The Greens' plan for 90% renewables by 2030

The Australian Greens have released their plan to ensure that, by 2030, Australia’s energy generation is at least 90% renewable and twice as efficient as today.

“Today the Greens unveil RenewAustralia — our plan to power the new economy and create thousands of jobs,” Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale said on Sunday.

RenewAustralia, a $500 million government authority, would deliver a 15-year pipeline of clean energy projects through a combination of reverse auctions and direct investment. The authority would be tasked with planning and driving the transition to a new clean energy system to leverage $5 billion of construction in new energy generation over the next four years.

“The Greens want to ‘power up’ the country, so RenewAustralia will increase our overall electricity production by about 50% and help double our energy efficiency by 2030,” said the Australian Greens’ spokesperson on Treasury, Energy and Industry, Adam Bandt. “This will mean more jobs in the electricity sector and more jobs in new industries looking for cheaper, clean power.

“Government will deliver major new clean energy projects where the sun shines, the wind blows and the waves pound by working with industry and the community through a combination of reverse auctions and direct investment.

The plan would additionally include the implementation of pollution standards to enable the gradual, staged closure of coal-fired power stations as renewable energy capacity increases. A $1 billion Clean Energy Transition Fund would assist coal workers and communities with the transition.

The announcement follows the news that the UK has proposed to phase out coal-fired power stations by 2025, with the Australian Greens calling for Australia’s government to follow suit.

“This is a significant movement by one of the G7 nations and is just the latest example of countries around the world acknowledging that the age of coal is over,” said Bandt.

“And unlike the UK, Australia is blessed with an abundance of renewable energy sources, meaning we can jump straight to solar and wind without a costly and unsafe detour through nuclear or gas.

“It is time for the Australian Government to catch up with the rest of the world and commit to phasing out coal from our energy mix through investing in and growing clean, renewable energy.”

For more information on the initiative, visit http://renewaustralia.org.au.