Australia: Government jeopardises wind energy solution

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Government jeopardises wind energy solution

In 2004, Australia's installed wind power almost doubled and there are projects approved or under construction that will quadruple it again. Once they’re all on line, wind will be supplying enough energy to power some 750,000 homes.

Yet government incentives are running out fast, with the pitifully low Federal clean energy target almost reached three years ahead of schedule.

Greenpeace International's Climate Policy Director, Steve Sawyer, currently visiting Australia, warned that without legislated targets to achieve 20 per cent clean, renewable energy by 2020, Australia's clean energy industry would not be able to compete with those in China, Europe and the USA, where similar targets are in place.

Sawyer is launching a newly updated report, Wind Force 12, which is a global industry blueprint that demonstrates that there are no technical, economic or resource barriers to supplying 12 per cent of the world's electricity needs with wind power alone by 2020.

But the report also explains that, for the industry to achieve its real potential, governments must introduce policies to remove obstacles and market distortions that currently constrain it.

“Wind power is technologically mature, commercially competitive and can be installed quickly. This makes it ideally suited to take on our greatest challenge: meeting energy demand and safeguarding energy security while tackling the threat of climate change,” Sawyer, who advised the Chinese Government on the development of its renewable energy law, said.

“Australian political leaders should be mandating targets of 20 per cent clean energy by 2020 and taking advantage of the jobs, investment, clean air and climate protection that will flow.”

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