This would ensure that “we connect the dots between clean, affordable, reliable and sustainable, rather than just trying to think about one of those and risking crisis in the others”, said Dr Angela.
Moving towards clean energy also involves “hundreds of thousands” of smaller steps by communities using energy everywhere in the world, she said.
The world has to shift its thinking away from the supply of energy, which is often prioritised by countries, towards demand-driven solutions that require asking people how they use energy.
“If they had more energy, where would that energy add most value to their lives? And then you start thinking about ‘if that’s the value add, how do I make that affordable?’,” she said.
ACHIEVING 100 PER CENT RENEWABLE ENERGY
While solutions to tap renewable energy are being explored by several governments to combat climate change and ensure energy security, one Australian district is already living the dream.
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), home to about 456,000 people, has been running completely on renewable energy since 2020.
“Wind and solar farms around our city now supply our territory with all of our electricity needs. This is a great example of what’s possible if governments set clear goals,” ACT’s Minister for Water, Energy and Emissions Reduction, Shane Rattenbury, told CNA.
The change happened as leaders set ambitious, but clear, targets to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change, while gaining support from the civil service and business community, he said.
“I think a lot of people didn’t expect that we could,” said Mr Rattenbury.
The territory’s reliance on clean energy also gives it some degree of energy security and price stability, at a time when electricity prices are increasing quickly in other parts of Australia, he added.
Ongoing 20-year contracts with renewable energy suppliers guarantee the ACT steady electricity prices, which are the lowest in the country.