Powering Forward - The Australian Government's Answer to the Energy Crisis

Photo: Powering Forward Website

Following on from last week's article, Nuclear Power Won't Reduce Your Electricity Bill Like You Think, the Australian Government launched a new initiative and website called Powering Forward.

The site serves two purposes, the first of which is to prompt individuals to take action over reducing the cost of their own electricity bills.

Often individuals will simply stay with their current energy provider despite receiving impossibly high bills because it's perceived that changing providers is just too hard. A situation that energy companies definitely exploit, knowing that a good percentage of their customers won't take any action to find cheaper alternatives.

Along with assisting individuals to find cheaper providers the site also lists government rebates and other schemes people may be entitled to if they're experiencing financial hardship.

The other key function of the Powering Forward website is to outline the Government's plans for the future and how they intend to bring spiralling costs back to more manageable levels for everyone.

Included are new laws enabling companies that overcharge to be fined and even, as a last resort, allowing the ACCC powers to break up energy companies if necessary.

I won't go into the full list of initiatives here, you can easily read through them on their website. The most important takeaway from my point of view is the government's continued support of finding renewable energy solutions, with no mention of nuclear power in the equation.

Whilst some people feel Australia is being left behind by not adopting nuclear power solutions, I say being left behind on the wrong path is the better option.

I can only reiterate that we are poised to be a world leader and innovator in renewable energy. A market that will eventually cause the end of Nuclear Power plants... because no one wants toxic, radioactive waste stored for even a few hundred years near anyplace that anyone cares about... and storage space is a finite resource too.