《The Planetary Press translated article (※1)》
Two Australian cities are now powered by 100% renewable energy. The cities of Sydney and Adelaide announced that, as of July 1, 2020, they would use electricity generated by renewable energy supplied from regional areas to run all city operations (※2).
The two cities worked with Flow Power to transition the energy used within the cities to renewable sources. Through power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Flow Power, the cities will be supplied by a combination of wind and solar power.
Clock tower of Sydney Town Hall (Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ/Flickr [public domain])
Sydney’s power purchase agreement is valued at approximately USD 42 million (AUD 60 million) and is expected to save more than about USD 350,000 (AUD 500,000) per year over the next decade. In addition, the agreement will allow Sydney to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tonnes annually.
In Sydney, around 75% of the energy used will be supplied by the Sapphire Wind Farm near Inverell. The remaining 25% will come from the Bomen Solar Farm in Wagga Wagga and the Shoalhaven Solar Farm in Nowra.
The switch to renewable generation is Sydney’s latest policy response to the climate crisis. Australia’s largest city achieved carbon neutrality in 2007 and was officially certified in 2011. Lord Mayor Clover Moore stated that the new PPA with Flow Power would enable the city to reach its goal of a 70% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 six years early, by 2024.
“We are in the midst of a climate emergency. To reduce carbon emissions and grow the renewable energy industry, all levels of government must urgently transition to renewable energy,” the Lord Mayor said. “Cities are responsible for 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why it’s crucial we take effective, evidence-based climate action.”
In addition to cutting emissions, the power purchase agreement will create jobs and support regions hit hard by the global coronavirus pandemic, Moore argued.
“This innovative, roughly AUD 60 million renewable energy agreement will save taxpayers money and help boost regional industries at wind and solar farms in Glen Innes, Wagga Wagga, and Shoalhaven,” Moore said.
Adelaide’s energy supply will also combine wind and solar. Electricity will come from the Clements Gap Wind Farm and from new solar farms on the Eyre Peninsula and in the South East region.
Clements Gap Wind Farm, Adelaide (Photo: David Clarke/Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])
David Evans, co-founder and Chief Technology and Business Officer at Flow Power, said, “This power purchase agreement will create new jobs and, by bringing more renewables into the energy system, will accelerate the state’s new solar plans. We see this PPA as a long-term partnership—an opportunity for cities to take responsibility for climate action while supporting the energy system.”
By switching to renewables, Adelaide is expected to cut the city’s carbon emissions by half. According to Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, using renewable energy will reduce greenhouse gases equivalent to those emitted by 3,500 cars on the road.
Transitioning to renewable energy is an important step toward carbon neutrality for Adelaide, which aims to be certified carbon neutral by 2025.
“The City of Adelaide takes climate change seriously, and this partnership with Flow Power demonstrates that we are taking meaningful action. We are leading the transition to effective, environmentally beneficial, and reliable energy,” said Lord Mayor Verschoor. “From July 1, 2020, all activities operated by the City of Adelaide are powered by renewable energy.”
Australia is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Australia’s climate has already risen by more than one degree, and without significant action, temperatures are projected to rise by as much as five degrees by 2090.
Climate change is having devastating impacts across many parts of the country. Warming has made conditions hotter and drier in Australia, creating circumstances that are more conducive to bushfires. Record-breaking heat and severe drought helped make the 2019–2020 bushfires especially catastrophic. More than 2 million hectares burned, thousands of homes were destroyed, several cities were blanketed in smoke, and over a billion animals perished. The fires also released more than 4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
A view of the Orroral Valley fire from the Tuggeranong district (Photo: Nick-D/Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])
Burning fossil fuels is a primary driver of the climate crisis, yet Australia is the world’s fourth-largest coal producer. It has also been reported that approximately 86% of Australia’s electricity comes from coal and natural gas, meaning the country remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels for energy.
Cities, NGOs, and global leaders have called on the Australian federal government to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Through this shift to renewables, Sydney and Adelaide are helping to lead Australia toward a more sustainable and resilient nation.
※1 This article is a translation of “Two Australian Cities Go 100% Renewable” by Kimberly White of The Planetary Press, a partner organization of “Covering Climate Now” (Climate Covering Now), in which GNV also participates as a partner. “Covering Climate Now” designated the week of September 21–28, 2020 as its reporting week. We would like to take this opportunity to thank The Planetary Press and Ms. White for providing the article.
※2 The city’s functions refers to electricity used to operate city-run facilities such as streetlights, stations, sports fields, and the town hall.
※3 Carbon neutrality refers to a situation in which the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through daily life and economic activity equals the amount absorbed.
Writer: Kimberly White (The Planetary Press)
Translation: Saki Takeuchi
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