Energy in Australia
[1] Energy in Australia is sourced largely from coal and natural gas,[2] however, recently, due to the increasing effects of global warming and human-induced climate change on the global environment, there has been a shift towards renewable energy such as solar power and wind power both in Australia and abroad.
At that time, Maplecroft's CO2 Energy Emissions Index (CEEI) showed that Australia releases 20.58 tons of CO2 per person per year, more than any other country.
[11] In 2021, Australia was the world's fifth-largest hard coal producer, following China, India, the United States, and Indonesia.
[14] On 19 August 2009, Chinese petroleum company PetroChina signed a A$50 billion deal with American multinational petroleum company ExxonMobil to purchase liquefied natural gas from the Gorgon field in Western Australia,[15][16] the largest contract signed to date between China and Australia.
[17] The agreement was reached despite relations between Australia and China being at their lowest point in years after the Rio Tinto espionage case and the granting of an Australian visa to Rebiya Kadeer.
Sector-wise, natural gas usage was highest in electricity and heat generation at 33.9%, followed by the industrial sector at 23.3%.
Decreasing domestic oil production is the result of the decline of oil-producing basins and few new fields going online.
Industry, including non-energy consumption, accounted for 22.4%, international bunkering for 9.1%, buildings for 2.4%, and electricity and heat generation for 0.4%.
[citation needed] Biodiesel is an alternative to fossil fuel diesel that can be used in cars and other internal combustion engine vehicles.
It is produced from vegetable or animal fats and is the only other type of fuel that can run in current unmodified vehicle engines.
[22] However, with the introduction of the Fuel Tax Bill, grants and subsidies for using biodiesel have been cut leaving the public to continue using diesel instead.
According to an estimate by the Centre for International Economics, Australia has enough geothermal energy to contribute electricity for 450 years.
Since 2005, wind power and rooftop solar have led to an increasing share of renewable energy in total electricity generation.
[29] Australian Electricity Generation by Type FY 2022-2023 As of 2011, electricity producers in Australia were not building gas-fired power stations,[30] while the four major banks were unwilling to make loans for coal-fired power stations, according to EnergyAustralia (formerly TRUenergy).
The breakdown of the electricity generation mix was as follows: coal at 52.9%, natural gas at 18.8%, solar at 10.5%, wind at 9.3%, hydro at 5.6%, oil at 1.8%, and bioenergy and waste at 1.3%.
[36][37] In recent years, wind and solar power have been the fastest growing source of energy in Australia.
[41] Due to climate change, Australia is expected to experience harsher extreme weather events, mainly bush-fires and floods during summer.
[47][a] In 2015–16, annual direct full-time equivalent employment in renewable energy in Australia was estimated at 11,150.
The decline is attributed to a decrease in the number of roof-top solar photovoltaic systems being installed on houses.
Once construction of renewable energy facilities is completed, and only ongoing maintenance is required, employment falls quite significantly.
[48] For most Australian states and territories the major contributor to employment in renewable energy is solar power.
Employment in large scale solar and wind power is driven primarily by installation activity, rather than ongoing operation and maintenance.
[49]: 16 Conversely, jobs associated with coal-fired power stations are forecast to decline as those plants age and close.
