Analysts say mounting problems mean Australia will fall well short of 2030 renewable energy target
www.abc.net.au
Australia has ambitious plans to generate more than 80 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2030. But a growing number of experts say the country is way behind where it should be.

Plans by the federal government for Australia to generate more than four-fifths of its power from renewable sources by 2030 are coming under pressure amid claims the country is way off track.

Key points:

  • There are increasing suggestions Australia will fall short of its 2030 renewable power target of 82 per cent

  • Analysts predict Australia’s share of renewable energy is on track to be about 60 per cent at the current rate of progress

  • The forecasts come amid mounting opposition to projects such as transmission lines in some parts of Australia

  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    The forecasts that Australia will undershoot the goal come as resistance grows to a number of major high-voltage power lines that backers say are essential to connecting ever greater amounts of wind and solar generation.

    Opponents of planned transmission lines in Victoria have stepped up their attacks on the proposals, which they claim would cause needless social and environmental damage while saddling consumers with billions in extra costs.

    He noted that a key plank of the federal government’s renewable energy agenda was its so-called rewiring the nation scheme, which had set aside $20 billion in low-cost loans to help kickstart the development of transmission lines.

    In a recent report, energy analysts Nexa Advisory found about 60 per cent of the electricity generated in Australia’s biggest grid was likely to be renewable by 2030, based on the current trajectory.

    While coal plants could be turned down to accommodate surges in wind and solar power at windy and sunny times, he said they typically had to run at between 30 and 50 per cent of their maximum output for technical reasons.

    Eraring is scheduled for closure in August 2025, but NSW Energy Minister Penny Sharpe is coming under increasing pressure to keep at least some of the plant online in a move that would reportedly cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

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