The owner of a gold mine in WA's northern Goldfields says he expects the site will be frequently powered by up to 95 per cent renewable energy in 12 months' time.

The Agnew gold mine, 968 kilometres north-east of Perth in Leinster, is one of the first sites of its kind in the world to combine wind, solar, gas and battery storage for power usage.

The $112 million Agnew Hybrid Renewable Project commenced operations in 2020 and is delivered by EDL Energy under a 10-year agreement with Gold Fields Australia.

Last week, the project won the state government's prestigious Golden Gecko award for environmental excellence.

The mine has been trialling new technology that raises the use of renewable energy for short periods in ideal weather conditions.

Gold Fields Executive vice-president Stuart Matthews said the hybrid model meant the site currently used about 60 per cent renewable energy on average.

"We have been as high as 70, almost up to 80 per cent at times, for the absolutely optimal wind and solar conditions at the time, which is quite a high level and we've cut our emissions considerably at that mine," he said.

Gold goes green

Curtin University sustainability expert Peter Newman said he welcomed the Agnew mine's transition to renewables, but it was not the only mining company making the green change.

"Everything is moving to net zero or you don't get funding, and that is normal across the world," he said.

"The mining sector, being the growth part of our economy, is where a lot of this is happening first, because they are now using that investment to create the next economic activity."

Mr Matthews said using renewable energy could see Agnew's site operating for another 10 years, which is considered to be a long lifespan for mines.

"We are working on a solution that could see this mine well over 90 per cent on renewables alone, including powering all our underground fans and things like that, powering the processing plant and everything up to 90 to 95 per cent on renewable energy alone," he said.

Leaders and laggers

Dr Newman said there was no doubt the mining sector had been more ambitious with emission targets than the federal government in recent years.

Three weeks from the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which is to be held in Glasgow, the federal government has started setting emissions targets that align more closely with those made by international allies.

The federal government's current position is to reach net zero by 2050 — "preferably".

Dr Newman said businesses and industry spearheading the transition towards renewables would eventually push the government to follow suit.

"Governments everywhere are going to be catching up, as they did at Paris, and the reality is we are going to be able to meet these goals," he said.

'Galloping' forward

Dr Newman is a member of the International Panel on Climate Change and said while others on the panel feared emissions targets would not be met, he believed commitments were on track.

"I think that we are going to be galloping into the future now," he said.

"I'm an optimist that we will make the goals and it will be in time to save the world from this dreadful warming that is causing so many dreadful climate issues.

"We will, I think, avoid the worst of it, but there will still be increased warming over the next decade or so."