Released 23/12/2016
Canberra’s renewable energy generation has risen from 18.8% in 2014-15 to 20.2% in 2015-16, announced Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability Shane Rattenbury. The report released today shows we are well on our way to meeting our target of 100% renewable electricity by 2020.
“Canberra has some of the most ambitious renewable electricity targets in the world, equal to other progressive cities like London, Bonn and Seattle,” said Mr Rattenbury.
“It is exciting to see our renewable energy generation grow as new wind and solar projects come online, such as the Williamsdale Solar Farm which is nearing completion and the Mugga Lane Solar Farm which is expected to come online in early 2017.
“The 2015-16 annual Feed-in Tariff (FiT) report shows that renewable electricity generation is projected to rise to 29% in 2016-17, 49% in 2017-18, 77% in 2018-19, 97% in 2019-20 and 100% in 2020-21.
“The growth in the coming years will follow further investment in renewables with contracts now signed for Ararat and Hornsdale wind farms.
“The report showed that just under 100,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity was generated by renewable generators through the ACT Government’s FiT schemes in 2015-16.
“The large-scale FiT scheme supported the generation of 57,423 MWh of renewable energy electricity in 2015-16 – a 72% increase from the 33,397 MWh of electricity generated in 2014-15.
“In the small and medium FiT scheme, there was a slight increase with 10,304 generators producing 34,910 MWh of electricity in 2015-16. Rooftop solar continues to grow with a further 7,406 systems now installed outside of the FiT program. A growing number of households are also taking advantage of the Government’s Next Gen Battery Storage Grants program to install a solar-battery system.
“The ACT Government is punching well above its weight when it comes to investment in renewable technology, and continues to have some of the lowest electricity prices in the country.
“The progress we are making on renewables is stimulating investment across the city, driving economic development, creating jobs in new technology sectors and bringing more business to the capital."
In preparing the FiT report, a miscalculation was also detected in the 2015-2016 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report regarding rooftop solar. The error has been corrected and the total greenhouse gas emissions for the Territory was updated to a rise of 1% on the previous year.
A copy of the FiT report is available from www.environment.act.gov.au
- Statement ends -
Shane Rattenbury, MLA | Media Releases
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