RE-Alliance and the Community Power Agency (CPA) prepared a joint submission to the Government's consultation on this decarbonisation sector plan. Both our organisations are focussed on ensuring that the energy transformation delivers for communities and enables a path to social licence for renewable energy infrastructure at all levels of the system.

Our response highlighted that it is critical that the electricity and energy sector decarbonisation plan – in concert with the other sector plans – aligns with the Paris Agreement, based on science, that recognises the major risks of global warming beyond 1.5°C.

We consider that Australia’s target to deliver net zero by 2050 is insufficient to deliver on the science. We support faster and more rapid decarbonisation to achieve net zero, well in advance of 2050.

Rapid decarbonisation of the electricity and energy sector is the lynchpin for whole-of-economy decarbonisation, electrification and renewable energy superpower ambitions. Social licence and community participation in the energy transition are critical elements of successful action that the Government must not lose sight of.

Here are our recommendations for action to support successful electricity and energy sector decarbonisation:

1. Establish dedicated Local Energy Hubs in renewable energy regions
   
2. Address misinformation via better communication and a Centre for Renewables, Environment and Social Research at the CSIRO
3. Ensure that government funding and finance mechanisms to industry and developers incentivise ‘a race to the top’ for renewable energy infrastructure
4. Require improved and transparent information about distribution grid constraints to be made available, consistent and publicly accessible
5. Carve out a portion of Rewiring the Nation funds to support distribution grid augmentations and investments to improve reliability and expand capacity
6. Initiate a rule-change request to remove barriers to improving the energy experience for regional and rural communities and to enable electrification
7. Mobilise capital for large-scale projects with conditions
8. Target hurdles for community energy projects
9. Unlock access to capital for home, neighbourhood and other behind-the-meter actions
10. Address energy transition information gaps with trusted sources
11. Make the system plan clear on the path to net zero electricity
12. Join-up the approach to electrification and the energy transition
13. Accelerate biofuels and renewable hydrogen
14. Manage Australia out of fossil gas
15. Recognise that energy sector skills are broad-ranging
16. Address worker supply, workforce development and workforce conditions

Read more in our full submission.