Although the current Prime Minister of Australia continues to push coal power in the Land Down Under, state leaders have different plans that won’t let Australia continue to spew greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
The states of Queensland and Victoria, for instance, have renewable energy target plans that aim to get half of the states’ electricity generation from renewables in the next 10 years. They’re helping drive this reality with or without the federal government’s support. By 2030, Aussies could see more than 10 percent of their electricity come from rooftop solar, about 11 percent come from utility solar, and more than 17 percent comes from wind, according to a new report. Coal, on the other hand, could drop to a mere 30 percent.
These gains in renewable energy may seem rather modest in a country with plenty of sunlight to extract energy from, but the point is that renewables are still gaining the upper hand despite getting little to no help from the federal government.