Could we be all green by 2030?

A recent study based on existing technologies suggests that Australia could be powered entirely by green energy in the near future.

On the basis that a carbon price of between $50 and $100 per tonne of carbon dioxide would make coal-fired and gas-fired power less economical than renewable electricity, a University of NSW study has shown that all fossil-fuelled power stations could be phased out and replaced economically and reliably with renewable energy technology by 2030.

Associate Professor Mark Diesendorf, of the Institute of Environmental Studies at UNSW, said the comparison of the renewable energy system with a so-called efficient system of coal and gas-fired power stations was done to get a feeling for the relative costs involved.