Sydney City council to take alternative route to renewable energy  

The SMH has an article on efforts by the City of Sydney to build its own renewable energy facilities - City council to take alternative route to renewable energy .

The City of Sydney is expected to turn its back on an important part of state and federal efforts to tackle climate change by withdrawing from the GreenPower scheme and instead pursuing its own renewable energy projects.

The council is expected to endorse a motion at tonight's meeting to not renew its GreenPower purchase contract and instead create a $2 million a year renewable energy fund to finance such projects directly.

''Rather than just offsetting our electricity emissions, this strategy invests the money we would have spent on carbon offsets into building renewable energy projects for the city,'' the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, said.

Until now the council has spent $2 million each year on the GreenPower scheme, which compels power retailers to buy renewable energy certificates and invest in renewable power.

The new fund would be used to finance projects such as a proposed glass and solar panel canopy in the forecourt of Customs House. The motion also states the council will retire all renewable energy certificates it has been awarded so far, so it will be making additional contributions to exceeding the national target for greenhouse gas cuts of 5 per cent by 2020. ...

The council has already installed 240 solar panels on the roof of Sydney Town Hall, and another 14 buildings have been fitted with solar systems.