South Australia can continue to invest in renewable energy and achieve the twin goals of lower prices and cleaner electricity, Premier Jay Weatherill says.
Mr Weatherill says the state government continues to oppose federal plans for a National Energy Guarantee which puts demands on retailers to provide a proportion of power from dispatchable sources such as battery storage, gas or hydro and sets targets for reducing greenhouse emissions.
The commonwealth argues that approach will also drive down prices.
The premier says the federal plan aims to stall the development of renewable energy and extend the life of coal-fired power plants.
"What we're talking about here is an existing model that puts in place a renewable energy target which is so low that it does no work," Mr Weatherill said after a meeting with energy sector experts in Adelaide on Thursday.
"But if you have a strong renewable energy target you will drive at least the same amount of price reductions but you get the massive benefit of all of the jobs that flow from investment in renewable energy and you also get the incredible benefit of reducing emissions.
"It is certainly not the case that we have to sacrifice our investments in renewable energy."
Mr Weatherill said the SA government would go into Friday's meeting of federal, state and territory energy ministers in Hobart again calling for a national policy that rejected coal and delivered, clean, affordable and reliable power.
He said the state government continued to back an emissions intensity scheme, which would put the onus on power generators, rather than retailers, to bring on more renewable energy, cut emissions and reduce prices.
The premier said SA was starting to reap the benefits from its $530 million energy plan which includes the installation of the world's largest lithium-ion battery at Jamestown to offer backup power and to help stabilise the electricity grid.
Work installing the 100 megawatt battery at Jamestown has been completed by Elon Musk's Tesla company and it will undergo testing over the next few days ahead of its official launch next week.
