The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) has joined with other conservation councils around the country today to release the States of Transition report, which compares each state and territory’s progress in the race towards renewable energy.
The report has found that while Western Australia has fallen behind other jurisdictions, with just 25% renewable energy generation. It also identifies a range of opportunities which could be implemented in WA to restore investor confidence in the renewables sector.
CCWA Executive Director Matt Robert’s said a critical first step would be the inclusion of renewable energy and emissions reduction targets in the Cook Labor Government’s pending WA Climate Change Act.
"WA is a national leader in rooftop solar, and we’ve seen a significant amount of electricity generation from it during the peak summer days,” Mr Roberts said.
“While this is a huge achievement, we need to do more to keep up with other jurisdictions across Australia and develop a stable and ongoing plan for renewable electricity generation and storage in WA.
“This report shows that key policy gaps have let us down in the energy transition, but it also makes it clear what we can do to get back on track: namely, committing to ambitious renewable energy and emissions reduction targets.
“We have some great examples here in WA of people-led renewable energy projects, including the Denmark Community Windfarm, which supplies around 50% of the 14-gigawatt hours of electricity consumed by local homes and businesses.
“Another example is the The Yindjibarndi Energy Corporation, a partnership between the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation and ACEN, to develop large-scale renewable energy projects on Yindjibarndi Ngurra Country,” Mr Roberts said. “This includes a target of 750 megawatts (MW) of wind, solar, and battery storage.”
Mr Roberts said even more ambitious outcomes being achieved in energy transition in other states and territories provided a clear road map for the WA government and industry.
“Right now, WA is the only state without a 2030 emissions reduction target or renewable energy target, and we’re the only state with increasing rates of climate pollution since 2005,” he said,
“West Australians and industry are calling for a proper roadmap to get us to our net zero 2050 commitment.
“The state and federal elections have shown that voters want climate action. The Cook Government has the opportunity to raise ambition, commit to 2030 emissions reduction and renewable energy targets, and support a fast, fair, and nature-friendly energy transition.
“West Australians deserve clean and affordable energy that supports climate, nature, and communities.
“Renewable energy is our opportunity to rewrite the rules as a community, and make our energy mix work for us and the places we love – whether we live in the South West, the Wheatbelt, the Pilbara, or anywhere across our beautiful state.”
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