Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is aiming to become the first city outside of Europe to switch to 100 percent renewable energy by 2020, according to Nature research journal.
Canberra sources its renewable energy from large-scale solar and wind-energy projects in the territory and other states, in addition to residential solar panels and renewable energy deals.
According to a document detailing the renewable plan, Canberra’s government is rolling out 36 megawatts of smart solar battery storage systems in more than 5,000 homes and small businesses through its ACT Next Generation Energy Storage Program.
The city has already contracted 640 megawatts of renewable energy, locking in its target of 100 percent energy produced from renewable sources.
The city is in line to join seven districts around the world that are fossil fuel–free, according to a report by the Australia Institute in Canberra, which looked at more than 500 regions around the world that had a population of more than 100,000.
Canberra will follow Germany’s Rhein-Hunsrück district, which became 100 percent renewable in 2012, along with two German states, three Austrian states and one region in Spain.