Labor is demanding Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reconfirm his government's commitment to wind and solar power after his predecessor called for a renewable energy target to be scrapped.
Tony Abbott wrote over the weekend the near-doubling of renewable energy supplies by 2020 required by the national target would be a "death knell for the heavy industries of ... South Australia and almost certainly will destroy the aluminium industry everywhere", as well as leading to electricity price hikes.
But Labor's energy spokesman Mark Butler says recent price spikes have more to do with a chaotic gas market than the cost of renewable energy.
While much of the commentary focused on prices in South Australia, which gets about 40 per cent of its power from renewables, Mr Butler said there had been price spikes over summer in every state.
"One price spike over the course of summer can not be laid at the feet of renewables," he told ABC radio on Monday.
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"Every time there's a hiccup in the industry, the hard right of the Liberal Party tries to blame it on renewables even when, frankly, renewable energy has nothing to do with the problem people are focused on."
The government under Mr Abbott's leadership cut the renewable energy target to 23.5 per cent of power generated by 2020.
But the former prime minister urged Mr Turnbull to scrap it completely.
"Ending any further mandatory increase in the use of renewables will mean a huge fight in the Senate, but at least the government will be on the side of lower power prices and more jobs, while Labor will be stuck on a dangerous limb with the Greens," Mr Abbott wrote in The Australian at the weekend.
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg told the newspaper on Monday the government had no plans to change the target.
