A new study says renewable energy initiatives are pushing up electricity costs across Australia.
The Institute of Public Affairs used Australian Bureau of Statistics data to examine power costs in capital cities.
The study found that electricity prices in some cities had increased at nearly four times the rate of inflation over the past five years.
It found that Sydney's electricity bills have risen by more than 60 per cent since 2005, followed by Melbourne at 57 per cent.
The IPA's Julie Novak says the increases are linked to the costs of renewable energy projects.
But the director of the Total Environment Centre, Jeff Angel, has dismissed the study's findings as "complete and absolute nonsense".
Mr Angel has called on the Federal and New South Wales governments to defend renewable energy projects.
