State and local energy strategies must be based on the principles of ecological sustainability and social equity. Renewable energy is the only way to achieve a sustainable energy industry.
Principles
The Australian Greens Victoria believe that:
- State and local energy strategies must be based upon the principles of ecological sustainability and social equity.
- Exclusive and efficient use of renewable energy represents the only viable route to achieving a sustainable energy industry.
- Incentives for sustainable transformation of the energy sector need to be accompanied by disincentives to the consumption of fossil fuel.
- All buildings and appliances need to be energy-efficient and energy conserving.
- All households need affordable energy to meet essential needs.
- Environmental costs need to be factored into the price of energy in such a way as to encourage and enable a rapid, equitable and affordable shift towards sustainability.
- Government has a significant role to play in creating a sustainable energy sector and industries.
Aims
The Australian Greens Victoria will work towards:
Targets
- Binding Victorian emissions targets to achieve a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from all sources by at least 40% from 1990 levels by 2020, and net zero or negative greenhouse gas emissions as soon as feasible and by no later than 2050.
- Implementing measures in Victoria which go towards achieving the Australian Greens' renewable energy target of 90% by 2030.
- Phasing out the Victorian use of fossil fuels, using a combination of energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy.
Supply
- The maximum use of renewable energy as an energy source.
- Boosting small scale renewable energy generation, including by introducing a fair feed-in tariff and removing barriers to grid connection.
- Supporting and assisting the development of markets for alternative sustainable fuels.
- Supporting the development and use of sustainable energy storage technologies.
- Opposing the burning of woodchips from native forests for power generation.
- Developing and implementing complementary policy measures in collaboration with other governments where possible.
Demand
- A reduction in Victorian energy demand by 20% by 2020, with appropriate sectoral targets (for the building sector, transport, etc).
- Removing - including through reform of the national energy market and by other measures - perverse incentives that encourage use of fossil fuels and growth
in energy consumption. - Assisting industrial and commercial energy consumers to reduce consumption.
- Supporting companies that assist consumers to conserve energy and to access affordable and reliable renewable energy.
- Assisting electricity users to reduce summer peak electricity demand.
- Assisting industry to retrofit with low emissions equipment.
- Implementing measures to ensure that development across Victoria is energy, water and waste efficient.
- Improving and implementing mandatory energy performance standards for buildings.
- Mandating compliance with emissions standards and the disclosure of energy performance ratings for buildings prior to construction, refurbishment, sale or lease.
- Minimum energy and water efficiency standards for rental housing.
- Working with all stakeholders to achieve demand reductions.
- Developing, funding and publicising an energy retrofit strategy for existing buildings.
- Supporting the production of biofuels by farmers for use as tractor fuels.
- Promoting the sustainable use of electric vehicles.
Transition and Adaptation
- Providing structural adjustment assistance for rural and regional consumers.
- Ensuring the provision of effective fuel poverty alleviation measures.
- The implementation of programs to assist Victoria's coal and energy-intensive industry dependent communities to make the transition to other more sustainable sources of economic prosperity.
Funding the Renewable Energy Transition
- Legislating for 'feed-in' tariffs for renewable energy.
- Improving the targets and coverage of the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme to further reduce energy consumption by households and businesses.
- Financial support for concession holders to convert their homes to meet the 5-star standard.
- Ending support for the development of gas- and oil-from-coal, and CCS technologies.
- Ensure that any subsidy for the Alcoa aluminium smelter applies only to renewable energy.