Switching to renewable electricity is part of Mawsons’ overall Social Responsibility and Sustainability Policy. By making this switch Mawsons’ on-going environmental impact will be dramatically reduced. Based on Mawsons’ 2019 electricity usage, the switch means approximately 5,200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be saved every year.
In order to achieve this sustainable outcome Mawsons appointed a specialist energy management firm, 1Circle, who negotiated Power Purchase Agreements on Mawsons’ behalf with electricity retailers, Simply Energy and ERM.The retailers then contract to purchase an amount of electricity equivalent to Mawsons’ annual mains usage from various Energy Generators, including the European energy supply company, Engie. Engie supply electricity into the local grid from their wind farms in South Australia.
To verify that Mawsons’ are receiving 100% Renewable Electricity the Energy Generators provide Federal Government Certification for each megawatt hour of renewable electricity that Mawsons use. These certificates are known as Large Scale Generation Certificates and are traded by the retailers in the broader Electricity Certificates’ market to make sure that each unit of electricity consumed by Mawsons is matched by the same amount of renewable generation.
On days when there is insufficient wind at one wind farm or not enough direct sunshine at another solar generator Mawsons can continue their operations as normal and still use renewable electricity as the connection to the national electricity grid provides continuous supply.
The market for buying and selling mains power across Australia is complex and closely regulated. It is managed by Government Authorities to provide a reliable and consistent supply of affordable electricity from all sources including hydro, wind, solar, gas and coal, regardless of generator ownership. By using tradable Large Scale Generation Certificates as described here Mawsons are reducing CO2 emissions significantly. Mawsons’ switch is also encouraging further investment in renewable power while still ensuring that their operations continue to meet the community’s demands for affordable construction materials.