2024-11-23
http://w3.windfair.net/wind-energy/news/7152-australia-rec-scheme-is-splitted-to-release-19n-of-projects

Australia - REC scheme is splitted to release $19n of projects

Household market from large renewable project investments separated

Australia is splitting its clean energy scheme to separate the household market from large renewable project investments in a move that could help unlock $19bn of stalled wind and solar energy projects.

The split, from January 2011, is aimed at restarting Australia's troubled scheme requiring 20% of energy to come from renewable sources by 2020, but which has so far failed to support a single major project in the six months since it was passed. Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says: "These changes are expected to deliver more renewable energy than the original 20% target and will ensure we build the clean energy future Australia needs."

The scheme was introduced to reduce Australia's reliance on coal-fired electricity and set a target of developing 45,000 gigawatt hours (GW/h) of clean power over the next decade. It required major energy companies to buy tradeable Renewable Energy Certificates( RECs) each representing one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from renewable energy. The market in RECS was supposed to underpin the financial viability of around A$22bn ($19bn) worth of planned wind farms and other large renewable energy projects.

But their value slumped to around A$30, from a peak of A$53, as the government used them to reward households that installed solar hot water panels and heat pumps, flooding the market with cheap certificates and reducing their worth to large-scale projects.

The new plan is to split the programme into a Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and a Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET). Wong says 41,000 GW/h of the total 45,000 GW/h must now be met only by large-scale projects, giving additional certainty to investors. REC values jumped to around A$42.50 after the government announced the changes.

Analysts say it is unclear exactly how the new scheme will work, and add that Australia may still end up with a two-tier renewable energy market.

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net
Source:
Online Editorial, www.windfair.net
Author:
Posted by Trevor Sievert, Online Editorial Journalist
Email:
ts@windfair.net
Link:
www.windfair.net/...
Keywords:
Wind energy, wind power, wind turbine, wind mill, offshore, onshore, wind farm, renewable energy




Related News

Thematically suitable Windfair.net members in the business directory

  • Newlist_logo.windfair-us
  • Newlist_kaeufer_logo
  • Newlist_logo.drakawind

more results



Keyword Search

© smart dolphin Gmbh 1999 - 2024 | Legal Notice | Windfair Editors | Privacy Policy | The Windfair Pocket Wind 2020