<
https://reneweconomy.com.au/a-fair-energy-system-is-worth-fighting-for-but-without-playing-the-solar-and-battery-blame-game/>
"In the March 9, 2026, edition of the excellent
SwitchedOn podcast, Anne
Delaney interviewed Gavin Dufty, the National Director of Energy Policy and
Research at the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, on the question of whether solar
households are shifting electricity costs onto others.
This is an important and timely discussion about whether Australia’s energy
transition risks entrenching inequity, particularly for renters and low-income
households, who lack access to rooftop solar, batteries, and smart
technologies.
On this point, there is consensus among industry specialists and observers
alike. However, the framework through which Dufty and others diagnose the
problem, and the solutions they propose, are constrained by the very market
logic that has produced these inequities.
At the core of the argument is the claim that households with rooftop solar and
batteries are “not paying their way,” resulting in costs shifting onto those
without such technologies.
This framing overstates the problem and misidentifies its cause. It ignores the
system benefits solar provides, including reduced wholesale prices, lower peak
demand, and decreased reliance on fossil fuel generation. Any assessment of
fairness must account for these.
More fundamentally, this argument accepts the premise that electricity system
costs must be recovered primarily through household bills. This assumption is
rarely interrogated, yet it is precisely where the problem lies.
Electricity networks are natural monopolies and essential infrastructure.
Recovering their costs through user charges produces regressive outcomes, as
low-income households spend a higher proportion of their income on energy.
Dufty is right to highlight the disadvantages faced by renters and low-income
households, but the suggested remedy – ensuring all users “pay their share” of
network costs – misses a larger opportunity.
The most effective way to address energy inequity is not to rebalance tariffs
within a flawed system, but to change how the system is funded and structured."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
