States Renewable Energy Race
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
POWERING PROGRESS: STATES RENEWABLE ENERGY RACE CLIMATECOUNCIL.ORG.AU Thank you for supporting the Climate Council. The Climate Council is an independent, crowd-funded organisation providing quality information on climate change to the Australian public. Published by the Climate Council of Australia Limited ISBN: 978-1-925573-79-4 (print) 978-1-925573-78-7 (digital) © Climate Council of Australia Ltd 2018 This work is copyright the Climate Council of Australia Ltd. All material contained in this work is copyright the Climate Council of Australia Ltd except where a third party source is indicated. Climate Council of Australia Ltd copyright material is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License. To view a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org.au. You are free to copy, communicate and adapt the Climate Council of Australia Ltd copyright material so long as you attribute the Climate Council of Australia Ltd and the authors in the following manner: Powering Progress: States Renewable Energy Race. Authors: Louis Brailsford, Andrew Stock, Greg Bourne and Petra Stock. — Cover image: 'Mt Gellibrand wind farm', Climate Council. This report is printed on 100% recycled paper. facebook.com/climatecouncil [email protected] twitter.com/climatecouncil climatecouncil.org.au CLIMATE COUNCIL I Preface The renewable energy boom is accelerating in Australia, and across the world. State and territory governments are leading Australia’s electricity transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and storage. Every year the Climate Council tracks the relative progress of Australian states and territories based on their performance across a range of renewable energy metrics: percentage of renewable electricity; proportion of households with solar; large-scale wind and solar capacity per capita; and targets or policies in place for renewable energy. We also outline progress for each state and territory government over the last twelve months in terms of renewable energy growth and policy, as well as their position on fossil fuels. This report is the Climate Council’s fourth scorecard evaluating state and territory progress on renewable energy. This report follows on from previous state and territory renewable energy updates in 2014, 2016 and 2017. We would like to thank Tim Buckley and Renate Egan for kindly reviewing the report. We also appreciate the assistance of Huw Jones in its preparation. We would also like to thank the relevant state and territory departments for reviewing and providing feedback on each state or territory profile. Authors Louis Brailsford Professor Andrew Stock Greg Bourne Petra Stock Researcher Climate Councillor Climate Councillor Senior Energy and Climate Solutions Analyst II POWERING PROGRESS: STATES RENEWABLE ENERGY RACE Key Findings 1 2 Tasmania, ACT and SA are equal winners of States and territories continue to lead the way this year’s renewables race. WA and the NT on renewable energy in the ongoing absence are lagging at the back of the pack. of credible national climate policy. › The Climate Council’s 2018 renewable energy › Australia is already experiencing the devastating scorecard finds Tasmania, the Australian Capital impacts of climate change, such as worsening Territory (ACT) and South Australia are leading extreme weather events. To effectively tackle the other states and territories across a range of climate change we must accelerate the transition renewable energy measures – based on each to renewables and storage technologies. state’s proportion of renewable energy, wind and solar capacity per capita, proportion of › With the exception of Western Australia, all states households with solar, and renewable energy and territories have committed to renewable targets and policies. energy targets and/or net zero emissions targets. › Western Australia, the Northern Territory and › Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia have the New South Wales are lagging behind the other highest proportion of renewable electricity. states and territories. Western Australia’s share of renewable energy is low, however the state › South Australia continues to have the largest has the third highest proportion of households amount of installed wind and solar capacity with rooftop solar. The Northern Territory has (1,831MW), closely followed by New South Wales a low share of renewable electricity and solar (1,759MW) and Victoria (1,634MW). On a per capita households, but is set to implement its plan basis, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania are to reach 50% renewable energy by 2030. New the leaders. South Wales does not have a renewable energy target and has no plan to replace its ageing and › Queensland and South Australia have the highest unreliable coal power stations. proportion of households with rooftop solar, at 32.9% and 32.3% respectively. Western Australia is in third place with 26.7% of households with rooftop solar. KEY FINDINGS III 3 4 Queensland has more renewable energy More solar PV capacity was added around projects under construction than any the world than coal, natural gas and nuclear other state. combined. › Almost 10,000 jobs are being created in the › Almost three-quarters of new energy generation renewable energy industry across Australia with capacity added globally was renewable in 2017. 69 wind and solar plants under construction. › Electricity generation from coal and gas fell for › Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales are the fifth consecutive year. home to the vast majority of these projects. › Approximately 17 countries generated more than › Queensland and Victoria have ambitious 90% of their electricity with renewable energy in renewable energy targets and policies to 2017. Australia was not one of them. increase the amount of renewable energy. › South Australia has at least eight new projects under construction and is on track for 73% renewable electricity in just two years. climatecouncil.org.au THE AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY RACE: 2018 SCORE CARD TAS FRONT ACT RUNNERS SA CATCHING VIC UP QLD NSW AT THE NT STARTIN BLOCKS WA Net zero % Renewable Capacity per % solar Renewable emissions energy (2017) cap (kw/cap) households energy targets targets Highlights 87.4 0.7 14 100% by 2022 Net zero Highest proportion of renewable TAS by 2050 electricity. Achieved net zero emissions. 46.2 1.1 14 100% by 2020 Net zero On track to meet renewable ACT by 2045 energy target. 43.4 1.1 32 - Net zero On track for 73% renewables SA by 2050 by 2020. 13.6 0.3 16 25% by 2020 Net zero Completed Australia’s largest VIC 40% by 2025 by 2050 renewable energy reverse auction. 7.1 0.1 33 50% by 2030 Net zero Highest proportion of solar by 2050 households. QLD Largest number of projects under construction. 12.6 0.2 18 - Net zero Strong pipeline of renewable energy NSW by 2050 projects with planning approval. 3.0 0.1 14 50% by 2030 - 50% renewable energy target NT by 2030. 7.5 0.2 27 - - Only state with no renewable WA energy target or net zero emissions target. CLIMATE COUNCIL V Contents Preface ................................................................................................................................................................................................ i Key Findings ....................................................................................................................................................................................ii 1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................................1 2. States and Territories stepping in to tackle climate change ...................................................................................... 5 3. State and Territory Renewable Energy Scorecard 2018 ...............................................................................................7 3.1 Percentage renewable electricity 8 3.2 Wind and solar capacity per person 10 3.3 Proportion of households with solar 12 3.4 Renewable energy targets and policies 16 3.5 Powering forward: the renewable energy construction boom 17 4. State and Territory by Renewable Energy Progress ................................................................................................... 19 4.1 Front Runners 20 Australian Capital Territory 20 Tasmania 22 South Australia 24 4.2 Catching up 28 Victoria 28 Queensland 31 4.3 At the starting blocks 33 New South Wales 33 Northern Territory 35 Western Australia 37 5. Vacating the Field: The NEG and Federal Government inaction ........................................................................... 39 References .......................................................................................................................................................................................41 Image Credits ................................................................................................................................................................................44 1 POWERING PROGRESS: STATES RENEWABLE ENERGY RACE 1. Introduction Every year the Climate Council tracks Over the past year, with the ongoing the relative progress of Australian absence of credible climate and energy states and territories based on their policy at the federal level, states and performance across a range of territories have continued leading the renewable energy metrics: percentage charge on renewable energy. Along with of renewable electricity; proportion the national Renewable