Antinuclear

Leichhardt City Council (Sydney) commits to 100% renewable energy by 2025

NSW council commits to 100% renewable energy by 2025 REneweconomy By Sophie Vorrath  13 June 2013 The council of the inner-west Sydney city of Leichhardt has committed to becoming 100 per cent renewable by 2025, building on its recent draft plan to tackle climate change by reducing emissions in local government facilities.

Leichhardt, which last year became the second council in NSW to achieve carbon neutrality, made the commitment last week – a goal it plans to achieve through direct investment in renewable energy, and without the need to purchase offsets.

Leichhardt is also one of eight Sydney councils – including Marrickville, Ashfield, Canterbury, Kogarah, Rockdale, Bankstown and Canada Bay – working with the Institute for Sustainable Futures to develop a renewable energy master plan for the region.

The master plan aims to identify the best ways to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, including solar PV, solar thermal, waste-to-energy, mini hydro, wind power and co/trigeneration. There is also the potential for alignment with the City of Sydney’s renewable energy plan.

As part of its own plan, Leichhardt aims to install a large amount of solar across council facilities, including the Town Hall and Balmain Library. A cogeneration plant is being constructed at Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre – the Council’s largest consumer of electricity. The plan also proposes retrofitting existing energy sources in facilities to be environmentally friendly.

Development of the city’s renewable energy plan is largely credited to the Greens councillors, who are said to have worked hard to gain the support of their Labor, Independent and Liberal counterparts. http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/city-of-leichhardt-commits-to-100-renewables-by-2025#sthash.R3CtUtya.dpuf

June 13, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, New South Wales