Parties keep up the energy debate

Energy policy is expected to be a key talking point in coalition and Labor party room meetings in Canberra on Tuesday.

Blackouts in South Australia and rising power bills across the country have led to debate in federal parliament over who is to blame.

Business, community and environmental groups are calling for an end to the political bickering over the issue.

But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stepped up his criticism of Labor, saying the party of the "light on the hill" is heading towards the "darkness of the night".

Three state Liberal opposition leaders in Queensland, SA and Victoria say the solution lies in a single national renewable energy target, rather than the states going it alone.

Labor environment spokesman Mark Butler said the federal opposition supported a national renewable energy target beyond 2020.

"This is a national system that requires national policy," he told reporters in Canberra.

The Minerals Council says there's still a big place for coal in Australia's electricity generation, which was proven over last weekend's heatwave when 74 per cent of NSW's energy to power air-conditioners and fans came from coal.

"Self-evidently, renewable energy plays a niche role in the larger eastern seaboard states and is not able to deliver a reliable supply in maximum demand periods," council director Greg Evans said.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd lamented the issues of climate change and national energy security had become polarised.

"To provide certainty for (energy) markets in the future... you do need a carbon price," he told ABC TV on Monday.