The Surprise State shines brightest in solar energy rankings

An environment report released by the Climate Council on Wednesday praised New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory for their efforts to cut transport emissions, while also praising South Australia and Tasmania for their renewable energy sources.

Meanwhile, the Northern Territory and Western Australia have faced criticism for low renewable energy shares and unclear net zero emissions targets.

The news comes after the Clean Energy Council revealed that unless Australia makes stronger commitments in the coming months, it risks missing its 2030 renewable energy target.

The Climate Council’s Race to the Top report examines environmental protections in every state and territory, including solar panels and rooftop batteries, electric vehicles and chargers, renewable energy targets and deployment, and shared transport.

While Australia has doubled its share of renewable energy in the past six years to 40 per cent, the report shows that the leaders in this area are the Australian Capital Territory (100 per cent), Tasmania (98 per cent) and South Australia (74 per cent).

Queensland had the highest percentage of rooftop solar panels installed in the country. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

The nation’s capital earned praise for having the highest proportion of electric vehicles, more than twice that of its rivals, while New South Wales had the highest proportion of shared transport at 13.1 per cent, ahead of Victoria with 8.5 per cent.

However, Queensland was singled out in the report for its progress in renewable energy, including clean energy projects in regional centres such as Townsville and Gladstone, and its target to cut pollution by 75 per cent by 2035.

The Sunshine State also has the highest percentage of rooftop solar panels installed in the country, covering 50.2 percent of all homes, according to the report.

Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie said most states had made progress in efforts to cut pollution, although there was still more work to do to ensure Australia met its 2030 and 2050 targets.

“Australia’s race for climate leadership presents huge opportunities, particularly in Queensland, which is now leading the country in investment in rooftop solar and clean energy,” she added.

“Most states have understood that this is a critical decade, but there is still much work to be done.”

Western Australia and the Northern Territory have been criticised for their low renewable energy shares of 17.6 and 6.7 per cent respectively, as well as for the growing number of gas projects and the lack of interim pollution reduction targets.

The report noted that Western Australia is conducting research into minerals necessary for battery production.

Most states had low rates of home solar batteries, led by South Australia, while the rate of electric car chargers was moderate, with Tasmania being the clear winner.

Climate Council spokesman Greg Bourne said he hoped the report would encourage weaker states to improve their climate records.

“As a Western Australian, I am confident that this great state can catch up and start embracing clean energy to power its homes, businesses and industry,” he said.