Wind and Solar are driving our energy future as NSW announces yet another 8GW of renewables in their latest Zone of renewable energy. That’s about one third of all the electricity supplied across the eastern states of Australia at any given time. For perspective, 1 GW as a measure of power is equivalent to just over 3 million solar panels, or enough to power around 10’000 electric cars!
These Renewable Energy Zones will provide:
- Thousands of new, long-term jobs
- Lower power bills
- Drought proofing of regional Australia
What is a Renewable Energy Zone?
An area of land that is packed full of renewable energy such as solar and wind. The zones also include zero emission energy storage like big batteries and pumped hydro. By placing them in cluster or hub, we can easily capture all the energy from the zone and transport the energy to the cities and industrial hubs where we need energy the most.
Our renewable resources are so rich that when the government asked for 8GW, the industry offered them 34GW. We have more renewable projects than we can handle, and that’s a good thing. More competition to build renewables means lower energy prices for everyone.
This interest means only the very best renewable projects which not only reduce carbon emissions but also provide the best benefits to the local communities and the environment will be chosen.
How do they benefit Australians?
The Zones will deliver 6300 construction jobs and 2800 operational jobs, for regional Australians to take up!
Renewable Energy Zones in regional Australia also offer critical drought proofing to farmers. An estimated 1.5 billion dollars will be spread across land holders within the Renewable Energy Zones, creating a new diverse and reliable revenue stream.
On top of that, everyone in NSW will benefit from lower power bills. As renewables push out old, expensive and dirty coal plants, households will save an average of $130 per year, while businesses getting back on their feet from covid-19 can stand a little taller with $430 saved on their energy bills every year.
To find out how NSW is transforming regional Australia with renewables
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