Australia will play a significant role in the Global Solar Council, which was launched on the weekend at COP21 climate talks in Paris.
Steve Blume, the President of the Australian Solar Council, is a founding Board Member of the new organisation, which has a mission to encourage the rapid and wide-scale adoption of solar energy through global cooperation, education and training.
Currently accounting for less than 1% of global power generation, the Council has set its sights on solar attaining 10% by 2030.
The Global Solar Council is made up of representatives of leading companies, regional and national solar associations and has three key messages to deliver: that solar power is already one of the cheapest forms of electricity, that it can reach everywhere and it will play an important part in limiting increases in global average temperatures.
The energy sector currently accounts for two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“The creation of the Global Solar Council is a historic and exciting step. The Council will drive greater collaboration in solar research and greater economies of scale in manufacturing, which will drive down solar costs for Australian consumers,” said John Grimes, CEO of the Australian Solar Council.
Australia’s Climate Council welcomed the new body and said while Australia’s solar revolution to date had been driven by 1.4 million households investing in solar power systems to reduce their bills, the nation needed to increase focus on large-scale solar.
“The next question for Australia will be utility-scale solar. Countries like China and the US now have large-scale PV plants producing hundreds of megawatts of power. Australia is the sunniest country in the world and we have large open land areas,” said Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie.
Another major global solar partnership announced at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21) is the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The ISA will have members from more than 120 countries, including Australia.
Also announced at or coinciding with COP21 were 1,000 mayors and local leaders from around the world – including from Australia – committing to 100% renewable energy and a number of major brands also pledging the same.
