Renewable energy providing benefits for regional areas
The Government has a range of measures to support the deployment of renewable energy in Australia.
The deployment of renewable energy will particularly support investment and employment in regional communities.
Benefits from investing in renewable energy will flow to regional communities
Most of Australia's renewable energy resources are located in regional Australia. The substantial economic transformation required to reduce our carbon emissions and transform our economy will benefit regional Australia by generating investment in infrastructure and job opportunities.
The Government is providing significant support for renewable energy, including through the Renewable Energy Target (RET), designed to ensure 20 per cent of Australia's energy supply comes from renewable sources by 2020. The RET is expected to drive $16 billion in investment in renewable energy by 2020.
Through the Connecting Renewables Initiative the Government will invest $1 billion over the next decade to accelerate the development of transmission infrastructure that supports the connection of remote renewable energy. The expanded $102.2 million Emerging Renewables program will support the development of emerging renewable energy technology, such as geothermal and ocean energy.
The Government supports the deployment of large‑scale solar generation through the $1.3 billion Solar Flagships program. In addition, $20 million will be provided to establish the Australian Biofuels Research Institute, including a $5 million foundation grant to James Cook University in Townsville for a biofuels development project.
Operating renewable energy power stations in Australia
