Don’t be a dinosaur, it’s time to ditch fossil fuels

It's the only thing everyone is talking about right now!  The cost of fuel is sky- rocketing with no end in sight.  Hell, it might even run out!  Our industrial age reliance on fossil fuels is absolute. The reality of fuel shortages is not only threatening businesses.  It is threatening our ability to continue our normal way of life.  We all knew that war in the Middle East was inevitable at some point.  Hoping that it would somehow be confined to only that region, we didn't anticipate that it would cripple the entire global system.   The impact on fuel prices has a flow on effect onto everything else that we rely on - food, goods and services, raw materials, transportation.

No war was ever fought over sun and wind!

The good news is that Australia has many natural resource advantages.  For more than 200 years, we have gotten rich by digging things out of the ground.  Now in the 21st century, it's time to reap the endless free resource that renews every day and without any human effort expended - sunshine!

Did you know that in NSW, the grid now runs above 50% renewable for many hours most days—and has even averaged over 50% across entire quarters.

Solar installations in Australia have been climbing dramatically since 2018. As at March 2026, there are over 4.3M installations representing just under 40% of households.

Thanks to government incentives, millions of households and businesses have embraced solar and battery storage. This not only reduces the energy costs for those able to implement the PV systems, it also increases the renewable energy flowing into the grid and reduces our overall reliance on fossil fuels.  The upsurge in home battery storage is transforming the grid by decentralising energy back up storage.  When the grid is under extreme pressure from high demand, households and businesses are paid to discharge stored energy to pump up the grid’s capacity to deliver to those who do not have PV. 

The electrification of the grid is also leading to a sharp decline of domestic gas consumption.  This poses a huge problem for gas network providers to keep maintaining the underlying infrastructure as the pool of gas customers contracts.  Even without the fear of whether we will have sufficient gas to meet demand, the cost of using the fuel is set to skyrocket anyway.  It is notable that the Victoria government has banned gas infrastructure in all new developments from 2027.  NSW has not followed suit, but an increasing number of local councils are taking it into their own hands and banning gas in new developments.

Plan for your renewable future

Preparing your business for the future of uncertain fuel and gas supply and pricing is now a no-brainer. You may have had this inner dialogue happening in the back of your brain for a while.  Now is the time to bring that into action. Whether there are incentives on the table right now or not, it is the time to do your research, get informed, check out all your options and get second opinions.

Our renewable options - time to adapt

What can be done to insure against these shocks?  You would be mad to think this is a one-off impact.  Welcome to the rocky future of global instability, not only of climate but of our formerly predictable political, social and economic platforms.  Welcome to the world of adaptation and resilience.

How do you ensure you are resilient to this precarious future?  The good news is that we are already well on the path transitioning to renewable energy sources to replace the fossil fuel dependency.

Order Your Electric Vehicle now!

Full battery electric vehicles made up only about 12% of new car sales in 2025.  Now the energy wars have begun, inquiries for EV’s have jumped by 278% in just one month from February to March 2026.  EV sales in February 2026 were already 95 per cent higher than they were in February 2025.

Councils are scrambling to install EV charging infrastructure on street poles, in shopping centres and community spaces.  Together with generous rebates and incentives offered, there is no better time than now for businesses to transition quickly to EV’s. Right now, the NSW government has a $5M bucket of kick-start funding for small fleets from 3 to 15 vehicles.  The funding is for new Battery EV’s (not hybrids) with a minimum purchase price of $40,000 or more (including GST).  Vehicles must be ordered after 16 December 2025 and before 29 May 2026 in order to be eligible.

Shifting to Solar PV and Battery 

Many households have already gone solar and are reaping the benefits of cheap power.  But there is still so much opportunity for small businesses to slash energy outgoings.   

The most common objection I hear from business owners is that they don’t own, but lease their premises and the landlord objects.   The business case stacks up even if the lessee agrees to pay for the installation (especially once rebates and government grants are taken into account).  The landlord would be crazy not to give consent. The solar PV and battery system become a part of the building, so it's a capital improvement to their asset, which increases the value to current and future tenants!  Meaning higher rental incomes.  The tenant cannot remove and take the system with them once the lease is up.  For a business with a medium to long term lease, over a commercial building that is ideal for roof top solar it's a win-win for both tenant and property owner.

Note though that if you are a business and considering installing solar and battery to take advantage of the Cheaper Home Battery Program, be aware that from 1 May 2026, the available incentives for batteries over 14kWh will drop, so jump on it now and lock in your battery price promptly. Cheaper Home Batteries Program | energy.gov.au

So what can you do?  You might be in a position to take action immediately and jump on these incentives now.  But even if your not in a position to act, now is the time to start the process of looking into your options and creating a roadmap for when you are ready to make some changes.  There are a lot of options available and having someone to talk them through with is always better than trying to work it out alone. 

Reach out to me to have a conversation about what’s possible for your business.