Our stand: Our submission to the Federal Government says data centres should bring their own clean energy, and households shouldn’t pay for theirs.

Australia is about to build a lot of data centres to run AI. The national energy market operator expects their electricity use to rise roughly seven-fold by 2035–36, from about 3% of grid demand to 13%.

That much new demand has to come from somewhere. If it isn’t matched by new renewables and storage, it pulls from existing supply. That pushes up wholesale prices for everyone and keeps ageing coal and gas plants running longer. One analysis puts NSW wholesale prices up to 26% higher by 2035 in that scenario.

On 7 October, Zero Emissions Byron | Northern Rivers made a submission to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s consultation, Getting it right: Building AI infrastructure that works for Australia. Our position is simple. Data centres can help the energy transition, but only if the rules are enforceable, not voluntary.

What we asked for

• Bring your own clean power. Large data centres should fully offset their demand with new renewable generation and firming, built before or alongside the load, not after.
• No diesel backup. On-site generation and backup should be renewable only. Contracts for power should be for renewable electricity only.
• Don’t pass the bill on. Operators should pay the full cost of network connections and upgrades, so those costs don’t land on households and local businesses.
• Water first, then cooling. Use recycled and non-potable water first and drinking water last, with efficiency standards that tighten over time. Water use is set to roughly triple within five years.
• One national rule. If each state sets its own rules, operators shop around for the weakest ones.
• First Nations as partners. Traditional Owners should be involved from the earliest feasibility stage, before sites are shortlisted, with free, prior and informed consent.

Why it matters here

Regional areas like ours are in the frame for future sites because they have land, sun and wind. That can be an opportunity: new demand that underwrites new local renewables. But only if communities are part of the decision and aren’t left carrying the costs.

Read the full submission -> Zero Emissions Byron Office of AI Submission 7 October 2026

Net zero has become the go to phrase in corporate climate talk. Almost every big company has one now: a promise to hit net zero emissions by some future date, usually 2050. Sounds great. Ticks a box. Makes for a nice headline. But here’s the thing: a pledge is only as good as what sits behind it. Plenty of net-zero commitments turn out to be long on ambition and short on substance. So how do you tell a credible plan from a well-branded press release? 

Here are 5 questions worth asking.

1. Does it include a real interim target, or just a distant deadline?

“Net-zero by 2050” is an easy thing to announce and a hard thing to be held accountable for, because nobody currently working at the company will still be there to answer for it. 

The credibility test is whether the pledge includes near-term, checkable milestones: targets for 2027, 2030, 2035, with public reporting against them each year. A plan that only names an end date, with nothing in between, is a plan nobody can actually verify until it’s too late to matter and too late for anyone to be held accountable.

2. Does it cover Scope 3 emissions, or just the company’s own operations?

Emissions are split into three buckets:

• Scope 1 is what a company burns or releases directly.
• Scope 2 is the emissions baked into the power it buys.
• Scope 3 is everything else: suppliers, transport, and the big one, what happens when customers actually use the product.

For a mining company or an oil company, Scope 3 is where almost all the real damage lies. So, when a pledge only talks about Scope 1 and 2, it’s bragging about the small stuff while the big stuff stays out of frame.

Pledges that quietly limit themselves to Scope 1 and 2 can look impressive while ignoring the bulk of a company’s real climate footprint.

Case in point: BHP. Its 2024 Climate Transition Action Plan, unchanged in its FY2025 filing, promises to cut operational Scope 1 and 2 emissions by at least 30% by 2030 and reach net zero operations by 2050. Nice. But then, BHP admits it’s “not currently in a position to commit” to any hard Scope 3 target. That’s a big gap, because BHP’s own numbers show Scope 3 runs to roughly 40 times its Scope 1 and 2 emissions combined. You can’t claim net zero while you’re still growing your fossil fuel business. 

3. Is the company still expanding the thing it claims to be phasing down?

Case in point: BP’s 2050 net zero pledge functions as a form of rhetorical cover. It’s a secure public commitment because it’s distant enough to require no immediate action. In actual fact, the near-term targets (production, capex allocation) move in the opposite direction. 

What’s actually happening to the “hard” numbers? 2020: pledge to cut oil and gas output 40% by 2030. 2023: watered down to 25% by 2030. 2025: production target dropped from the reset entirely, oil and gas capex raised to ~$10bn/year (~20% increase), renewables capex cut ~70%. That’s not a wobble. It’s a colossal retreat over five years. It ends in an outright reversal on the measures that were supposed to work on decarbonising, like output volume.

