The first half of this year was powered by the claims and counter-claims made in Government and outside it about the relative futures of coal, gas and renewable energy. Now that the dust has settled, it seems clear that the electricity grid is in the midst of a rapid and massive transformation; that, as the CSIRO has stated, there is no apparent technical impediment to reaching 100 per cent renewables for the national electricity grid; and that the seemingly dire situation in relation to gas supplies is a result of policy failures rather than gas undersupply.
In order to escalate much needed change towards a decarbonised energy system, the Nature Conservation Council in NSW has recently launched the #RepowerNSW campaign.
NCC’s major aim is to commit NSW to a clean, reliable, affordable energy system, by persuading the state Government to:
- Commit to sourcing all our electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2030.
- Create incentives that encourage investment in energy storage, including batteries, pumped-hydro and solar thermal storage to increase grid reliability.
- Rule out new coal mines and gas fields in NSW.
Furthermore, to make the transition fair, the NSW Government must:
- Help workers and communities transition as coal-fired power stations and coal mines close.
- Protect community health by cleaning up air pollution from coal-fired power stations.
You can take the very first step to #RepowerNSW with clean energy by signing their petition here – we are going to need everyone to make this happen!
Sources:
Giles Parkinson, ‘CSIRO says Australia can get to 100 per cent renewable energy’, RenewEconomy, 22 February 2017