## 5 Discussion
### Policy Recommendations  
Many of the goals of the FB project that would be achieved by the optimal technology profile result (Option 4) are in line with national and subnational targets. From the results, Option 4 of the EMP technology profile could potentially be supported by the existing policies that were mentioned in Section 2.1. Since Option 4 may need aggressive implementation and support from enabling policies as early as 2028 for the proposed RE and EE technologies, the FB project could take advantage of the currently available policies and incentive programs. Homeowners in FB could benefit from the rebates that are offered by the Victorian government for the installation of rooftop solar panels and batteries, as well as the FiT from the PV system's operation, which is subject to the amount of energy export that the local distribution network can absorb. Moreover, the FB project could also benefit from the incentives that are offered by the national SRES, since the assumptions in the EMP framework also take the limit on the capacity of solar PV technology into consideration. These incentives are available for PV systems that are installed before 2030, which is within the completion target for installing rooftop PVs that was suggested by the results of the EMP technology portfolio option from Section 4.2 (Option 4). Energy-efficient technology would also be prioritised based on the results of the 3 BL analysis, which agreed with the results of the technology portfolio assessment. Thus, as with the policy support that would be needed for the rooftop PV implementation, energy-efficient technology could also benefit from existing state and country policies. The retrofitting of existing buildings in FB to improve energy efficiency could be supported by the state VEU as this program is remaining in force indefinitely. Similarly, the installation of heat pumps could also be supported by the state VEU to enhance feasibility and adoption due to the current implementation limitation of the technology. However, the state VEU benefit would not apply to the new buildings that are expected to be constructed in FB. For wind energy technology, the City of Melbourne's commitment to facilitating PPA could provide significant support for the successful implementation of this development. Given the current limitations of the existing policies, the policy-related actions that would provide further support to the FB project if they were to be implemented are listed below. However, planning and policy validation is generally challenging; thus, there is a need to verify these recommendations as outputs of the proposed EMP framework. * Advancing VRET beyond 2030 and setting the goal of 100% by 2050. As discussed in Section 2.1, the VRET is currently only defined up until 2030 (50%). However, the share of renewable power must increase beyond 50% if Victoria is to achieve its net-zero emissions target by 2050. To that end, a VRET that progressively increases to 100% by 2050 would be compatible with the state's carbon neutrality ambitions;
* An extension of the national RET program beyond 2030. As discussed in Section 2.1, there has not yet been any indication that the RET program may remain in force after 2030. The termination of this program would impact the potential beneficiaries of the SRES in FB's residential precincts under the options with timeframes B (2040) and C (2050), which was discussed in Section 4.2. Moreover, the discontinuation could hinder the uptake of renewable energy projects nationwide, which would impact the fulfilment of Australia's commitments to the Paris Agreement. Moreover, national policies, such as RET, would be crucial for Australia to progressively increase the ambitions of its national emissions reduction target, which is stipulated by the Paris Agreement;
* Increase in the minimum FiT in Victoria. The minimum FiT that is set by the Victorian government has been declining in recent years, which is allegedly a reflection of the decreasing wholesale price of electricity [75].