South Australia

The South Australian Government's greenhouse strategy focuses on four key areas for the building sector: performance standards, energy efficiency, improved building performance and urban development.
In December 2010, Premier Mike Rann made a number of announcements to coincide with the United
Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun. These included:

• Amending the Pastoral Act to open up the 400,000 square kilometres of Crown Land subject to pastoral lease to provide a fast-tracked, streamlined and more certain access regime for solar and wind farms
• Providing $1 million worth of grants to kick start the creation of community-owned and operated solar farms. The funds will be distributed after an Expression of Interest process to be run early in 2011
• Supporting further research and development in solar energy through a grant of $100,000 for the development of an affordable automatic solar tracking system. The funds are being provided to a joint venture by two local companies, Hydragate and the Solar Shop Australia
• The release of a discussion paper consulting on the proposal of mandating "cool roofs" for all new and refurbished commercial buildings with flat roofs
• A package of measures to improve energy efficiency standards for air-conditioners
• A new target to reduce emissions in the State Fleet by 10% by 2014-15 over the 2009-10 level
• The installation of Adelaide's first public "smart" electric vehicle recharging station in partnership with Adelaide City Council at the Adelaide Central Market
• South Australia's low emission vehicle strategy which is going through consultation with industry with an expected release in the first half of 2011
• The release of a new draft climate change adaptation framework for public consultation
• Setting a carbon emissions limit for new electricity production that would be by far the toughest in Australia and would effectively prevent the future construction of new coal-fired power plants in the State