Committed to renewable energy
The Northern Territory (NT) Government has set an ambitious, but achievable target of 50% renewable energy by 2030. The Territory Government’s renewable energy target is 50% of electricity consumed in 2030 from grid connected installations, including from rooftop photovoltaic (PV) generation and all Aboriginal communities supplied by Indigenous Essential Services.
The government recognises the role energy, including renewable energy, plays as a driver of economic development and jobs growth; and has established the Office of Sustainable Energy within the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade.
One of the key roles of the new office is coordinating energy policy and the implementation of renewables to advance the government’s Roadmap to Renewable policy and the government's least cost implementation plan.
Achieving more renewables in energy supply
Major economies around the world are repositioning industries and labour forces towards models of production driven by renewable energy sources, to mitigate emissions associated with non-renewable fuels, and to take advantage of the sectoral development opportunities and lower costs that renewables can deliver.
In recent years, this repositioning has resulted in a significant decline in the cost of renewable energy systems. Commercial scale renewable energy is increasingly competitive with conventional fossil fuel generation in wholesale markets, and small-scale renewable energy systems are potentially able to provide consumers with cost-effective alternative electricity supply.
There are inherent differences of the NT’s power systems compared to those in the National Electricity Market (NEM). Unlike the NEM, the NT’s power systems comprise of a large number of standalone power systems each needing to be inherently resilient. The NT requires stable and reliable power systems to maintain and grow our communities, support our vulnerable Territorians, and, encourage businesses to invest in the Territory.
Therefore, the Territory Government is taking a careful and considered approach to the integration of renewables and implementation of its Roadmap to Renewables policy.
