Antinuclear

Western Australia could be a renewable energy powerhouse

With oil prices at $107 a barrel, Professor Wills said Australia was the Middle East of renewable energy.

“We’ve got the best renewable energy resources for the planet,” he said….

Professor Wills said other nations had to build in the ocean to get the same sort of wind resources Australia could get on land.

It should be obvious solar-thermal renewable energy should be used in a country with abundant sunshine.

Renewable energy can be winner for WA, Farm Weekly, JEAN EKEROTH, 25 Apr, 2011 RENEWABLE energy provides opportunities to restructure and refurbish rural and regional towns, according to Sustainable Energy Association chief executive Ray Wills.

Speaking at last week’s 2011 Oil Mallee Industry Conference, Professor Wills said Royalties for Regions should be renamed Renewables for Regions because renewables actually delivered the scheme’s desired outcomes.

“If you create these opportunities in every town so they can generate energy locally out of stuff that comes from locals, then you actually generate wealth locally,” Professor Wills said.

In the last 25 years, the world had completely changed the way it did business and energy generation and future innovations in energy generation would do the same.

“The world has already changed in terms of how it invests in energy,” Professor Wills said.

“In the global energy market, each year about $300 to $320 billion gets spent on building a new energy project of some sort.

“Over the last three years, renewables have had a half-share in that.”

With oil prices at $107 a barrel, Professor Wills said Australia was the Middle East of renewable energy.

“We’ve got the best renewable energy resources for the planet,” he said.

There were lots of business opportunities arising from the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) and carbon trading, as the market for the nation’s biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, wave and tidal current energy, had not yet matured.

Professor Wills said other nations had to build in the ocean to get the same sort of wind resources Australia could get on land.

It should be obvious solar-thermal renewable energy should be used in a country with abundant sunshine.

“Sunshine can be harvested in lots of different ways and biomass is another way to do that,” Professor Wills said.

“The key to tapping into sustainable energy, as with any resource, is knowing where it is.

“From a farm perspective, you need to know about fertility, where the best place to plant is for your agriculture and how you’re going to offset that in terms of where you put your shelter belts or oil mallee belts.”…… http://fw.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/renewable-energy-can-be-winner-for-wa/2141758.aspx

April 25, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | energy, Western Australia