Clean energy and conservation

The Queensland Government is investing in programs to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy industry. These include clean and renewable energy technology, energy efficiency measures, and low-emission coal technology.

Renewable energy

Renewable energy is electricity generated from sources that cannot be depleted. Queensland is rich in renewable energy resources, which include:

solar
wind
geothermal
biomass and biofuels (such as bagasse)
tidal, wave and hydroelectricity.

Renewable energy sources are becoming increasingly important, as they generate less greenhouse gases than conventional power stations and therefore reduce carbon emissions.

In Queensland, the government agency responsible for promoting energy conservation and renewable energy uptake is the Office of Clean Energy. It works with investors, energy companies, and other interested parties to establish clean energy business. Established in October 2008, the Office of Clean Energy is a 'one stop shop' providing policy and program support. The Office assists companies by helping to fast track eligible clean energy projects. It oversees integration of renewable energy, energy efficiency and demand management related projects across Queensland.

The Office of Clean Energy contributes to the Queensland Government's Q2 vision to reduce Queenslanders' carbon footprint by one-third by 2020. Through the Q2 vision and the Queensland Renewable Energy Plan, the Queensland Government is actively pursuing development of clean energy sources. This will help ensure Queensland plays its part to achieve the national target of a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Find out about investing in Queensland's renewable energy supply chain.

Renewable Energy Industry Guide

The Renewable Energy Industry Development Guide provides a single reference point for renewable energy developers in Queensland.

Queensland Energy Management Plan

The Queensland Energy Management Plan (QEMP) is a roadmap to help manage electricity growth in a more cost-effective manner. It includes a range of initiatives that will engage electricity customers, electricity distributors and the broader community. A key focus of the QEMP is to ease upward pressure on electricity prices by slowing the current growth in electricity use and peak demand.

Low-emission coal technology

Low-emission coal technology (also known as clean coal technology) covers a range of techniques that aim to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions released into the Earth's atmosphere from fossil-fuelled power stations.

About 81% of the state's electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations. The challenge for Queensland in the 21st century is to use energy resources more wisely, and to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions, especially from electricity production.

In Queensland, research and development is being carried out in 3 major techniques for low emission coal technology:

pre-combustion capture
post-combustion capture
oxyfuel combustion.

For more information about low-emission coal technology techniques, research initiatives and demonstration projects currently underway in Queensland, visit Queensland's Energy Futures website.