Renewable energy experts have called on the conservative Liberal-National federal government and state governments to invest in additional transmission infrastructure and storage, saying Australia’s emissions reduction targets will not be met without rapid policy action.
A statement issued by more than 40 experts, following a three-day symposium at the Australian National University (ANU), said renewable energy was now central to efforts to mitigate climate change, and the energy sector had been deploying solar and wind power at “unprecedented” rates.
“But there are emerging bottlenecks, and the present market settings do not deliver for consumers,” the joint statement said according to The Guardian.
The statement said in order to maintain the rapid pace of renewable energy deployment, Australia “urgently needs” additional electricity transmission, additional energy storage and demand-response mechanisms, electricity-market reform and a solid electricity infrastructure investment framework.
One of the signatories is ANU engineering Professor Andrew Blakers, who recently published upbeat research saying Australia would meet its economy-wide United Nations sponsored Paris Agreement targets five years ahead of schedule if politics did not derail the current pace of renewable energy uptake.
Professor Blakers research said government subsidies for solar and wind were no longer required for the target to be met, but it would be valuable for governments to facilitate new private investment in storage and new transmission lines.
A number of energy experts objected to Professor Blakers study, which appeared out of step with government figures pointing to a trend of rising emissions following the repeal of the former Labor government’s carbon price in 2013, and also to the subsequent media reporting of the findings which did not include qualifications from the author.
A colleague of Professor Blakers at ANU, Professor Frank Jotzo, noted that after the study was published it was “a very big assumption that renewable energy deployment would continue at present rates, and it was actually a straight-line extrapolation from one year’s renewable energy deployment”.
Professor Jotzo is also a signatory to the new statement, which says policy action will be required to meet the Paris Agreement target.
The government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison regularly says Australia will meet its Paris Agreement targets “in a canter”, but the emissions reports released quarterly say greenhouse gas emissions are rising.
Emissions have been falling in electricity because of the closure of ageing coal plants and a higher proportion of low emissions generation, but rising in other sectors.
On current trajectories, Australia’s emissions will reach 563 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, which would equal a seven per cent cut on 2005 emissions levels.
Australia’s target is for a 26 to 28 per cent reduction on 2005 levels.
One Response
The corrupt idiots have already sold the wires and grid. Best to go alone with solar/batteries and disconnect as trough all the mass corruption it can only get worse.