Last year, with the completion of two new wind farms, Tasmania achieved the capability of producing 100% of its current electricity needs with renewable generation.
However, as Tasmania and much of the world continues to transition from fossil fuels to renewables, electricity consumption is expected to surge. Energy usage will become electrified or replaced with renewable energy sources – for example, natural gas used in manufacturing will be replaced with green hydrogen, which takes a massive amount of renewable electricity to produce.
With Tasmania’s extensive zero-emission electricity generation, it is easy to forget that the state still produces a lot of emissions in other ways. For example, in Tasmania:
– manufacturing industries and construction produces 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year (Mt CO2-e)
– transport produces 1.8 Mt CO2-e
– industrial processes produce 1.8 Mt CO2-e
– agriculture produces 2.4 Mt CO2-e
We will see significant reductions in emissions from these activities over coming years as improving technology allows more fossil fuels to be replaced by renewable energy – but that will mean a considerable increase in renewable energy demand. And, as the state continues to promote itself as a destination for industries looking to use our 100% renewable electricity, such as green hydrogen producers, the demand for renewable generation within Tasmania will continue to accelerate.
Submissions to Tasmania’s Climate Change Act review close on 29 April 2021. You can find out more here