TASMANIA would become a net exporter of renewable energy by 2020 under a blueprint for climate action due to be released by the Tasmanian Climate Action Council tomorrow.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The blueprint is based around boosting Tasmania's renewable energy production, encouraging energy-saving practices and building on the sustainable agriculture sector.
It suggests a range of measures to ensure Tasmania reaches its target of reducing carbon emissions ?by 60 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050, including introducing new energy efficiency standards for buildings and establishing fair renewable energy feed-in tariffs to encourage homes and businesses to generate their own electricity.
Homes that feed back into the grid from solar panels currently get 27 cents per kilowatt hour, but that could drop as low as eight cents per hour when Aurora Energy is split and the retail arm privatised in July.
Council chairwoman Lesley Hughes said the council would discuss the impending reduction of the tariffs in a meeting today and make a submission to government.
Climate Change Minister Cassy O'Connor said the council was the government's peak advisory body on climate change, and its blueprint would inform the development of the government's own climate plan, to be released later this year.
Ms O'Connor said Tasmania had already reduced its emissions by 30 per cent on 1990 levels.
``There's a huge economic opportunity here for Tasmania if we continue to build resilience into our economy, if we continue to move toward a low-carbon economy, then we can have a prosperous and sustainable future,'' Ms O'Connor said.
``We can be a beacon to the world of sustainability and innovation.''
Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said he would not comment on the blueprint until he had seen it, but said the Liberal Party's priorities were the re-establishment of frontline police, education and health services and revitalising the state's economy.