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.
Victoria launches game-changing solar incentives for big business
The Clean Energy Council has welcomed a new Victorian Government initiative offering major discounts of up to $34,300 for large commercial and industrial businesses to install rooftop solar systems (30–200 kW) under the Victorian Energy Upgrades Program, announced today.
Submission on National Electricity Market wholesale market settings draft report
The Clean Energy Council welcomes the opportunity to provide this submission on the National Electricity Market wholesale market settings draft report and to provide feedback in relation to the recommendations put forward by the Nelson Panel (the Panel).
Submission to Select Committee on information integrity on climate change and energy
The Clean Energy Council welcomes the opportunity to make a submission as part of the Senate Select Committee inquiry into information integrity in climate change.
Submission to New England REZ generation and storage consultation paper
The Clean Energy Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on EnergyCo’s proposed New England REZ generation and storage consultation paper for the next phase of NSW’s energy transition.
Planned upgrades to WA's main grid a welcome boost to state's energy transition
The Clean Energy Council welcomes the release of the new South-West Interconnected System (SWIS) Transmission plan by the Cook Government, setting out a schedule of upgrades to expand transmission infrastructure and unlock over 2 GW of renewable generation capacity by 2030, and strengthen the competitiveness of local businesses and supply chains in delivering this critical component of the state’s energy transition.
Wind, solar, hydro and storage powering Australia's path to 2035
The Clean Energy Council welcomes today’s announcement by the Federal Government and Climate Change Authority in setting Australia’s next emissions reduction target. These targets are essential to give investors and communities the confidence that Australia is serious about delivering on its climate commitments.
