A newly released report says committing to 100% clean energy in NSW would lead to a jobs and investment boom in the state. The Northern Daily Leader today reported on the ‘Repowering Our Regions’ report by Dr Brad Smith. Dr Smith is a member of the NSW Nature Conservation Council. The NSW clean energy report is based on numerous studies from the various organisations, including the CSIRO, NSW University and AEMO.
It asserts that committing to a 100% Renewable Energy Target by 2030 would create more than 20,000 jobs and billions of dollars in project investment in NSW.
Sample of report findings on NSW clean energy:
- NSW has the capacity to become a “clean energy superpower”.
- The state gets enough sun and wind in two days to power the state for a year.
- Switching to 100% renewables would offer cleaner, cheaper and more reliable electricity than is currently available from the grid.
- Regional NSW could provide more energy that gas and coal reserves, but with none of the pollution.
- Shifting to renewables could drought-proof income for farmers and local communities.
- A 100% RET would create around 22,000 jobs, including 14,000 in rooftop solar and 8,000 in large-scale solar and wind.
Supporting technologies for 100% renewables would include lithium-ion batteries, solar-thermal plants combined with storage, and off-river pumped hydro. Dr Smith said current ageing power technologies in the state threaten grid reliability.
Another assertion of the report is that a “rooftop revolution” is underway. This can be shown through the thousands of households and businesses in NSW that have installed rooftop solar panels.
However, NSW clean energy policies need to make solar power also more fair and affordable for tenants and low-income earners.
NSW regions focus of study
Dr Smith focused on several regional NSW communities in the report, providing a snapshot of each. These include:
- Western NSW – including Broken Hill and Wagga Wagga.
- New England – includes Armidale and Tamworth.
- Central West – such as Bathurst and Manildra.
- South East – includes Wollongong and Goulburn.
- North Coast – e.g. Lismore.
- Hunter and Lithgow region north of Sydney.
Snapshot: the NSW North Coast
The report says the north coast is the NSW clean energy leader in rooftop solar and is a “role model” for the rest of Australia. Nearly one-third of north coast households generate their own power through solar – which is considerably higher than the state’s average of 18%.
Two 100MW solar farms are also being built by the Lismore community and council. These are the first solar farms in Australia to be community-owned and council-operated.
Potential savings on the north coast include $410 billion on energy bills and 12 million tonnes in pollution each year. A potential 1,100 new jobs in the area could also be created.
