Jasper Webster from Pingala Community Energy wants solar to reach the households it’s left behind 

For many of the western Sydney households Jasper Webster works with, the energy bill is the one they dread opening.

“They’re struggling to pay their electricity bill, so what we’re doing can really make a difference and give them some relief,” he says.

Jasper is one of three community leaders travelling to COP31 as part of a Rewiring Australia delegation funded by the Australian Government.

He studied solar engineering at university, but now uses that training to bring solar to people who have been locked out of it. Through Inner West Community Energy where he volunteers, and at Pingala Community Energy, he helps households get the benefits of solar, whether they own their home or not.

At Pingala his work is funded through a NSW community housing energy performance grant and his role is to help low income households to get quotes and guide them through the process, one household at a time.

“It’s a job I love because you can really see the impact,” he says. “I enjoy working in the halfway zone, where I can use my technical background but work closely with people too. And I get to use those skills to make a difference on climate change.”

Part of that difference comes before a single panel goes up.

“Most people feel like they have no control over their energy costs at all. We show them that by shopping around for a better deal, they can often save as much as if we put solar on their roof. That’s now a lot of my work.”

The challenge, he says, is reach.

“We’re a small, passionate team, but there are people all over Australia who could benefit from what we’re doing. We need to scale this up.”

That’s what he’s taking to COP31.

“I really want to find other community groups who have scaled up their work and have different ideas about reaching people. Australia has some of the most innovative tech in the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from groups doing it differently.”

Jasper also volunteers with Inner West Community Energy, helping his neighbours access household and community solar, and supporting strata residents to electrify, a group often blocked by the complexity of shared buildings.

He has previously represented UNSW at an international climate and energy forum in Fiji, comparing renewable energy solutions and challenges across Pacific nations.

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