Government introduces legislation to enhance renewable energy target

The Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water, Senator Penny Wong, recently announced reforms to enhance Australia’s 20% Renewable Energy Target.

The Minister commented that the Renewable Energy Target was a key part of the government’s action on climate change, stating: “This target will help Australia harness its vast renewable energy resources and drive investment in renewable energy technologies, industries and jobs.

“The enhancements we are making to the Renewable Energy Target will provide greater certainty for clean energy generators, and further support for households doing their bit to install renewable energy at home.”

The legislation introduced will, from 1 January 2011, split the RET into two parts - the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET).

“These enhancements have been widely welcomed by industry,” Senator Wong said. “They mean the RET will work better, provide greater certainty for business, create new jobs and support large- and small-scale renewable energy projects.”

The LRET, covering generation-scale renewable energy projects like wind farms, commercial solar and geothermal, will deliver the vast majority of the 2020 target. The SRES will cover household-scale technologies such as solar panels and solar hot water systems and deliver the remainder of the target.