4. Who verifies the numbers. Are they published in full?

Self-reported progress isn’t the same as verified progress. Credible pledges are backed by independent, third-party auditing and disclosed with enough detail that outside researchers, journalists, and watchdog groups can actually check the numbers. 

Also worth watching: whether a company stays inside the accountability frameworks it originally signed up to, or quietly exits them. 

Case in point: between December 2024 and mid-2025, nearly every major North American and several global banks withdrew from the UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance. This was the framework used to set and report on their climate targets since 2021. Leaving the shared framework means there’s no longer a common standard or outside body checking their numbers against everyone else’s. 

When the referee leaves the field, the score becomes whatever each team says it is.

5. What happens to emissions when the company outsources or offsets them?

Two moves are common when direct emission reductions get hard. First, outsourcing energy-intensive work to third-party suppliers who don’t have to report it back, and second, buying carbon offsets instead of cutting emissions at the source.

Neither is inherently dishonest, but both can be used to make a footprint look smaller than it is.

The bigger picture

With no real enforcement power over corporate net-zero claims, accountability so far has come mostly from investors, journalists, NGOs, and independent trackers rather than regulation.

The binding part of any commitment language is the cost of leaving it. Once that leaving-cost drops, like activist investor pressure, or a lax regulatory environment, the pledges turn out to be exactly as they always were. Voluntary.

That’s not a reason for cynicism about every pledge!

It’s simply a reason to read past the headline number and ask 5 questions before deciding whether a company’s climate promise is a legitimate plan or a well-designed piece of marketing.

Curious to get started with your sustainability journey? Check out our Sustainability Toolkit and find out where you are at!

Anne Stuart

Zero Emissions Byron Northern Rivers

When it comes to the renewable transition, Byron Shire and the Northern Rivers have always liked to lead. First to ban single use plastics, first to declare a climate emergency, first to make way to live lighter on the land. So, it is no surprise that our community is asking how we can lead on ensuring everyone gets to come along for the ride, including the renters, pensioners and the families doing it tough on a single income.

One exciting answer to this question is on the horizon: 

Plug-in solar, aka (also-known-as) ‘balcony solar‘. It’s cheap, simple and can be installed by anyone. In our push for a truly local energy transition, it could be a genuine game changer for people who have been unable to join the rooftop solar boom. One big challenge. It is not yet legal in Australia and needs a regulations change as mentioned in the Renewecnomy article here.

What exactly is plug in solar?

Plug-in solar systems are small, usually made up of one or two solar panels, equivalent to approximately 500W. They can be hung off a balcony rail, propped against a fence or laid flat in a courtyard. In many new models these panels come bundled with a small battery to store extra power for later. 

Best of all, the whole setup connects with nothing fancier than a standard power point. No electrician, no scaffolding, no wait for approval.

This is already common in Europe. Germany alone has more than half a million households running these mini power plants, and companies are racing to bring similar kits to Australia, as Renew Economy reports.

Why this matters most for low-income households

Byron Shire’s rental crisis is no secret. Many locals live in units, granny flats or homes they do not own. Across Australia, almost a third of households rent, live in apartments or are connected to shared private networks, which locks them out of traditional rooftop solar, as researchers for The Conversation explain.

Limited roof space, the cost of upgrading old switchboards and wiring, long approval times and landlords who see little benefit in paying for panels that only save their tenants money, all add up to a familiar story: the households who would often benefit most from cheap solar power are the ones least able to access it.

Plug-in solar will not solve every part of that puzzle, but it is an exciting solution for renters and low-income households to help take control of their energy use. 

The upside for Northern Rivers families

There is plenty to feel good about here. Plug-in solar kits typically cost a fraction of a full rooftop system, often just a few hundred dollars, which puts real energy savings within reach of a household budget rather than requiring a loan or years of saving. 

Because they simply plug into a wall socket, tenants can install one and when moving house  take it with them. A plug-in solar kit can help offset daytime power use for things like the fridge, the wifi router or a fan, chipping away at power bills right when households need relief the most.

There is also a community pride factor worth mentioning. Every panel installed on a balcony is a small but visible act of climate leadership, the kind of grassroots participation that turns a region into thousands of achievable actions. 

The catch

The current picture in Australia is a work in progress. 

As things stand, fully grid connected plug in solar systems are not yet certified or legal to install in Australia, because our electrical standards have not caught up with this new technology. 

