South Australia has its eyes set on becoming Australia’s leader in renewable energy, but its efforts are currently hindered by a lack of infrastructure for the sector. Growth has taken a setback, with future projects under pressure from a dire need of more electricity support and developments.
According to economist Ross Garnaut, two of South Australia’s primary regions throughout the Spencer Gulf and the Eyre Peninsula present the most valuable energy opportunities for the state.
The problem is that these developments can’t progress without better infrastructure, featuring increased voltage transmission. Technology – such as that installed across the SA to New South Wales link – is what the state needs in order to go ahead with influential construction.
Garnaut said that both wind and solar energy developments rely on this growth.
“We need lots more of that kind of infrastructure… so that we can bring together at single points a range of high-quality wind and high-quality solar,” he said. “We can balance the requirements of different parts of the region.”
He further noted that while Australia has recognised these needs, current efforts are only the beginning of the work needing to be carried out.
It’s time to accelerate electricity infrastructure
The transmission line running from South Australia’s west coast – known as ElectraNet – currently can’t cater to large-scale renewable developments. At least one has been in the pipeline for almost two years.
Ausker Energies, based in Melbourne, obtained approval to develop a 50-megawatt wind farm on land located near Elliston in 2001 after it carried out tests to assess compatibility.
Managing director Jacob Cherian said the no work was able to commence without further support towards electricity generation.
To the business, this was a huge letdown, with Cherian stating it was “really sad” to see “the best site in mainland Australia” going to waste.
Unfortunately, approval for the project is now invalid, But the company is still looking at potentially continuing progress, now that ElectraNet is set to create a connection to Yadnarie.
“We are looking at progressing forward, but the main thing is that we have to have confirmation on the line and the connection at Yadnarie,” Cherian said
Providing support will push renewable energy further
South Australia presents a wealth of opportunities for solar power and wind, with future outlooks looking positive if infrastructure regains support.
Building and implementing resources that are desperately needed for the sector will allow SA to keep its competitive edge as one of the most valuable renewable energy locations in the world. Even just a little bit of progress will create countless job openings and a sustainable system that can feed energy back to the grid.
For now, however, there are no significant plans for upgrading the transmission line.
