Antinuclear

Australian govt urged to follow USA’s solar energy lead

For details of the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Melbourne Energy Institute launch go to beyondzeroemissions.org

Dim view of solar effort * Olga Galacho   Herald Sun * July 05, 2010 ISRAELI electricity company BrightSource has challenged the Federal Government to replicate US President Barack Obama’s offer overnight to guarantee loans to two solar energy projects.

The move comes as the International Energy Agency endorses a Zero Carbon Australia 2020 plan to be launched in Melbourne next week.

The US Department of Energy will extend US$1.85 billion ($A2.19 billion) in loan guarantees to Spanish power generation company Abengoa and to solar panel manufacturer Abound Solar.

BrightSource Australian chief Andrew Dyer said Resources Minister Martin Ferguson’s $1.5 billion Solar Flagships program should be tweaked to resemble the US model and allow for several solar power plants to be built in tandem.

“If we are serious about 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020, then given it takes three or four years to build a facility, the Government should be encouraging projects to be built earlier,” Mr Dyer said……………

The IEA said the Zero Carbon Australia 2020 plan, which outlines a costed transition to 100 per cent renewable energy in 10 years, was “based on up-to-date and sound information”.

“It provides quality insights on how a country well-endowed in renewable resources can transition to a solar and wind economy,” said the IEA’s Cedric Philibert.

For details of the ZCA 2020 Melbourne Energy Institute launch go to beyondzeroemissions.org

Dim view of solar effort | Herald Sun

July 6, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, General News | antinuclear, Australia, climate change, energy