Rental and strata rules are another hurdle. Landlords and body corporates in Australia currently have far more say over what can be attached to a balcony or wall than tenants do, unlike in Germany. 

It’s also important to note that compared to a full rooftop system, the energy generated and electricity bill savings from a small plug-in system are going to be modest 

The good news is that regulators are actively working through this. Government inquiries are underway and industry voices and advocacy groups like Solar Citizens are pushing hard for rule changes that would let plug in solar be safely and legally connected to the grid. 

The direction of travel is clear; it is hopefully just a matter of time.

What Northern Rivers can do while we wait

In the meantime, there is plenty the wider community can do. 

Locals can also make sure they are getting the most out of existing programs such as the federal Solar Sharer Offer, which delivers free midday electricity to eligible households. 

And everyone can add their voice to campaigns like Solar Citizens’ push for rental and social housing solar, because the fastest way to bring safe, legal, grid connected plug in solar to renters is to keep the pressure on decision makers for a fair shot at cheaper, cleaner power.

Plug in solar will not get us all the way there on its own, but it is a bright, practical step in exactly the right direction, and the Northern Rivers is well placed to lead the way.

Something significant is taking shape across our region. It is exactly the kind of joined-up thinking Zero Emissions Byron has been calling for. Circular Northern Rivers is a new regional coordination hub designed to connect industry, community, research and education around a shared goal: building a circular economy that works for the Northern Rivers.

What is it?

At its heart, Circular Northern Rivers is a neutral connector and enabling platform for regional action. It’s not a council initiative, not a standalone research project, and not another service provider competing for space in an already crowded landscape. 

Instead, it exists to do the thing our region has struggled to do well: coordinate.

The platform is built to:

• Enable collaboration across sectors that too often work in silos
• Support pilot projects and innovation on the ground
• Attract investment into genuinely regional solutions
• Link research directly to real-world application

It’s a simple but powerful idea. The Northern Rivers already has enormous strengths. We have engaged producers, active councils, First Nations knowledge, a strong research base, and a community that cares deeply about place. What’s been missing isn’t our capability, it’s the lack of coordination at scale. 

Circular Northern Rivers is the piece designed to fill that gap.

Why it matters right now

The case for a circular economy in our region isn’t theoretical; it’s sitting in plain sight.

There is a significant, untapped economic opportunity in keeping materials, energy and value circulating locally instead of leaking out of the region.

We do have a fragmented and early-stage circular economy with pockets of great practice but no shared infrastructure to scale it up.

With mounting pressure on businesses and communities to adapt to a changing climate and economy the region is well placed to attract investment if it can show up with a coordinated offer for a strong alignment with national policy and funding directions.

Put simply: the pieces are already here. 

Circular Northern Rivers is the mechanism to connect them, and to build the regional resilience, community strength and economic opportunity that come with getting this right.

Why we’re excited

For an organisation like Zero Emissions Byron, this is the kind of regional infrastructure that turns good intentions into real outcomes. Circular economy thinking only delivers at scale when there’s a trusted platform bringing the right people together, and that’s precisely the gap Circular Northern Rivers is stepping into. 

It’s early days, but Phase 1 is deliberately built to listen first, design with the community, and prove value through visible, real-world pilots rather than announcements alone.

We’ll be watching this closely, and we’d encourage our community to get involved.

Want to be part of it?

Register your interest at Circular Northern Rivers website 

Understanding your electricity bill isn’t exciting, but it’s powerful. Once you’re energy literate, you can start making choices that actually save you money. Take the time and make it work for you with these six how-to tips:

1. How to save money 

When you know how charges are calculated (usage rates, fixed fees, taxes, time-of-use pricing), you can spot ways to cut costs, like shifting usage to off-peak hours.

2. How to catch errors

Bills sometimes contain mistakes, like incorrect meter readings or duplicate charges. Knowing what to look for helps you catch and dispute them.

3. How to track consumption patterns

Looking at your usage over time helps you notice spikes (e.g., from an aging appliance or AC unit) and you can fix the problems early.

4. How to budget for the better

Understanding fixed vs. variable charges helps you predict future costs and plan your monthly budget more accurately.

5. How to Mmake informed decisions

If you’re considering solar panels, a new provider, or energy-efficient upgrades, understanding your current bill gives you a baseline to compare savings against.

6. How to avoid service issues

Knowing due dates, payment terms, and late fees helps you avoid disconnection or penalty charges.

