Green electricity in Australia
Encyclopedia
Green electricity in Australia is available from a number of green energy suppliers that supply electricity
from what are thought to be environmentally friendly
energy sources. Typically, this refers to renewable
and non-polluting
energy sources. The growth and development of the green energy industry is tracked in Australia by the ALTEX-Australia alternative energy
index.
In Australia
green energy is accredited under the GreenPower
scheme whereby all distributors are government audited bi-annually to ensure that customers are getting exactly what is described in their purchased products. In the 2009 settlement period there were 904,716 GreenPower customers Australia-wide, accounting for a total of 2,194,934 MWh
of electricity generation, a 10% increase over 2008. This total electricity provision was divided between residential customers who purchased 1,001,195 MWh, and business customers who purchased 1,193,739 MWh. The largest nationwide distributors were EnergyAustralia
, Origin Energy
, and TRUenergy
.
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
from what are thought to be environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
energy sources. Typically, this refers to renewable
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and non-polluting
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
energy sources. The growth and development of the green energy industry is tracked in Australia by the ALTEX-Australia alternative energy
Alternative energy
Alternative energy is an umbrella term that refers to any source of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of the replaced fuels....
index.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
green energy is accredited under the GreenPower
Greenpower
Greenpower is the trading name of a British Charitable organization: The Greenpower Education Trust whose legal objective is to inspire more young people to become engineers by presenting the engineering industry as an interesting and relevant career choice which could help to solve problems ...
scheme whereby all distributors are government audited bi-annually to ensure that customers are getting exactly what is described in their purchased products. In the 2009 settlement period there were 904,716 GreenPower customers Australia-wide, accounting for a total of 2,194,934 MWh
MWH
MWH may stand for:* International Air Transport Association airport code for Grant County International Airport* MWH Global, an international water engineering consultancy* Men Without Hats, a Canadian New Wave band...
of electricity generation, a 10% increase over 2008. This total electricity provision was divided between residential customers who purchased 1,001,195 MWh, and business customers who purchased 1,193,739 MWh. The largest nationwide distributors were EnergyAustralia
EnergyAustralia
EnergyAustralia is a large Australian electricity and natural gas supplier and retailer. A subsidiary of TRUenergy, it primarily supplies the Sydney, Newcastle and Central Coast areas of New South Wales and has, since market deregulation, increased its focus on retail supply opportunities in...
, Origin Energy
Origin Energy
-History:Origin Energy was formed in February 2000, as a result of a demerger from the Australian conglomerate Boral Limited, in which the energy business was removed from the building and construction materials business to form the new company....
, and TRUenergy
TRUenergy
TRUenergy is an energy company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Founded in 1995 as a retailer and generator of electricity, and a retailer of natural gas, the company is formed from the combination of retail and generation assets purchased by Hong Kong-based CLP from Singapore Power...
.
Companies offering GreenPower
As of 2008 these companies offered a residential GreenPower accredited program:- AGLAGL EnergyAGL Energy is the largest Australian gas and electricity retailer, with over six million customers. It has large investments in the supply of gas and electricity, and has recently invested in sustainable energy businesses such as wind farms and a hydroelectric power station in Victoria’s High...
- ARK Climate
- Australian Power & Gas
- Click Energy
- Climate Friendly
- Country EnergyCountry EnergyCountry Energy is a retail subsidiary of Origin Energy. The corporation was formally owned by the Government of New South Wales. It provides natural gas and electricity to retail customers in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.-History:On 1...
- COZero
- Domayne
- EnergyAustraliaEnergyAustraliaEnergyAustralia is a large Australian electricity and natural gas supplier and retailer. A subsidiary of TRUenergy, it primarily supplies the Sydney, Newcastle and Central Coast areas of New South Wales and has, since market deregulation, increased its focus on retail supply opportunities in...
- Ergon Energy Queensland
- Global Green Plan
- Integral EnergyIntegral EnergyIntegral Energy is the second largest state-owned energy corporation in New South Wales, incorporated under the Energy Services Corporations Act 1995 from a merger between Prospect Electricity and Illawarra Electricity...
- JackgreenJackgreenJackgreen Energy was an Australian electricity retailer. Before the company collapsed in late 2009, it was Australia's largest specialist renewable energy retailer, employed around 100 people, and had 75,000 customers. Jackgreen's products incorporated a percentage component of green energy,...
- Momentum Energy
- Origin EnergyOrigin Energy-History:Origin Energy was formed in February 2000, as a result of a demerger from the Australian conglomerate Boral Limited, in which the energy business was removed from the building and construction materials business to form the new company....
- Our Neighbourhood Energy
- Queensland Electricity
- Simply EnergySimply EnergySimply Energy is one of Australia's largest energy retailers, providing electricity and gas to more than 300,000 accounts across Victoria, Australia and South Australia...
- South Australia Electricity
- Synergy (electricity corporation)Synergy (electricity corporation)Synergy is a corporation owned by the Government of Western Australia. It, Verve Energy, Horizon Power and Western Power were created in 2006 as a result of the breakup of Western Power Corporation. The corporation's official legal name is the "Electricity Retail Corporation"...
- TRUenergyTRUenergyTRUenergy is an energy company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Founded in 1995 as a retailer and generator of electricity, and a retailer of natural gas, the company is formed from the combination of retail and generation assets purchased by Hong Kong-based CLP from Singapore Power...
- Victoria Electricity
See also
- Green energy
- Renewable energy commercialisation in Australia
- Renewable energy in AustraliaRenewable energy in AustraliaRenewable energy in Australia represents 5.2% of total energy consumption, but only 1.7% of total production, the difference being the result of significant non-renewable energy exports. In the five years to 2009 renewable energy consumption grew by 3.5%, faster than other energy sources. Of all...