Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just over a year ago in Canberra, I went to see a demonstration project involving bidirectional energy charging technology funded by ARENA. For those who don't know what bidirectional energy charging is, it basically enables your car to become a mobile battery—if you have electric vehicles, that is. That can be a very resourceful use during power outages. It means you can charge your electric vehicle car from your rooftop solar panels, and then, after you've finished driving for the day, you can use your car battery to power up appliances at home. Bidirectional energy charging is literally putting power in the hands of people. But the best part of this is that it can use renewable energy, which then helps to drive down emissions. I can't believe how quickly this technology has developed and become commercially viable, all thanks to a federal government grant of $3.5 million. That means the future is here.

JET Charge, in Melbourne, is leading the way in making bidirectional energy charging a commercial reality. I recently visited this impressive company and met their founder, Tim Washington, who happens to be a Higgins constituent. JET Charge is a real-life example of how our government's commitment to technology R&D is the right approach to driving down emissions. You need smart, sensible investment, and that means investing in technology, and that's what this government is doing—driving down emissions by supporting clean technology, research development and commercialisation.