It’s not just the nation’s capital – Canberra’s efforts in renewables and energy storage have earned it the title of renewable energy capital of Australia as well.
A new report from the Climate Council details how the Australian Capital Territory came to punch well above its weight.
The ACT is the only state or territory to have a 100% renewable energy target and the goal date isn’t in the distant future either – it’s just a few years away; in 2020.
Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Simon Corbell was understandably quite chuffed the Territory had earned the distinction.
“Canberrans should be proud to be leading the country – and in many cases, the world – in such critical initiatives to tackle climate change,” Mr Corbell said.
All this wind and solar power is great, but what about the cost to households of embracing green power on such a scale? There’s good news there too, with household electricity prices projected to remain among the lowest in the country when the ACT reaches 100% renewable electricity.
In addition to keeping power prices low, Mr. Corbell says flow-on economic benefits have totaled over $500 million.
The initiatives in the nation’s capital have proven to be such a success that even the Canberra Liberals recently altered their stance and have thrown their support behind ACT Labor’s 100% renewables target – and more power to them for doing so.
The ACT is also leading in energy storage. Just last week, the Territory’s government announced another round of subsidised battery systems. Energy Matters is among the companies selected to help roll out new generation energy storage solutions (Tesla Powerwall) to homes and businesses throughout Canberra.
Given the ACT’s population is only around 357,000 (2011 census), its many achievements are particularly impressive and include:
- Supporting the development of 640MW of large scale solar and wind capacity over four years.
- Supporting the installation of 36MW of energy storage across more than 5,000 households and businesses by 2020 – the biggest rollout in the nation.
- “Reverse auctions” have delivered record low wind and solar electricity prices
- 17,000 small-scale solar power system installations
- 1,000+ related construction jobs
“The ACT provides an outstanding example of what can be achieved through renewable energy target setting combined with innovative, well-designed policies,” states the Climate Council’s report summary.
Territory Trailblazer: How the ACT became the renewable capital of Australia can be viewed in full here (PDF).
