You’ve probably heard by now that oil giant Shell has further expanded into the Australian electricity market by buying Powershop.
On Monday it announced the acquisition of Meridian Energy Australia group, the parent company of Powershop, one of Australia's leading green energy retailers, for a sum of $729m.
The deal comes as a shock to many!
Enova is reaching out to all those customers actively wishing to avoid fossil fuel companies and encouraging everyone to continue to be active in making better choices for a more sustainable future.
Switch from Powershop to Enova and we'll donate $50 to community-owned renewables projects.
Until now Powershop had been a company that promoted itself as Australia's first carbon-neutral energy retailer and one of the greenest (despite being New Zealand-owned). But all this great work from them is now in the hands of an emitter on a global scale.
The reaction to the sale has, unsurprisingly, not sat well with many customers who are now looking for more ethical and sustainable Australian-owned alternatives.
In an interview with RenewEconomy this week, Enova Energy CEO Felicity Stening sought to sympathise with concerned Powershop customers stating:
“We strongly welcome the new enquiries, and we always encourage people to look to ethical providers across all of their services, including energy, banking and superannuation,”.
Seeking an alternative that doesn't invest in gas, oil or coal?
Enova Energy is genuinely committed to championing a 100 per cent renewable energy future. It was established to give people something practical they can do about climate change.
Enova is different
- As Australia’s first community-owned energy provider, we are owned by 1,600 community shareholders.
- Australia’s first social enterprise energy provider and will reinvest 50% of our profits back into Australian communities.
- 100% committed to the transition to a renewable future.
- 100% Australian-owned and operated. We keep energy money in Australia and work to ensure it is circulated in communities
- Choice Australia rated Enova the Best Electricity Provider in 2020 for Customer Service and Environmental Sustainability.
Enova Energy services all of NSW and South East QLD household and business customers.
The question that's got to be asked is, where are the profits going?
Yes, Powershop was a green energy retailer and generator. But where were its profits going? Offshore. How can Australian communities reclaim their power and control over the money associated with energy generation and distribution? This is what Enova is all about. Ensuring energy profits remain in Australia and finding ways to enable energy money to circulate in communities instead of draining away.
It's estimated that $300 million leaves the Northern Rivers region in New South Wales alone, in energy bills each year. Even if you chose Powershop for its renewables, your energy money is not building your community - it's a financial withdrawal from the community and the potential for that money to circulate and build the resilience and wealth of your community is lost.
Here’s a handy guide of questions to ask yourself and make sure you’re making the switch to a better energy option for our climate and communities.
- Is my energy provider currently investing in fossil fuels?
- Is my energy provider still invested in fossil fuels?
- Is my energy provider Australian and/or locally-owned?
- What and how does my energy provider do to reinvest back into local communities?
These are the questions Enova was established to provide an answer to. We don't invest in fossil fuels, we're 100% Australian AND community-owned and we reinvest half profits (after tax and reinvestment) into community projects.
Community Energy
As Australia’s first community-owned energy company, we feel this is as great a time as any to highlight the importance of community energy and creating a movement that’s decarbonising, decentralising and democratising our energy system.
So what do we mean by Community Energy?
Community energy is where communities come around renewable energy projects. This can be through developing, owning, or directly benefitting from projects.
This vision for decentralised solutions that are owned by communities, means towns and suburbs could operate effectively as mini-power plants, generating, storing and sharing their own energy. As more power is self-generated and stored there is less need to draw on energy supplied from remote power plants via the network’s long-distance transmission and distribution lines. If you would like to find out more, check out our page on the importance of community energy here.
It's safe to say the system of having a centralised infrastructure reliant on burning coal and transmitting energy along long-distance power lines is broken and needs to be replaced.
According to Damon Gameau, Director of 2040 and speaker at Enova Community Energy's 2020 event Energy Systems for our Changing Climate, we are now seeing a much-needed shift towards decentralised, renewables-focused energy.
“The future is not centralised energy. It's dispatched, decentralised in different ways, connecting all sorts of energy forms to run our grids and our cars.” Damon said.
Our system was built around the coal and gas industry, which has powered our homes for centuries. However, government policy, subsidies and partnerships are enabling new decentralised systems to be created. Find out more on the matter here.
Enova Community Energy was established to bring this vision to reality. Enova is Australia’s first community-owned energy retailer, formed as a social enterprise to create a cleaner renewable energy future, by building sustainable and resilient communities, where local renewable energy is accessible by all.
Enova as a social enterprise gives back.
Along with our commitment to the renewable future, Enova was established as a social enterprise that will channel 50 per cent of profits (after tax and reinvestment) back into communities. This is part of what makes Enova so unique in the energy retailer marketplace.
Our not-for-profit arm is called Enova Community. It is designed to deliver community energy and energy education services. With deductible gift recipient status, it is a registered charity as well.
This structure ensures that energy money continues to circulate within the community to generate positive environmental outcomes. This is in addition to Enova's commitment to retailing renewables-focussed energy.
Switch from Powershop to Enova and we'll donate $50 to community-owned renewables projects.
Additional Reading:
Renew Economy - Shell snaps up Powershop to accelerate challenge to big energy retail incumbents
The new Daily - Disgusted Powershop customers abandoned ship over Shell takeover
The Guardian - Shell increases stake in Australia's energy market with Powershop takeover
BBC - Netherlands court orders oil giant to cut emissions
