- Target: 100% renewable energy
- Status: Achieved
- RES: Wind power
- Implementation: The City of Melbourne is the first major city council in Australia to be 100% powered by renewable energy, achieved through the implementation of a renewable energy power purchasing agreement. The energy is sourced from a 80 MW wind farm at Crowlands, a small agricultural community about 128 miles (206 kilometers) from Melbourne. Pacific Hydro has installed twenty-five turbines, with the goal of 39 turbines. The construction of the wind farm was supported by fourteen members of the city’s leading universities, companies, councils, and cultural institutions. The city aims to lead Australia in responding to climate change, securing a sustainable energy supply for the future and show how a major city with a AUS$92 billion economy can influence positive outcomes in regional towns. The project has created over 140 regional jobs during the construction period. It has also created eight ongoing maintenance jobs. In Crowlands, Pacific Hydro is installing a rooftop solar photovoltaic system and storage battery at the town hall. It will become one of the few town halls in the country powered by solar energy.
The city plans to expand the project by facilitating power purchase agreements for businesses across the city. This will continue to generate investment in new renewable energy which is the cheapest cost for new build electricity generation. - Population: 5,000,000 (2018)
- Area: 9,992.5 km2 (3,858.1 sq mi)
- Link: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/about-melbourne/sustainability/pages/sustainable-energy.aspx
