Australia leads the world in rooftop solar, but Greg Bourne believes we can do even better. With the right policies and smarter technology, households and businesses could double rooftop solar capacity by 2030—slashing energy bills and cutting reliance on fossil fuels.
To get there, he told the SwitchedOn podcast, we need to think beyond individual households and focus on whole communities.
That’s why Bourne welcomes the recent directive from Energy and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen to fund more suburb-wide community electrification projects.
Greg Bourne, a former BP Australasia head, ex-CEO of WWF, and inaugural chair of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), has spent decades working across the energy sector. Now a Climate Council councillor, he sees community electrification as a crucial step in Australia’s clean energy transition.
Australia is at a turning point, with electrification and smart energy management set to reshape how communities power their homes. Having worked across the oil, conservation, and renewable energy sectors, Bourne has a unique vantage point on the challenges and opportunities ahead.
With the Federal Government backing suburb-wide electrification projects, he sees a chance to accelerate the transition in a way that directly benefits households.
Bourne has long advocated for solutions that cut emissions while making energy more affordable and accessible. Expanding rooftop solar, battery storage, and smart meters could help double Australia’s solar capacity by 2030—reducing reliance on coal and gas while lowering household energy bills.
“To do things well, we have to think about community,” Bourne said. “We have to think from a community point of view.”
As ARENA’s inaugural chair, Bourne played a pivotal role in shaping the agency’s strategy and investment priorities. He says funding for suburb-wide electrification will help build community resilience and energy knowledge.
Although intellectual property developed by companies during ARENA-funded projects is protected, “the knowledge of how to do it and move things forward has to be in the public sector,” he says. “Eventually, you build up a community of folks who know how to do this stuff.”
Australia already leads the world in rooftop solar, with 4 million households now sporting solar panels. But Bourne says we can go even further.
“With more households and businesses backed up by batteries, we can double our rooftop solar capacity by 2030. It’s one of the fastest ways to cut our use of polluting coal and gas.”
It’s also a way to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. The Climate Council estimates that, on average, homes with rooftop solar save $1,500 per year on energy bills and has called for those savings to be extended to low-income households.
Bourne says the Federal Government can accelerate household and business electrification by rolling out smart meters “everywhere.”
He believes smart meters are essential tools, giving consumers real-time control over their energy use.
“It allows the consumer to start thinking about what they need to do to reduce their bill,” he says. “It allows people to shift the time of day they use their clothes dryer or dishwasher so they won’t be charged as much.”
“Until you actually have a smart meter in your house, it becomes difficult to enable so many of these things.”
Last November, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) finalized a rule mandating universal smart meter installation by December 2030.
Smart meters won’t just help households. They also give electricity retailers and distributors greater control, allowing them to manage demand—turning down air conditioning when the grid is under strain, for instance—and prevent blackouts.
Bourne also wants the federal government to make the mandatory disclosure of building energy ratings an election promise this year. By making a building’s energy efficiency more transparent, tenants, buyers, and investors will have a clearer picture of its energy use and environmental impact when it’s sold or rented.
Transparent energy ratings make it easier for building owners and tenants to invest in energy-efficient upgrades like heat pumps and electric appliances—essential building blocks for electrification. This not only reduces energy consumption but also helps shift properties away from fossil fuels, speeding up the transition to cleaner energy sources.
Despite rising climate denialism and a global political shift to the right, Bourne remains “horribly optimistic” about the renewable energy transition.
“The technology is moving so fast – solar is cheaper, wind is cheaper, storage is cheaper.”
“I know lots of people who just say, stuff it, I don’t care who’s in government, I’m putting panels on my roof.”
“Don’t listen to politicians who say we can’t move forward. Listen to neighbours. Talk to neighbours. Talk to community.”
Bourne believes the renewable energy transition is now unstoppable because it’s simply the most cost-effective option.
“People always used to say, follow the dollars. Where are the dollars going? The dollars are going into renewable energy.”
However, he concedes that companies may adjust their language—and possibly even their renewable energy targets—to align with political shifts.
While they may avoid openly opposing a new president, “CEOs will, without doubt, find ways to be efficient, effective, and profitable.”
“I don’t think we’ll see them modifying their purchases or use of more efficient, cost-effective technology.”
“They’re not likely to start buying something that’s 50% more expensive—not at all.”
You can hear the full interview with Greg Bourne on the SwitchedOn podcast.
Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor, She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.
