Greens – Greens: SA will become renewable energy export hub

Greens: SA will become renewable energy export hub

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown
Monday 16th August 2010, 1:44pm
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in Energy Renewable Energy
The Australian Greens propose an extended electricity grid across Australia to bring renewable energy on line.

“This can convert South Australia, an importer in the age of fossil fuels, to a renewable energy exporter,” Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Speaking in Adelaide today, Senator Brown said South Australia had huge potential for geothermal, solar and wind power.

“However, there should be a full inventory of this potential to ensure investment in the grid is configured to meet future renewable energy production.

“South Australia has it all – wind, geothermal and solar – and it should be exporting clean energy to the rest of Australia and the world,” said Senator Brown.

“Investment in the state’s transmission grid would help make renewable energy export a major jobs provider and revenue producer.

The Greens South Australian renewable energy plan includes:

Connecting South Australia’s electricity grid directly to Queensland’s, to allow renewable energy to be exported
Upgrading power lines from Port Augusta to South Australia’s North East to capture solar and geothermal
Building a transmission grid ‘spine’ through Eyre Peninsula to capture wind potential
Phasing out the brown coal-fired Northern and Playford power plants Australian Greens South Australian Senate candidate Penny Wright said there were many renewable energy projects waiting for investment in the grid to get off the ground.
“For example, the Macquarie Capital Green Grids report this year showed four potential wind energy projects on the Eyre Peninsula that with better transmission infrastructure, could more than double South Australia’s generation capacity to 7500 Megawatts.

“That could provide up to 3000 jobs in the construction phase and 250 ongoing positions.

“Estimated electricity sales would add $158 million to the state economy and save 2.75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide across the national grid each year.