Country People Switched On

I've said before how much country people love renewable energy - but it's not just in surveys. They put their money where their mouth is.


The Clean Energy Council recently reported the top solar postcodes - the places where home solar power is most common. The top 10 were:

Caloundra, Queensland : 11.98%
Alstonville region NSW : 11.91%
Hindmarsh Valley, SA : 10.83%
Samford/Mount Glorious : 9.98%
Dubbo, New South Wales : 9.97%
Brunswick Heads, NSW : 9.80%
Bega region, NSW : 9.76%
Jimboomba, Queensland : 9.03%
Burpengary, Queensland : 9.03%
Hindmarsh Island, SA : 9.03%

The names might not mean much to readers outside Australia, but the point is that they are all outside Australia's major cities. This shows 2 things:

1. Country people love renewable energy (or at least have done the maths, and realised the value of free electricity)

2. Governments who cut solar incentives because "the money just goes to rich city-dwellers" are talking through their hat. According to Sydney news, the corresponding percentages for some of Sydney's richer suburbs are just 0.5, 0.8 and 1%.