3 June 2021

LETTER FROM WWF-AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES TO THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT

21 Australian businesses are joining with WWF-Australia in calling on the Queensland Government to increase investments in a future-ready electricity system that unlocks Queensland’s opportunity to be a global leader in renewable energy: a renewable energy export superpower

WWF-Australia’s Renewable Superpower Scorecard compared how government policy is supporting each jurisdiction’s transition to becoming a renewable energy exporter. Queensland did not receive a high score, and the upcoming Queensland budget is an opportunity for change that will benefit all Queenslanders. As a state with an abundance of renewables, there is no reason why -with the right vision and investment -we shouldn’t be helping to power the world.

The recent blackouts in Queensland demonstrate the urgent need for increased investment in the Sunshine State. As the Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen, the Hon Michael de Brenni noted, it was renewables and storage in the form of wind and pumped hydro that helped get the power back overnight after the blackouts.

Increased storage capacity is critical as momentum builds in the transition to renewables. That is why we call on the Queensland Government to increase its investment in, and stimulus for:

  • Utility-scale renewable energy storage;
  • Community batteries;
  • Home renewable energy storage batteries; and
  • The development of a renewable energy exports strategy for Queensland. 

Queenslanders lead the world in the uptake of rooftop solar –a technology that was invented in Australia. If Queensland were to couple its rooftop solar boom with more government stimulus to increase the uptake of home and community batteries and electric vehicles, we could use smart control systems to keep the lights on at a suburb level when big accidents occur or transmission lines go down.

With investment in a smarter electricity system, we could “island” suburbs and switch them temporarily to local renewables and storage when the main grid is disrupted. The transition would enable us to build Australian skills in creating and maintaining modern and more reliable electricity systems of the type the world is moving towards. This helps generate Aussie jobs and wealth, while allowing us to generate enough electricity to make it exportable, and set Queensland and Australia up as a renewable exports superpower.