A plan developed by the Australian Greens to provide Australia with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050 includes a renewed push for a gross, national feed in tariff for renewable energy.
The Greens’ Safe Climate (Renewable Energy Infrastructure) Bill would map the renewable energy resource areas of Australia and create renewable energy development zones, with streamlined approval processes and funding connection of the zones to the electricity grid.
“Australia can harness our tremendous resources of the sun, wind, ocean, earth and human ingenuity to replace our reliance on coal with 100% renewable energy within decades,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
The policy would work alongside a gross national feed-in tariff, giving renewable energy investors certainty; and would see an increased renewable energy target.
“We need policies to drive renewable energy and an infrastructure plan to enable the expansion to 100%. We need a plan, not ad hoc grants cobbled together for an election,” said Senator Milne.
Senator Milne is also the champion of a bill for a national, gross feed-in tariff to pay a guaranteed fair price for all electricity produced by all forms of renewable energy. The bill was supported in principle by a Senate Committee and sent to COAG for consideration, but never acted upon.
National solar power solutions provider Energy Matters has been running a petition at FeedInTariff.com.au calling for a national gross feed in tariff program for solar power that has so far collected over 20,000 signatures.
In Australia, currently only New South Wales and the A.C.T offer a gross feed in tariff. Other states run net feed in tariff schemes that only pay the premium rate for electricity exported to the mains grid that is surplus to the use of the building upon which a solar power system is installed.
