If all states in Australia had a 20 per cent clean energy target, it would create more than 10,000 jobs as a direct result, with further jobs created indirectly. New jobs and investment would be primarily in rural and regional Australia.

With the right incentives, the solar photovoltaic industry could employ 80,000 people by 2020 in Australia. That’s about four times those currently employed in coalmining. For the amount of energy they produce, wind farms create up to six times more manufacturing, installation and maintenance jobs than coal-fired power stations.

Implementing clean energy solutions will usher in a new era of economic growth, new jobs, technological innovation and, most importantly environmental protection.

Find out who's using renewable energy and reaping the benefits

Subsidies for renewables

For green solutions to global warming to find a foothold in the market, governments and corporations need to shift away from polluting technology. In most industrial countries, conventional electricity is heavily subsidised, and the negative environmental impacts of its production are not reflected in the cost to end users.

Australia's polluting fossil fuel industries receive $9 billion in annual energy and transport subsidies. Yet support for clean energy remains extremely low despite obvious benefits to the environment and economy.