Emissions from electricity down, from gas and petroleum up

Australian energy emissions have fallen by 12 per cent since their peak emissions in 2012, with all the fall attributable to a 29 per cent fall in electricity generation emissions since 2008, according to the latest energy emissions monitor from the Australian National University.

Emissions from petroleum products and gas have both increased in all five states of eastern Australia in that time.

However in Western Australia energy emissions continue to increase, because growth in emissions from petroleum products and gas has outweighed very modest decreases in electricity generation emissions.

According to the ANU monitor: “The National Electricity Market is thus the only source of significant energy emissions reduction in Australia.

“In the year to March 2022, grid scale renewable generation was just under 25 per cent of total generation, and all renewable generation, including rooftop solar was just under 34 per cent.

The state by state results show that Victoria and South Australia, the two states with the largest renewables shares and the largest emissions reductions, had average wholesale prices 25 per cent lower than other states in 2020-21.

Energy futures markets currently expect these lower prices to continue for at least another two years.

In renewables use unsurprisingly South Australia leads, reaching a 62 per cent share of all generation in 2020-21.

Victoria was next on 30 per cent, then NSW on 23 per cent and Queensland on 17 per cent.

All these figures include the contribution of rooftop solar.

Emissions reductions from their historic peaks, mostly in 2008 or 2009, show a similar pattern with the largest in SA and smallest in Queensland, where electricity generation and consumption continued to increase until 2017-18.

WA lags in uptake of grid scale solar generation.

Download the Australian Energy Emissions Monitor, April 2022 here.

Picture: Australian Renewable Energy Agency

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