Drought breaks for clean energy in Australia

Renewable energy provided almost 10% of Australia’s electricity in the last 12 months, according to a report released overnight at the UN climate negotiations in Durban.

The 2011 Clean Energy Australia report, produced by the Clean Energy Council, also found that more than half a million household solar power systems were now installed on Australian rooftops – around 35 times the amount just three years ago at the end of 2008.

Over one million Australians now live in a solar household. Solar power has come of age and is now a real part of Australia’s energy sector.

Clean Energy Council Director Kane Thornton said the report confirms Australia is well on the way to achieving the 20% renewable energy target.

Key findings from the report include:
•Renewable energy produced 9.6% of Australia’s electricity in the 12 months from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011.
•Hydro accounted for 67% of the total.
•As of August 2011, 1031 MW of solar power was installed in Australia – representing more than 500,000 household systems. More than 230,000 of these were installed between January and August this year.
•Investment figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance show that the Australian clean energy market was worth $5.2 billion in the 2010-11 financial year.
•More than 8000 people are directly employed in the installation, construction and maintenance of clean energy assets, but this doesn’t include thousands more who are employed in administration, project management, sales, etc.

Click here to view the full report. Available to download from www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au

http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/cec/newsletters/MR061211-drought.html