Energy transition : Australia is expected to reach prematurely the Paris climate goals

Australia is significantly ahead of the goals of the climate agreement of Paris. This was the result of a study by the Australian National University in Canberra. Accordingly, the state will already meet 2025 targets to be fulfilled according to the agreements, until 2030. Thus, Australia is an exception, most Western States are far from the Parisian stage. Germany, for example, is likely to miss the targets it should achieve by 2020, significantly.

the reason for the good prognosis for Australia is that the country draws its energy transition at a rapid pace, much faster such as Germany and Europe. The study by the University of Canberra, according to this year be installed per inhabitant, approximately 250 watts of new renewable energy. In the previous year, there were still well over 200 in the last year. In Germany, there were least 100 watts per year, within the EU, not even the half of it.

Currently, the share of renewable energy in Australia is only around 20 percent, while in Germany it is about 40 percent. But Down Under, the proportion is increasing so rapidly that, according to the estimates of researchers in 2024, a proportion of 50 and 2032, a full supply with renewable energy should be possible. In Germany, the target is according to the black-red coalition agreement, 65 percent by 2030. Currently, it is unclear, however, whether and how the goal can be achieved.

Optimistic forecast

With the 100-percent-forecasts the Australian researchers, however, also be rather optimistic. The pure production is not the Problem: Australia has an almost unique, favorable geography for the Development of Wind and solar power. High solar radiation due to the proximity to the Equator, very strong and stable winds, and especially: a lot of space. The population density in Germany is 75 times higher, large parts of the continent are as good as uninhabited.

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But also in Australia, the Problem needs to be solved, the production from renewable energies to balance to cover through the mains supply and the demand, if the green electricity power plants produce hardly any energy. In the study, the Problem is briefly touched on. The authors claim that the cost for the "Balancing" of the network, be moderate, even in the case of the Expansion of Renewable to 100 percent.

battery storage, pumped-storage power plants and Expanding the electricity grid could make the Problem of fluctuations in strong income manageable. Other studies come to this result, and even, overall, the supply is cheaper than coal. A systematic study or a conversion program to the Supervisory authorities, however, there is still.

Weak power grid

in 2016 and 2017 in the state of South Australia, has a lot of renewable energy to the grid, to large-scale power outages because of a lack of sufficient power was available. This, however, was attributed to the decrepit power plants for fossil energy, such as coal,.

it is Remarkable, however, is that in Australia, renewable energy other than in Germany as a "cheap makers" and in polls a majority of Australians pronounce, therefore, for the further Expansion. In Germany, however, the huge funding burden costs are for the still young renewable energies, in particular solar power, the discussion. The electricity customers will have to pay a lot of money, because the plants receive 20 years of fixed, often very high amounts of Support through the Renewable energy sources act (EEG).

Australia is entered only after the price fall, in particular, of solar technology, driven by citizens, the produce on the roof of their solar power themselves – and now partially batteries.

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