Renewable Energy in Australia: Growth, Benefits, and Limitations

This essay examines the growth of renewable energy in Australia, focusing on the increasing adoption of solar and wind power. It explores the country's energy consumption patterns, highlighting the shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources. The essay discusses the potential for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) in Australia, particularly in the Wheatbelt region, and the benefits of renewable energy, including reduced emissions and sustainability. It also addresses limitations such as dependence on environmental conditions and lower energy output compared to non-renewable sources. The essay references the Renewable Energy Target (RET) legislation and its impact on the renewable energy market. It concludes that Australia is well-positioned for further growth in the renewable energy sector due to its economic stability, infrastructure, and government support.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY GROWTH IN AUSTRALIA.
By
Class
Professor
University
City and State
May 6, 2019

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Renewable energy growth in Australia.
Abstract
Renewable energy refers to the energy that once depleted can be easily replenished. It is obtained
from natural resources such as sunlight, water and wind. Since it does not affect the environment
negatively, it is commonly used. Non renewable energy sources such as coal, petroleum and
fossil fuels can become depleted if used excessively. Also when in use, they are responsible for
emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
As stated above, the major benefit of renewable energy is the reduction in emissions. The
transition to the usage of renewable energy can be seen in numerous countries such as China,
Australia and among other developing countries. In the past, the use of renewable energy
commenced but was unable to be self-sustaining. It was majorly targeted towards running
households. These households used biogas and solar systems which provided enough energy
towards their needs. In this essay, the emphasis will be placed on the growth rate of the use of
renewable energy in Australia and its effects towards the economy among other factors.
Introduction
Australia is ranked as one of the most developed countries together with the United Kingdom,
Denmark and Canada just to name a few. Between 1996 and 2001, Australia’s resident
population increased by nearly 1.1 million people, from 18.3 million to 19.4 million, surpassing
19 million in 2000 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1981 p.1). With a constant increase in the
countries’ population, implementation of the use of alternative sources of energy was of outmost
concern. Australia is among the countries that are considered rich and abundant in fossil fuel

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energy resources. It is important for Australia to regulate the use of conventional energies with
renewable energy (RE) resources (Yusaf, Goh and Borserio, 2011).
Energy consumption by fuel type.
Australia is a largely diverse country. In terms of fuel type, this diversity can be explored.
Source: Azad et al (2014)
It can be seen from the above data that, usage of renewable energy sources has shown a slight
increase from the years 1973 to 2012. However, the use of coal and oil have been largely
predominant. From this data, it is plain to see that renewable resource use needs to be
emphasized.

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PJ growth % share %
2011-12
2010-11 to
2011-12
5 year
average
annual
growth
Coal 2 118 -4.7 -2.3 34.2
Oil 2 411 8.5 10.6 38.9
Gas 1 399 4.2 1.2 22.6
Renewables 265 -7.3 -2.8 4.3
Total 6 194 2.0 2.7 100
Source: Azad et al (2014)
Renewable resources contribute only 4.3 % to the total energy usage. The highest percentage
being that of solar energy. There is a marked decrease in the amount of coal because of the
falling coal use in Iron and steel sector over the past five years (Azad et al, 2014 p. 21).
Potential for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
Concentrated Solar Power refers to the specific technology used to generate solar power by
converting the energy of the suns’ rays into heat using a set of powerful lenses. The use of CSP
would result in the reduction of the costs obtained in energy use and would furthermore curb
greenhouse emissions.
According to Clifton and Buroff (2010), potential CSP sites are defined in the Wheatbelt region
of Western Australia through overlaying environmental variables and electricity infrastructure on
a high resolution grid using widely available datasets and standard geographical information
system (GIS) software. The Wheatbelt region is located in an enormous region near the Western
Australia’s Golden Outback and borders the Indian Ocean to the west, and extends north to the
Mid-East region. Since solar energy is directly influenced by the availability of land resources,

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the vastness of this region creates conducive environment for the setting up of a CPS sites. This
is supported by the study conducted by the European project “Risk of Energy Availability:
Common Corridors for European Supply Security” (REACCESS). The analysis of the data
obtained from this study shows that, Australia and the Middle East have the largest potential
areas for CPS followed by China and Central & South America (Trieb et al, 2009 p.3).
However, CSP remains largely unexploited because of the high investment and lack of stable
investment incentives (Peterseim et al, 2014). Furthermore, the total hybrid potential in Australia
within 50 km of existing transmission and distribution infrastructure is 7000MWe which would
require an investment of AU$39.5b to annually generate 33.5 TWh (Peterseim et al, 2014). The
Australian government is capable of providing adequate funding for the commencement of this
project. The money can be budgeted for in the next financial year and the benefits of renewable
solar energy achieved.
Other renewable energy sources
Apart from CSP, there are various other sources of renewable energy currently being exploited in
Australia. In late 2007, a new Australian federal government committed to significantly boosting
Australia’s energy consumption from renewable energy by 2020 (Hindmarsh and Mathews,
2008).
Currently, exploitation of wind energy is a major contributor to the countries’ total energy
output. The use of wind as an energy resource dates back several centuries. It has evolved from
the use of basic windmills to high efficiency turbines capable of producing energy to run plants
and companies. Wind harvesting farms prime location is in high altitude areas. The main setback
towards their installation is the conflict surrounding their location. Hindmarsh and Mathews,

