We’ve got the power
2013-04-08T04:58:18+10:00
As households continue to embrace solar panels, scientists have shown that Australia could run on 100 per cent renewable power, SIMON WEBSTER reports.
One million Australian homes and businesses have solar panels, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The 1 million mark was passed on March 12. That’s up from 20,000 systems just five years ago.
Despite widespread cuts to government subsidies for panels in recent years, householders are still finding that panels make economic as well as environmental sense.
Governments may not be chipping in as much but the cost of panels has come down 80 per cent since 2008, the Herald reports. Plus, of course, electricity bills are rising at unprecedented rates.
Meanwhile, many Australians wait with baited breath for a government to embrace large-scale renewable energy. Scientists say we have the technology available now.
Australia could be running on 100 per cent renewable energy in just 10 years, says the 2010 Zero Carbon Australia report, a collaboration between Melbourne University’s Energy Research Institute and the non-profit group, Beyond Zero Emissions.
Researchers at the University of NSW have also published research showing the feasibility of 100 per cent renewable power for Australia.
For more on these plans, and the role individuals can play in electricity generation, see my feature in the March-April issue of Organic Gardener.
