Abstract
This paper assesses the policy, regulatory and institutional settings
for renewable energy in Australia. This assessment is premised on the
following arguments: a) the extent to which renewable energy is likely
to contribute to electricity defossilisation will be largely determined
by the efficacy of the policy, regulatory and institutional settings;
and b) most of the existing discussion on renewable energy is neglectful
of the significance of these settings. The assessment suggests that the
overall policy, regulatory and institutional settings for renewable
energy in Australia are characterised by a lack of political
constituency for redressing climate change challenge, thereby piecemeal
policy for promoting renewable generation, significant regulatory
uncertainty, and limited institutional capacity. The assessment also
suggests that this lack of political constituency is primarily a
reflection of the broader electricity and socio-economic policy
settings, which have historically favoured cheap and abundant indigenous
coal for power generation, to serve wider socio-economic priorities and
agendas. In such environments, issues of climate change have assumed a
dormant role. Hence – inefficacious policy, regulation and institutions
for promoting renewable generation.