Today the Climate Council has unveiled a new tool, Momentum Monitor, to track climate progress within each Australian Industry.
Progress has been analysed using publicly available Australian government data and will now be collated and monitored quarterly.
Notable key findings so far include:
- Renewable energy made up about 40 per cent of electricity in the national grid in the past 12 months.
- Utility-scale renewables and storage now represent 32 gigawatts (GW) of total grid-scale capacity, an increase of 12% since July 2023.
- More than 240,000 rooftop solar installations have occurred since the start of 2024, with four million households now powering their homes with rooftop solar.
- The number of Australian households powered by a battery alongside their rooftop solar has already increased by 23 per cent this year.
- Australia now has more than 160,000 registered electric vehicles, with sales expected to climb as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard starts in 2025.
Climate Council CEO, Amanda McKenzie, said the numbers are representative of the progress the country has made, and how far it can still go.
“Australian households and industries are jumping on opportunities to use readily available, proven, technologies,” said McKenzie.
“Most Australians don’t know that we are already powered 40 per cent by renewable power. This monitoring tool will give the community ready access to this information and support good decision making.
“We can continue to make big cuts to climate pollution by cleaning up how we power ourselves, changing how we move around, and powering industry with cleaner and more efficient energy. These changes can be as simple as opting for the bus or bike instead of the petrol car, or powering our homes with sunshine.”
Australia is in a prime position to take advantage of the climate solutions available as the sunniest country in the world and one of the windiest.
Large-scale solar and wind, backed up by storage (massive batteries and hydro power), can provide clean, safe power for Australia 24/7.
“A 21st century challenge calls for 21st century solutions. Efforts to slash climate pollution are already empowering Australians by saving us money, strengthening our homegrown industries and creating new ones, all while helping to protect us from the worsening effects of climate change,” said McKenzie.
“We’ve already made a lot of progress, and we can set our communities up for success by building on this to create a healthier, cleaner future for all Australians alive today, as well as every generation to come.”