100% Renewable Energy Community Campaign 2014-15 Annual Report

100%
RENEWABLE
ENERGYANNUAL REPORT
2014–2015

2 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY 2014–2015 Annual Report
100%
RENEWABLE
WHO WE ARE
100% 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 CITIZENS
In 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.”
PHOTO (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
ADELAIDE
SYDNEY

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.
BRISBANE
MELBOURNE

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.
50001000015000200002500030000
WENTWORTH
SYDNEY
MELBOURNEPORTS
HIGGINS
SOLOMON
KINGSFORDSMITH
NORTHSYDNEY
WARRINGAH
MELBOURNE
GRAYNDLER
BARTON
KOOYONG
COOK
WATSON
BRADFIELD
REID
BANKS
PARRAMATTA
GOLDSTEIN
BENNELONG
JAGAJAGA
MACKELLAR
BLAXLAND
HOTHAM
CHISHOLM
BATMAN
WILLS
MENZIES
DEAKIN
BRUCE
LINGIARI
HUGHES
GELLIBRAND
MARIBYRNONG
SCULLIN
BASS
SHORTLAND
DENISON
BRADDON
BEROWRA
THROSBY
NEWCASTLE
CUNNINGHAM
ROBERTSON
WERRIWA
FOWLER
DOBELL
LINDSAY
CASEY
FRANKLIN
CURTIN
ASTON
BRISBANE
MITCHELL
GREENWAY
DUNKLEY
MCMAHON
CHIFLEY
CORIO
MACARTHUR
PERTH
CHARLTON
STIRLING
MACQUARIE
ISAACS
LATROBE
BALLARAT
SWAN
PATERSON
O’CONNOR
MONCRIEFF
EDEN-MONARO
GRIFFITH
FRASER
HUNTER
CALWELL
GILMORE
WANNON
LEICHHARDT
GORTON
LYONS
CANBERRA
HOLT
NEWENGLAND
COWPER
CALARE
FREMANTLE
CORANGAMITE
HASLUCK
TANGNEY
PAGE
GROOM
BENDIGO
MALLEE
LYNE
RIVERINA
FORREST
HERBERT
DURACK
FLINDERS
HUME
MCMILLAN
MOORE
GIPPSLAND
DAWSON
COWAN
MCPHERSON
MURRAY
LILLEY
HINKLER
FORDE
INDI
RYAN
ADELAIDE
MCEWEN
LALOR
HINDMARSH
RICHMOND
STURT
MORETON
FARRER
CANNING
CAPRICORNIA
BOOTHBY
FADDEN
BRAND
PARKES
FAIRFAX
MAKIN
OXLEY
PETRIE
BONNER
RANKIN
PEARCE
BLAIR
BOWMAN
PORTADELAIDE
DICKSON
FISHER
MARANOA
WIDEBAY
LONGMAN
KINGSTON
WAKEFIELD
FLYNN
BARKER
GREY
MAYO
KENNEDY
WRIGHT
SOLARPVSYSTEMSPERELECTORATE
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
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
$12
$12
$12
$12
$12.5
$12
$12
$9
$6
$3.9
$3
$2
$1.5
$1.7
$14 $14
kW P/A A$/W
$13
$10
AUSTRALIAN RESIDENTIAL SOLAR PV:
VOLUME INSTALLED AND PRICE TRENDS OVER TIME
(Average size installed = 5 kW)
50001000015000200002500030000
WENTWORTH
SYDNEY
MELBOURNEPORTS
HIGGINS
SOLOMON
KINGSFORDSMITH
NORTHSYDNEY
WARRINGAH
MELBOURNE
GRAYNDLER
BARTON
KOOYONG
COOK
WATSON
BRADFIELD
REID
BANKS
PARRAMATTA
GOLDSTEIN
BENNELONG
JAGAJAGA
MACKELLAR
BLAXLAND
HOTHAM
CHISHOLM
BATMAN
WILLS
MENZIES
DEAKIN
BRUCE
LINGIARI
HUGHES
GELLIBRAND
MARIBYRNONG
SCULLIN
BASS
SHORTLAND
DENISON
BRADDON
BEROWRA
THROSBY
NEWCASTLE
CUNNINGHAM
ROBERTSON
WERRIWA
FOWLER
DOBELL
LINDSAY
CASEY
FRANKLIN
CURTIN
ASTON
BRISBANE
MITCHELL
GREENWAY
DUNKLEY
MCMAHON
CHIFLEY
CORIO
MACARTHUR
PERTH
CHARLTON
STIRLING
MACQUARIE
ISAACS
LATROBE
BALLARAT
SWAN
PATERSON
O’CONNOR
MONCRIEFF
EDEN-MONARO
GRIFFITH
FRASER
HUNTER
CALWELL
GILMORE
WANNON
LEICHHARDT
GORTON
LYONS
CANBERRA
HOLT
NEWENGLAND
COWPER
CALARE
FREMANTLE
CORANGAMITE
HASLUCK
TANGNEY
PAGE
GROOM
BENDIGO
MALLEE
LYNE
RIVERINA
FORREST
HERBERT
DURACK
FLINDERS
HUME
MCMILLAN
MOORE
GIPPSLAND
DAWSON
COWAN
MCPHERSON
MURRAY
LILLEY
HINKLER
FORDE
INDI
RYAN
ADELAIDE
MCEWEN
LALOR
HINDMARSH
RICHMOND
STURT
MORETON
FARRER
CANNING
CAPRICORNIA
BOOTHBY
FADDEN
BRAND
PARKES
FAIRFAX
MAKIN
OXLEY
PETRIE
BONNER
RANKIN
PEARCE
BLAIR
BOWMAN
PORTADELAIDE
DICKSON
FISHER
MARANOA
WIDEBAY
LONGMAN
KINGSTON
WAKEFIELD
FLYNN
BARKER
GREY
MAYO
KENNEDY
WRIGHT
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 governm
ent 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:
1,352,239
3938MW
$6379.1m
4,922,126
$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 SPOTLIGHT
An 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 day
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Make your pledge today!
www.solarcitizens.org.au/vote
STOP ATTACKS ON
QUEENSLAND SOLAR
FIND
OUT 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 ELECTION
2015 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 NETWORKS
In 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 ACTION
The 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 likes
3,134 new likes
50% growth
9,305 likes
1,211 new likes
15% growth
Twitter 2,565 followers
1,414 new followers
120% growth
6,231 followers
1,206 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 TEAM
Claire O’Rourke, National Director
Claire’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 Director
Dan 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 Organiser
Nick 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 Coordinator
Alex 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 Organiser
Jason 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 Campaigner
Aimee 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 Coordinator
Steve’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 Coordinator
We 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 member
I 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 Coordinator
David 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, Convenor
Lindsay 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, Treasurer
First 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 Roebuck
Sarah 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 Capps
Mark 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 Rose
Anna 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 Barnden
David 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 Edwards
Taegen 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 Bray
Andrew 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 2014
Grants 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
Expenses
Accounting 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 2014
Cash 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 Assets
Property, plant and equipment — 400
Total Non Current Assets — 400
TOTAL ASSETS 311, 426 338,952
Current Liabilities
Accounts 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
Equity
Accumulated 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 YOU
100% 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.

100% Renewable Energy Community Campaign 2014-15 Annual Report

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100% Renewable Energy Community Campaign 2014-15 Annual Report