Australia hits new renewables milestone, Taylor claims credit

Federal energy and emissions reduction minister Angus Taylor has sought to claim credit for Australia’s renewables share surging to new highs in 2021 while talking up his desire to see Australia’s fossil fuel industry continue to grow.

As RenewEconomy has detailed previously, South Australia operated at more than 100 per cent renewables for almost an entire week in December, and hit 100 per cent renewables at some point in nearly every day in October.

Spring is generally a peak period for Australian renewables generation; as solar output picks up after winter, wind generation still remains high, and the milder temperatures keep overall electricity demand below the peaks seen in summer.

October and December were the equal highest months in 2021 for renewables market share, averaging 36.2 per cent in Australia’s main grid.

The overall increase in renewables has been driven primarily by state governments and those voluntarily investing in new renewables projects, each recognising the need to act on the growing threat posed by climate change.

The number of households investing in rooftop solar also grew significantly in 2021, with Clean Energy Regulator data suggesting that an average of more than 1,000 new systems were installed each day, taking the total number of rooftop solar PV installations past 3 million.

While much of this investment has occurred despite the Morrison government’s efforts to prop up fossil fuel industries, it didn’t stop Taylor from claiming credit for the increase in Australia’s renewable energy share while continuing to defend the government’s investments in the gas industry.

“As record high levels of renewable energy come online, the Morrison Government’s energy policy is focused on three things: ensuring the grid is stable; prices remain low; and emissions continue to come down. The key to this is balance between renewables and on-demand reliable power,” Taylor said in a statement on Friday.

“That’s why the Government has taken decisive action to support the Tallawarra B gas generator and Port Kembla gas project and we are stepping up to deliver Snowy Hydro’s Hunter Power Project at Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley.”

It echoes comments Taylor made earlier in the week, when the minister – responsible for Australia’s emissions reduction targets and climate change policy – defended the fossil fuel industry’s plans to expand production with the active backing of the Morrison government.

“We’re investing in new supply for gas and oil in places like the Beetaloo Basin, where there is enormous potential – we’ve kept our foot on the accelerator here in Australia because we know that is the right thing,” Taylor said in an interview with Sky News.

“I tell you what, I bet a number of countries in Europe right now wish they’d had a gas-fired recovery.”

“There’s been a lot of people trying to block the Beetaloo Basin from being developed. There’s gas and oil there.”

“And lots of activists trying to stop it. They are getting in the way of a sensible pathway for energy, which delivers affordable, reliable energy as we bring our emissions down. We need to have that balance in our fuel sources for a long time yet,” Taylor added.

Citing the record level of renewables production, Greenpeace Australia said that it put increased pressure on some of Australia’s largest energy companies, particularly AGL, to keep pace with the accelerating shift to renewables.

“AGL, Australia’s biggest climate polluter, continues to fail to read the market and the rapid pace of the energy transition, in the face of mountains of evidence and data,” Greenpeace Australia campaigner Hannah McLeay said.

“The market is shifting at lightning speed away from fossil fuels. Consumers are transitioning through rooftop solar, state governments are introducing new renewable energy policies and projects, and other energy companies including Origin are closing their coal-burning power stations early. Meanwhile, AGL is busy trying to split its company in two to hide the extent of its financial and environmental failures.”

“Against all evidence, AGL is doubling down on its coal-burning assets by trying to hide them behind a dodgy, tokenistic, and value-destructive demerger. This is a clear demonstration of AGL’s outdated, evidence-free obsession with burning dirty coal,” McLeay added.