Powering the future: shaping the transition to renewable energy
How our city is powered should be important to all Melburnians because it affects all Melburnians as the energy sector is one of the biggest contributors to global emissions.
According to our Benchmarking Melbourne 2023 report, one third of our city’s electricity comes from renewable resources, which is the third highest among peers. However, we ranked 12th out of 20 global peer cities for environmental outcomes, showing there are opportunities for us to improve.
And as our State Government aims to reach 65% renewable energy targets by 2030, and 95% by 2035, it is imperative we all get behind the transition to cleaner, zero-emissions renewable sources.
Additionally with Melbourne having the third highest carbon emissions from ground transport and industry amongst 10 peer cities in our Benchmarking report – then transition of industry, homes and vehicles to clean energy is a huge challenge facing our city.
At our Powering the Future event on Wednesday 9 August, we heard from Daniel Teng, Group Manager, Electricity & Carbon Portfolio – Origin, who took our members through how Melbourne is transitioning away from fossil fuels to climate-friendly energy sources. We are seeing large-scale solar and wind farms and storage solutions, such as utility-scale batteries, as well as renewable hydrogen and offshore wind being utilised.
Panellists Fiona Lewis, Partner – MinterEllison and Mark Lampard, Australian/New Zealand Grid Modernisation Leader – AECOM joined Daniel for a lively conversation around the sector-wide challenges and opportunities. Their discussion centred around the strategic steps needed to contribute to the achievement of the Victorian Government’s ambitious renewable energy targets, including investing in transmission infrastructure, facilitating regulatory changes, promoting investment and engaging the community to raise awareness of the benefits of renewables.
Thank you to all panellists, to our hosts Origin Energy and Liam McWhirter, General Manager, Business Development & Advisory – Origin Zero for welcoming our members. The Committee’s Director of Engagement Mark Sinclair introduced the event, and our CEO Mark Melvin moderated the panel discussion.
