The Australian newspaper’s ham-fisted and down-right misleading attack on rooftop solar incentives has spread far and wide, with the story spreading through the Murdoch media stable, on to other mainstream media, leading TV news reports, talk-back radio, and – of course – the climate denialist blogosphere. RenewEconomy and its stable of publications are often accused of being an “advocacy” group for renewables. Our intent is to report and analyse trends in the clean energy transition, but our time is often diverted by refuting, and calling out, some of the complete clap-trap that is published in the Murdoch stable and elsewhere, and in parliament through the hard right anti-renewable, anti-science ideologues. We make no apology for that. And we wonder – would the reporter in question have been allowed to make the same errors when he was at Bloomberg? Suspect not. Elsewhere in this podcast, Nigel Morris reports on some important solar industry forums, and highlights some of the spivs and cowboys preying on the unwary through telephone cold calls and doorstops. How to un-mask a solar fraudster? A good first step is to ask for their accreditation. And there’s more – important developments in the grid, and some exciting news on electric motorbikes that Nigel couldn’t get placed in The Driven podcast. And if you haven’t listened to his interview with Denis Savic, a young entrepreneur looking to build electric two-wheelers in Australia, then you should. And don’t miss our Energy Insiders interview with Angelina Galiteva, the vice-chair of California’s Independent System Operator, on how the world’s fifth biggest economy is to transition to 100 per cent renewables by 2045. You can find all episodes of our Energy Insiders, Solar Insiders and The Driven podcast here. Solar Analytics is a proud sponsor of Solar Insiders.
