteer network

operating out of Brisbane, Terry and Janet for their

leadership and work to support a strong volunteer

network on the Sunshine Coast and Xavier, Trudi,

Francis, Pip, Erin, Ian, Leanne, Keryn, John, Helen, Tony,

Mark and Judy for all their hard work.

In Sydney, Peter for his huge contribution to supporting

office operations as well Alex, Kerrie, Els and Jasmine

for their support on office projects. A big thanks also to

Volker, Plamen, Kate, Edie, Dominic and Faith for their

support of national and NSW tactics.

Steve, Deidre, Valdis, Martin, Ian, Thanasis, John, Norah,

Rina and many more for their ongoing work to build a

strong volunteer network operating out of Adelaide,

Peter, David, Graeme, Babak, Ruth, Euan, Margaret,

Barry, and many more for their organising work to build

a volunteer network operating of Melbourne, and Mack,

Jane and Kirsten for their initial roles in helping get the

team established.

Stef for her amazing support of national tactics in Perth.

A big thankyou to the hundreds of people around

the country who met with their MP or hosted a Solar

Shindig as part of the Stand Up For Solar campaign.

We would like to recognise the efforts of every

individual who was involved in the combined work of

100% Renewables organising across Australia during

this last year. Whether it be one minute, one hour,

one day or considerably greater contributions, our

campaigns win because of these efforts. Thanks to all.

THANK YOU100% Renewable is supported in our work by strong partnerships with peer organisations, contributions of time from hundreds of individuals and generous financial support coming from a broad range of individuals and foundations.