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(2008), attribute this to the inadequate community involvement in state government approval
processes for wind farms. A more wholesome approach towards installation of wind farms is
being undertaken. It will involve adequate representation of the local communities and ensure the
governments’ goals on self-sustainable renewable energy are met.
Renewable Energy Target (RET)
In 2001, Australia introduced legislation requiring investment in new renewable electricity
generation capacity. (Nelson et al, 2013). Furthermore, Nelson et al (2013) states that the
legislation was significantly expanded in 2009 to give effect to a 20% RET. It was designed to
ensure that, from the total energy produced in Australia, an average of 33,000 gigawatt-hours
(GWh) would come directly from the renewable energy resources. The core purpose of the RET
was to reduce the amount of greenhouse emissions and the end date set was 2020. This move
would create market for renewable energy and pave the way towards sustainable use of these
resources.
Benefits of renewable energy.
Most governments have discovered the importance of renewable energy sources as compared to
non-renewable sources. This is attributed to the numerous advantages offered by renewable
energy. These are;
 Renewable energy resources cannot be completely exhausted. They can be used over a
long period of time without depletion.
 They provide clean energy. This means that when in use, they do not release harmful
greenhouse gases which account for global warming.

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 Since they are produced from natural resources, renewable energy sources require
minimal and inexpensive maintenance procedures.
Limitations of renewable energy
Though the benefits of renewable energy are abundant, there are some disadvantages are notable.
 Renewable energy is fully dependent on the environment thus when weather conditions
are unfavorable, their generation and distribution is affected.
 The amount of energy produced by renewable resources is significantly lower than that of
non-renewable sources. This problem can be overcome by having a greater number of
renewable energy generation sites to meet the high energy demands.
Conclusion
Australia provides a prime location for the installation and application of renewable energy
resources. The stability of its economy, advanced infrastructure and overall vast terrain provide a
conducive environment for the growth of the renewable energy industry. Furthermore,
legislations such as the RET, provide backing from the Australian government towards this goal.
Currently, Solar and Wind energy are the most exploited renewable resources. Measures should
be taken towards inclusion of other renewable resources such as water and natural gases.
Although development is slow, great strides are being made in the renewable community and in
the near future, Australia will hopefully be among the top users of renewable energy in the
world.

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References
Australian Bureau of Statistics, A., 1981. Census of population and housing (p. 106). Australian
Bureau of Statistics.
Azad, A.K., Khan, M.M.K., Ahasan, T. and Ahmed, S.F., 2014. Energy scenario: production,
consumption and prospect of renewable energy in Australia. Journal of Power and
Energy Engineering, 2(04), p.19.
Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics, 2013. Australian Energy Statistics Data.
http://www.bree.gov.au/publications/aes-2013.html
Clifton, J. and Boruff, B.J., 2010. Assessing the potential for concentrated solar power
development in rural Australia. Energy Policy, 38(9), pp.5272-5280.
Hindmarsh, R. and Matthews, C., 2008. Deliberative speak at the turbine face: community
engagement, wind farms, and renewable energy transitions, in Australia. Journal of
Environmental Policy & Planning, 10(3), pp.217-232.
Nelson, T., Nelson, J., Ariyaratnam, J. and Camroux, S., 2013. An analysis of Australia's large
scale renewable energy target: Restoring market confidence. Energy Policy, 62, pp.386-
400.
Peterseim, J.H., White, S., Tadros, A. and Hellwig, U., 2014. Concentrating solar power hybrid
plants–Enabling cost effective synergies. Renewable Energy, 67, pp.178-185.

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Trieb, F., Schillings, C., O’sullivan, M., Pregger, T. and Hoyer-Klick, C., 2009, September.
Global potential of concentrating solar power. In SolarPACES Conference (pp. 15-18).
Yusaf, T., Goh, S. and Borserio, J.A., 2011. Potential of renewable energy alternatives in
Australia. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 15(5), pp.2214-2221.