Renewables take the lead in Australia's new power developments

Wind farms will account for 20 per cent of Australian power projects coming online in the next few years, according to a government report thast credits the introduction renewable energy laws as the main driver by the recent surge in new low carbon energy projects.

The study found that nine out of 18 new power developments that were either committed or under construction as of 31 October were renewable energy projects. Eight were wind farms, while one was a hydroelectricity scheme, said the Electricity generation study, which was released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

The eight wind farms are all expected to be operational by 2011, with a total capacity of 733MW.

"The significant number of proposed wind-powered electricity projects, in part, reflects the renewable energy target and the cost competitiveness of wind relative to other less mature renewable energy technologies," the report said.

The target, which was passed into law in August, requires 20 per cent of the nation's power to come from renewable sources by 2020.

However, despite the recent surge in planned wind farms, fossil fuel-based projects – including plants fired by natural gas and coal – still dominate the list of upcoming electricity developments, accounting for 76 per cent. The ratio is slightly lower than the 86 per cent the year previous.