  Australia has one of the highest per capita consumption of energy and
emissions of greenhouse gases in the world. It is also the global leader in
rapid per capita annual deployment of new solar and wind energy, which is
causing the country's emissions to decline. Australia is located at
low-moderate latitudes along with three quarters of the global population.
These factors make the Australian experience globally significant. In this
study, we model a fully decarbonised electricity system together with complete
electrification of heating, transport and industry in Australia leading to an
80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. An energy supply-demand balance is
simulated based on long-term (10 years), high-resolution (half-hourly)
meteorological and energy demand data. A significant feature of this model is
that short-term off-river energy storage and distributed energy storage are
utilised to support the large-scale integration of variable solar and wind
energy. The results show that high levels of energy reliability and
affordability can be effectively achieved through a synergy of flexible energy
sources; interconnection of electricity grids over large areas; response from
demand-side participation; and mass energy storage. This strategy represents a
rapid and generic pathway towards zero-carbon energy futures within the
Sunbelt.
