Tasmania has officially made history by becoming the first state in Australia to run on 100% renewable energy – two years ahead of schedule.
Tasmania has just announced that it is the first Australian state (and among only a few worldwide) to be entirely powered by renewable energy.
On Friday, Tassie Energy Minister Guy Barnett released a statement revealing that the state had become entirely self-sufficient on renewable energy supplied by their own wind and hydroelectricity projects.
“We have reached 100 per cent thanks to our commitment to realising Tasmania’s renewable energy potential through our nation-leading energy policies and making Tasmania attractive for industry investment,” he described.
Tasmania has long been a green energy pioneer, dating back to 1895 with the first-ever hydroelectric power station in the Southern Hemisphere, and was the founding state of the United Tasmania Group – the world’s first environmental political party – in 1972.
However, the state still had to rely on gas imported from the mainland and coal from Victoria. Yet, with the development of wind power in the state, Tasmania has drastically reduced their need for fossil fuel technology. Now, the island is the first-ever Australian state to be 100% powered by renewable energy.
— Jim Woodcock (@JimDWoodcock) November 27, 2020
“Tasmania is better placed than almost anywhere in the world to become a renewable energy powerhouse and a hub of zero carbon transport and industry, because electric vehicles, steel production, hydrogen production and more will be powered with 100 per cent renewable electricity,” WWF Australia’s Nicky Ison said.
Coming two years before schedule, the state is now aiming to achieve a world-leading 200% renewable status by 2040. Tasmania recently approved a $50 million AUD project to highly develop the island’s renewable hydrogen industry as a part of the Tasmanian Renewable Hydrogen Action Plan with Barrett noting the opportunity for Tasmania to become “a global leader and the renewable energy powerhouse of Australia.”
This is a massive milestone for climate science, with other countries to follow. Governments across the world, including in Scotland, Costa Rica, and Iceland have all committed to achieving 100% renewable status in the next few months.
We hope the rest of Australia follows in Tasmania’s footsteps, as fossil fuel energy is becoming drastically outdated and harmful for the environment.
Whilst Barrett noted his disappointment towards the Federal Government’s lack of progress on the matter, the Tasmanian Government said it would encourage and support the expansion of the technology across the rest of the country in hopes to change the face of Australia’s energy forever.
