Clean Energy Council Presents Clean Recovery Plan

• CEC has offered A Clean Recovery plan to help Australia use its renewable energy and storage potential to sail through economic slowdown due to COVID-19
• The plan claims more than 30 GW of wind and solar power projects already approved and in the pipeline can help the country deliver more than AUD 50 billion in investment
• There would be major job creation in the industry with this capacity being built, topping 50,000 new direct jobs alone
• Renewable energy can also help Australia become a leading global exporter of clean hydrogen

Australian renewable energy association Clean Energy Council (CEC) has come up with a plan to aid Australia's economic recovery from the slump triggered by COVID-19 pandemic. Called 'A Clean Recovery', the plan utilizes renewable energy and energy storage potential of the country.

The plan brings forth the potential of solar and wind power projects with the writers wanting a package of initiatives in this space to jumpstart the economy.

These packages range from

• developing a national home battery program,
• support small businesses and new homes to go solar,
• get government and community buildings to switch to solar and batteries,
• government agencies to commit to 100% renewable energy use, and
• accelerating large-scale clean energy investment, among other ideas.

Rooftop solar and storage batteries can bring down power costs for households and businesses and large scale renewable energy deployment will keep wholesale electricity prices low, according to the plan. Along with improving air quality and health, encouraging solar and wind power development, it stresses, will also lead to a more resilient energy system.

The current pipeline of wind and solar power projects with planning approvals in place in the country total more than 30 GW. The CEC argues if these projects alone were to be brought forward this could deliver over AUD 50 billion ($32 billion) in investment and more than 50,000 new direct jobs and several more indirect jobs. The plan also mentions hydrogen's potential in making Australia a potential first large-scale exporter globally with the help of renewable energy.

"The economic recovery from COVID-19 is an opportunity for A Clean Recovery to set Australia on a pathway to meeting its 2030 emissions commitments. This can reduce the burden on the next generation of Australians who will confront the worst impacts of climate change and even greater abatement obligations while paying down the debt incurred by governments responding to the COVID-19 crisis," reads the report.

The Clean Recovery Plan is available for download on the website of the CEC.