The Smart Energy Council have released a major new report calling on all Australian Governments to commit to a Renewable Energy Storage Target to deliver cheaper, cleaner and more reliable power for all Australians.
“Australia cannot achieve 82% renewables or 43% emissions reductions by 2030 unless we unleash substantial investment in renewable energy storage”
“When it comes to renewable energy storage, we need everything, everywhere, all at once, again and again and again”
John Grimes, Chief Executive of the Smart Energy Council.
The world needs affordable, reliable energy. Our current energy system cannot deliver this, as demonstrated by soaring energy costs and price spikes.
Australia’s gas-industry led ‘gas led recovery’ didn’t take into account that gas is, and will continue to be, one of the most expensive global commodities.
Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere.
Even though CO2 has a longer-lasting effect, at least 25% of today’s global warming is driven by methane from human actions.
The only way Australia will start to get a handle on energy pricing is with self-generated renewable power.
The key to decentralised, self-generated renewable electricity is updates to the power grid and a significant amount of renewable energy storage, primarily batteries and hydroelectric energy storage, both at large and small scale.
The Smart Energy Council working closely with Climate Action Network Australia (CANA), the renewables industry and other key stakeholders to deliver a comprehensive 12-month advocacy strategy and campaign to unlock substantial investment in household, commercial and large-scale renewable energy storage.
The Smart Energy Council want to establish a Renewable Energy Storage Target to ensure emissions reductions are a core objective of the National Electricity Market.
“We need household battery storage, electric vehicles as batteries on wheels, community and commercial battery storage, large-scale storage and long duration solar thermal and pumped hydro.”
“We need strong national policies to ensure we deliver renewable energy storage at the right magnitude and at the right pace. And we need a Renewable Energy Storage Target or Targets.”
“As an immediate priority, the Smart Energy Council, the Clean Energy Investor Group and Climate Action Network Australia calls on all Australian Governments to agree to an Accelerating Renewable Energy Storage Scheme by the end of 2022 to fast-track investment in large-scale renewable energy storage.”
The Smart Energy Council, Climate Action Network Australia and renewable energy storage companies unveiled the Unleashing Renewable Energy Storage Report at the Parliament House Dining Rooms in Canberra.
The Unleashing Renewable Energy Storage Report can be found at https://smartenergy.org.au/unleashing-renewable-energy-storage/
The Smart Energy Council is the independent peak body for Australia’s renewable energy, renewable energy storage and renewable hydrogen industry.
