Renewables generation grows to 15%

Renewable energy provided 14.76% of Australia’s electricity in 2013, enough to power the equivalent of 4.9 million homes, according to The Clean Energy Australia 2013 report.

Hydro produced the most clean energy of any source during the year (55% of the total), primarily through Hydro Tasmania’s network of power plants and the Snowy Hydro Scheme in NSW. Tasmania’s largest hydro plant at the Gordon Dam produced substantially higher levels of electricity during 2013 compared to previous years, helped by a wet period between July and November with repeated heavy rains and flooding. The largest wind farm in the Southern Hemisphere, the Macarthur Wind Farm, opened in 2013. In total, Australia’s 1639 wind turbines across the country provided enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1.3 million homes, according to the report.

While 2013 saw some exciting developments in large-scale solar and early-stage technologies such as geothermal and marine energy, these have not yet reached the scale to make a noticeable contribution to Australia’s overall energy generation.

“This report shows that this is an industry poised to unlock tens of billions of dollars in investment, if the national Renewable Energy Target remains in place following the current review process,” said Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green.

Renewable energy now powers the equivalent of almost five million Australian homes, and 1.25 million homes and businesses now have a solar power system. Green said analysis by ROAM Consulting for the Clean Energy Council showed that power prices will actually be lower by the end of the decade if the Renewable Energy Target was left in place than under a scenario in which it was removed.

“This is because without the Renewable Energy Target we would need to get more of our electricity from gas, which the Australian Industry Group and the NSW Government predict may as much as triple in cost this decade,” he said.

Approximately 21,000 people were directly employed by the renewable energy industry in a construction, installation, operations or maintenance role at the end of 2013. While the number has grown significantly over the last decade, it is slightly down on the year before due to a contraction in the market for rooftop solar power - the source of more than half of the sector’s employment. The drop in solar jobs was partly offset by higher employment in the wind industry.

“The Clean Energy Australia Report 2013 shows what the Renewable Energy Target has already achieved. All it needs now is to be left alone to do the rest of its job. With the right policy settings for a stable investment environment, clean energy will help Australia’s economy go from strength to strength.”