Technical feasibility in reaching renewable energy targets : case study on Australia

The realization that the world is succumbing to man-made global warming due to pollution from fossil fuels has emphasized the urgency to develop and adapt to new energy programs that are renewable and environmentally friendly. The need for alternatives to conventional energy production methods has become one of the top priorities of world governments as a result of exposure to the ill effects of fossil fuels. As a part of this movement, along with other countries, Australia has set a target to reduce its carbon footprint solely by focusing on efficient generation and utilization of Renewable Energy. Australia aims to achieve a Renewable Energy Target (RET) of 20 percent by 2020. In this paper, we summarize various renewable energy sources utilized in Australia, energy production per region, advances in technology to generate renewable energy and policies adopted by these regions to achieve the RET. Hence, a prediction of whether Australia can achieve its RET is made based on the ongoing renewable energy projects