Here are links to help you be energy wise and save on your energy costs. 

1. 1. Energy Made Easy is a Government website to help you compare your current electricity bill and arrangement with comparable or better options.
   2. Iselect Read Your Bill is a website which provides a detailed overview of how to read and understand your electricity bill. 
   3. Amber Electric Help Amber is an electricity wholesaler which acts as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) 
   4. Australian Energy Regulator Bill Info Support and information for Consumers.
   5. Energy and Water Ombudsman Ways to save on your bills Provides information on how to reduce both energy and water.

Zero Emissions Byron Northern Rivers is committed to adapting to change, and supporting a secure energy future for the region.

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has made a final rule to improve how electricity distribution networks are planned and how their data is reported, announced on 16 July 2026 in response to a request from Energy Consumers Australia.

The rule replaces the old annual planning report with a new long-term plan, published every five years with short annual updates in between. It also establishes a new framework for publishing network data, guided by rules from the Australian Energy Regulator.

Together, these changes give consumers, solar and battery investors, and other stakeholders clearer visibility of how networks will develop and easier access to network data.

More information on the final ruling can be found here.

This is the 2026 final rule determination pdf:
National Electricity Amendment (Enhancing Distribution Network Planning and Reporting) Rule 2026

A community-led push for resilient, renewable power takes a major step forward Zero Emissions Byron (ZEB) is excited to share an update on a project we’ve been championing since early 2025: bringing solar and battery storage to Council-owned community facilities across the Shire.

How it started

In early 2025, ZEB Chair Anne Stuart and Jill Moonie of the Brunswick Residents Association (now a ZEB Board member) lobbied Byron Shire Council to embrace renewable energy on its community buildings and invest in battery storage. Their case was simple: given the Shire’s recent history of bushfires, floods and extended power outages, community resilience matters — and batteries paired with solar could help deliver it. By September 2025, Council had agreed to investigate whether solar and batteries could be installed on community facilities to provide power in an emergency. A Community Battery Working Group formed soon after, spending five months exploring possible operating models. The idea was twofold: a replicable model that puts batteries on Council-owned facilities with existing or potential solar — feeding energy back to the grid at night for a financial return — while also providing backup power when the grid goes down.

With the Working Group’s support, Council engaged renewable energy consultants Beam Consulting to assess which facilities could best support battery storage, what the community benefits would be, and what it would cost.

First site: Mullumbimby Civic Centre

The first system proposed is a 10kW solar PV + 24kWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for Mullumbimby Civic Centre. Beam Consulting’s assessment involved:

• Desktop analysis — checking network supply capacity and connection limits, gathering electricity interval data, and reviewing energy tariffs.
• Site inspection — assessing the switchboard’s location, condition and spare capacity, checking available space and compliance for battery and rooftop solar, and identifying locations for solar panels, the battery, converters, load-shedding control circuits and cable routes.
• Design output — preliminary system layouts and design drawings.

Three ways to run it

The consultants modelled three operating scenarios for the site:

• Load Following + Backup (0% reserved) — maximises grid offset and financial savings, but leaves no guaranteed battery reserve for outages.
• Backup Power Resilience (100% reserved) — maximises outage protection, but forgoes day-to-day financial and emissions benefits.
• Optimised (50% reserved) — a blend of both, balancing daily savings with guaranteed backup capacity.

Putting it to the test

To understand how the system would perform in a real emergency, outage simulations were run under two conditions:

• Typical sunshine: an average simulated outage delivered roughly 53 hours of backup power.
• Storm conditions (7% solar irradiance): an average simulated outage delivered roughly 22 hours, with the shortest simulated outage providing around 4 hours using only 20% load shedding — an area the assessment flagged as improvable with more aggressive load shedding.

These figures assume 80% of the site’s load is essential, managed through clear manual load-shedding procedures for staff during an outage.

Why Mullumbimby Civic Centre

The site is a well-established community hub for disaster response, already has air-conditioning (valuable for heat resilience), and has some consumption data available through its existing solar monitoring — making it a strong candidate to lead the way.

Funding update

An Expression of Interest was submitted under the NSW Community Building Partnership 2026 grant program specifically for Mullumbimby Civic Hall. The project was shortlisted, and a detailed application went to the NSW Community Building Partnership on 17 July 2026. This
state grant program supports local infrastructure projects that strengthen the wellbeing of NSW communities.

The funding outcome will be announced on 22 January 2027.