Emissions reductions delivered by renewable energy
Read our report on emissions reductions in Australia as a direct result of the uptake and acceleration of clean energy
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19 Nov 2024
Since 2015, 40 GW of new rooftop solar and large-scale renewable energy capacity has been deployed across Australia, with the share of renewables in the energy system climbing from 16 per cent to just shy of 40 per cent in 2023.
This investment has resulted in emissions being 30 per cent lower today than they would have otherwise been without the renewable energy investment since 2015. In aggregate, this has resulted in over 200 million tonnes of avoided CO2 emissions since 2015, relative to if Australia had continued to rely on the 2015 power plant fleet.
The growth in renewable generation since 2015 is estimated to have avoided 55 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in the 2023 calendar year, relative to a situation in which we had continued to rely on the generation fleet in place back in 2015. This is equal to a 30 per cent reduction in electricity emissions
This will deliver 75 million tonnes of emission reductions in that year relative to if we had
kept the 2015 mix of generation plant in place. This is a 39 per cent reduction on electricity emissions. That is equivalent to reducing the emissions from all of Australia’s cars, light commercial vehicles, and aeroplanes to zero.
That's if growth continues at the pace required to meet the Federal Government's target of 82% renewable energy by 2030.
Planning reform and transmission top priorities for Energy Roundtable - CEC
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) welcomes the opportunity to participate in the Energy Roundtable being hosted by the Minister for Climate Change and Energy on 8 August, focussed on driving productivity to secure Australia’s energy future.
This is a valuable opportunity to have a serious and solutions-focussed discussion about the nation’s clean energy transition and the challenges currently confronting it.
Clean Energy Council welcomes NEM Wholesale Market Review
The Clean Energy Council (CEC) welcomes the release of the draft report of the NEM Wholesale Market Settings Review, which puts forward a suite of policy reforms aimed at delivering the affordable, reliable and clean energy system Australia needs over the long term.
Productivity, Planning and Powering Australia’s Future: Highlights from ACES 2025
The 2025 Australian Clean Energy Summit held in Sydney earlier this week, by the Clean Energy Council brought together over 1500 industry professionals, leaders, policy makers, developers across leading clean energy organisations, in two days of lively discussions and presentations covering the challenges and opportunities facing Australia’s energy transition.
2025 Clean Energy Council Awards winners announced
The 2025 Clean Energy Council Award winners announced on Tuesday evening at the Australian Clean Energy Summit in Sydney represented some of the best and brightest minds driving change and innovation in the renewables sector.
Clean Energy Council welcomes NSW Government firming tender to boost energy security
Today’s announcement by the NSW Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe, to direct a tender for the supply of 500 MW of additional firming capacity in NSW, was welcomed by the clean energy industry, following the Minister’s address at the Clean Energy Council’s 2025 Australian Clean Energy Summit in Sydney today - a move the peak body says will safeguard NSW amid a forecast energy shortfall in 2027-28.
GenCost 2024-25 reaffirms renewables as lowest cost energy transition pathway
The latest GenCost report released by the CSIRO today reaffirms the longstanding reality that renewables are the lowest-cost, and most practical option to transition Australia’s energy system.
