Australia's national electricity grid operator (AEMO) says that renewable energy backed by storage can provide a stable electricity supply over the next five years as ageing, unreliable coal-burning power stations close, putting AGL and other coal-burning behemoths on notice, says AGL board candidate Ashjayeen Sharif.
AEMO's Electricity Statement of Opportunities, published today, notes that renewable generation has already reached a record high of 57 per cent penetration twice this year and states that "there could be up to 100% instantaneous penetration of renewables at certain times of the day throughout the year by 2025". The report finds that 100 percent of power demand for large parts of the day could be met by renewables as soon as 2025, eliminating the need for coal-burning power stations. [1]
Ashjayeen Sharif, who is running for a seat on the board of coal power station operator and Australia's biggest climate polluter, AGL, said the news should expedite the closure of AGL's increasingly unprofitable and unsafe coal assets and that it provides a strong business case for AGL to rapidly transition to become a 100% renewable electricity generator.
"The AEMO report is the latest evidence that coal has passed its use-by date. Instead of continuing to bury their heads in the sand, the Luddites on the AGL board should safeguard the company's future and adapt their business model to replace their polluting coal assets with clean and safe renewable energy by 2030 at the latest," Ashjayeen said.
"AGL is bleeding money because it has failed to adapt to fundamental changes in the electricity market brought about by the flood of cheap renewable energy. If AGL wants to clean up its climate-destroying operations, safeguard the future for young Australians like me and get back on the path to profitability, it needs to draw a line under its polluting past."
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