The Clean Energy Council surveyed approximately 60 CEOs and senior executives from member companies to gauge investment confidence, employment trends and business challenges.
The results and associated comments from respondents reflected a consistent story – that investment and activity have been booming in the short term, but confidence for the longer term is lower than it would otherwise be due to the lack of policy certainty.
What is your level of confidence to make investments in renewable energy in Australia in the next 3 years?
While investment confidence is at a reasonable level, it is certainly not strong. Responses to this question could be summed up in two words – policy uncertainty. This was an overwhelming trend throughout the survey and while confidence in the short term appears strong, CEOs and senior executives are wary of making longer-term investment decisions.
What is your level of confidence to make investments in clean energy in each state over the next three years?
The survey found that the recent Victorian election and government policy agenda gave executives the highest confidence rating of any state to invest, followed by New South Wales and Queensland.
How do you expect the number of people your company employs in renewable energy in Australia to change in the next 12 months?
Employment within the renewable energy sector appears very strong in the short term with 83 per cent of those surveyed saying they expect to increase the number of people employed in Australia in the next 12 months. But again, beyond 2020 there was less confidence in employment levels.
What factors are creating the greatest challenges for your business to develop renewable energy projects in Australia?
The leading challenges are the grid connection and network access, followed closely by lack of federal energy and climate policy. Responses indicated that attracting the right workforce is an increasing concern for companies as organisations grow at rapid rates.
Download the Clean Energy Outlook - Confidence Index
