Canberra will be first Australian city to run on 100% on renewable energy from October 1
ABC Net reported that Canberra will be effectively powered by renewable energy from October 1 — the first Australian jurisdiction to do so, according to the ACT’s Climate Change Minister. October marks the date when the third stage of South Australia’s Hornsdale wind farm comes online, from which the ACT has purchased the last trickle of renewable energy it needs to claim 100% renewable power. It fulfils a decade-long promise by the ACT Government to reach the milestone by 2020.
Climate Change Minister Shane Rattenbury said that “We will be effectively there from October 1.”
The ACT will be “effectively” powered by 100 per cent renewables after October because the territory will still be part of the national electricity grid — mostly powered by fossil fuels.
Rather, for every watt Canberra draws from the grid, it will be feeding in a watt from one of its renewable sources.
Mr Rattenbury said that “That will come from rooftop solar in the ACT, from large scale wind and solar projects … and also our share of the national renewable energy target.”
Canberra residents pay about AUD 5 a week on top of their average electricity bill to pay for the city’s renewable energy.
That equates to about 13% of the average ACT electricity bill the fourth most expensive power bill in the country, according to the Australian Energy Market Commission.
Source : ABC NET
