Call for 100% green power

The Green Party is calling on the government to set a goal of 100 per cent renewable electricity generation or risk being left behind as industry leads the transition from fossil-fuel generation to clean renewable power. “The government’s fossil fuel-focused energy strategy is looking out of touch and out of date following Contact’s announcement it is closing the Otahuhu B gas plant and Genesis’ announcement it will close the Huntly coal plant,” says Gareth Hughes, the Greens’ energy spokesman “It’s time to set a goal of 100 per cent renewable electricity generation and build a plan to achieve the target. It is achievable, affordable and eminently desirable, but will take leadership from the government. “Other countries and states have adopted 100 per cent renewable targets and New Zealand has a wealth of options to get there – including wind and solar, and using existing energy more efficiently. “We still have a long way to go to clean up our energy use because only 40 per cent of New Zealand’s primary energy use, including transport fuel, is from renewable sources. “The government can encourage a clean-energy economy and household energy independence by supporting my small-scale renewable distributed generation members’ bill.”