A new Labor government has come in to power with ambitions to transform Australia’s approach to climate change with a $20bn dollar investment into the renewable industry.

The political party are promising to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 43%, which is a considerably higher cut promise than the previous liberal coalition’s target of 26-28%. Labor are also aiming to transition more than 80% of the country’s power to renewables by 2030 with an £11bn spend upgrading the national grid.

The 2021 Australian Energy Statistics for electricity generation shows that 24% of Australia’s electricity came from renewable sources, and over the past 15 years the South Australia territory has installed more large-scale renewable capacity than any other state, boasting more than 160,000 home and business solar systems.

Simon Corbell, the Chief Executive of the Clean Energy Investor Group and architect of the ACT’s shift to 100% renewable power, says Labors plan will accelerate the “step change” scenario outlined by the Aemo in 2020.

“It’s certainly achievable from a renewable energy development perspective,” Corbell says. “The key issue will be delivery of the transmission infrastructure in a timely way.”

“It would require ‘a very high level’ of coordination between the States and the Commonwealth to ensure federal action complements state-based renewable energy zones.” he said.

The policy will need more than 10,000km of new transmission lines. “It’s something we haven’t seen before in Australia,” Corbell says.

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