A Renewable Energy Future for Victoria
MONDAY NOVEMBER 06, 2017
In response to Australia’s rising energy crisis, the Victorian State Government has announced a strategic solution, the Renewable Energy Action Plan. The $146 million multi-category system outlines the transition from fossil fuel-based energy to sustainable and reliable technology. It hypothesises that future generations will be running on power that is 25 per cent sustainable ‘green’ energy by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025.
Benjamin White, Director of Renewable Energy Strategy, Insight & Investment from the Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, will be speaking at the 8th Annual Victorian Major Projects Conference 2017 on 28th-29th November at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
White will discuss the government’s strategy via the plan to transform Victoria’s energy capabilities while simultaneously creating new jobs — the plan is working alongside the $20 million scheme New Energy Jobs Fund (NEJF) — and building workers’ key skills.
Stated in the Renewable Energy Action Plan, and divided into three main objectives, are the aims of “supporting sector growth, modernising our energy system and empowering communities and consumers”.
Acknowledging the transformations of energy systems around the world, the plan calls for rapid technological growth in the sector to accommodate consumer attitudes towards energy consumption and growing energy demand.
The plan also mentions that this transformation will take place over three steps. “Current: moving away from centralised fossil fuel production and centrally located transmission and distribution; Transition: large-scale production and Future: A generation who have access to clean and reliable power, flexible and decentralised energy grids and consumer and community driven energy services.”
Once this first category of strategy is employed, this will in turn increase job creation and make investing in the energy sector easier for individuals, companies and other government. A major aim of the plan is to see Victoria position itself as a leader in the renewable energy industry.
New software companies are currently being established to secure investments, create new markets and reinforce a supply chain. This will help ensure a smoother move from carbon based energy to cleaner, greener sources.
From this point in the Renewable Action Plan, households, businesses and communities are able utilise the new energy systems to their benefit. The Victorian Government wants to achieve lower energy prices by reducing the reliance on energy network as a whole, install localised grids and micro grids and therefore strengthen the resilience of the central energy grid. This will make the process more efficient and streamlined, reducing costs overall.
To achieve these goals, the Victorian energy system needs both the capabilities to run this way and smarter technology backing it up. This is where the third stage of the Renewable Action Plan comes into play.
Wanting transparency between industry and consumer, the state government aims to deliver a smart energy system with a reliable, cost-effective supply. Localising energy grids and energy storage is a step being taken towards achieving this goal.
The Renewable Energy Action Plan’s policy will be actioned through improved energy trading, supply management, security of supply, network support, power stability, improved consumer products and increased levels of energy being stored to be utilised during high-demand or emergency periods.
To see the plan actioned, it will work alongside other energy based policies, such as NEJF and the proposed Energy Efficiency and Productivity Strategy. This strategy sees a backing of $53 million and aims to cut emissions by 34 megatonnes by 2030, saving billions of dollars for households and businesses.
Attendees of the 8th Annual Victorian Major Projects Conference 2017, at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on 28th-29th November, will hear a more in-depth analysis of the Renewable Action Plan plus more, as it is just one of the many comprehensive topics being presented by industry experts over the two-day event.
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