AUDIO: Tim Flannery on Australia’s renewable energy future
I think they like them [solar panels] for a number of reasons. One is solar gives you some independence. You are not beholden to a system that just puts the costs up every year; you’re in control of your own future that way.
Climate Commission says alternative energies under utilised http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2012/s3640530.htm Tony Eastley reported this story , November 26, 2012
TONY EASTLEY: Australia’s Climate Commission has released its first major report on renewable energy and it concludes Australia is doing well but could do so much more. Some of the key findings of the report are that Australia’s huge potential for renewable energy is under-utilised.
It does say that momentum in Australia for renewable energy is building and Australia has benefited from the drop in cost of solar panels. It predicts that solar and wind power could be the cheapest forms of power in Australia for retail users by 2030.
Professor Tim Flannery co-authored the report.
Tim Flannery, welcome to AM. What’s the purpose of this latest report? Continue reading
Climate Change Commission says solar and wind could power Australia
Solar and wind the cheapest sources of energy and could power Australia, the Climate Commission says THE AUSTRALIAN BY: NATIONAL EDUCATION WRITER JESSICA MARSZALEK From: News Limited Network November 26, 2012 SOLAR and wind could become the cheapest sources of energy and almost exclusively power the country in coming decades as carbon prices climb, the Climate Commission says.
A report, to be released today by chief commissioner Professor Tim Flannery, notes the vast potential from sunlight and wind and “solar PV and wind could be the cheapest forms of power in Australia for retail users by 2030, if not earlier, as carbon prices rise”.
Prof Flannery said improvements had driven down the cost of renewable energy so much that Australia’s uptake had increased more than a decade faster than earlier imagined.
He said people might find it hard to believe communities could one day be powered almost entirely by renewable energy, but people would never have believed they would one day carry around little computers in their pockets.
“It’s like anything, computers or mobile phones, they started off expensive and over time the cost just declines and we’ve seen that with wind and now with solar,” he said.
BHP Billiton ‘Dirty Deeds’ done dirt cheap
In August BHP Billiton canned the Olympic Dam expansion, but since then they have been busy negotiating with the South Australian Government about having the indenture agreement extended on the mine http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/bhp-gets-extension-to-indenture-agreement-with-south-australian-government-for-billion-dollar-olympic-dam-expansion-to-2016/story-e6frg6n6-1226515910321
They are also looking now into expanding Olympic Dam by using a method of mining known, as heap leach mining. It seems they may not even have to produce a seperate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this type of operation. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/sa-business-journal/no-full-environmental-impact-study-needed-on-bhp-billitons-rejigged-olympic-dam-expansion-plan-says-sa-premier-jay-weatherill/story-e6fredel-1226516736376
Once again BHP Billiton say jump and the Government says how high.
BHP Billiton are the largest mining company in the world, worth over $160 billion according to its own annual report. It has operations in every continent except the Antarctica. Within its portfolio of resource extraction it produced over 222 million barrels of oil in the 2011/12 financial year. Some of that is from dangerous deep sea drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the sort of operation that led to the massive BP oil spill in May 2010. It also produces coal over 100 million tonnes of it in the past year . and 3,885 tonnes of uranium. Its products make a massive contribution to destructive climate change and to the profound WMD proliferation and safety risks associated with the nuclear fuel cycle.
FB event: http://www.facebook.com/events/240677119387432/?fref=ts
Call to rally against BHP’s unethical mining operations across the globe
BHP Billiton ‘Dirty Deeds’ done dirt cheap BHP are holding their Annual General Meeting of shareholders at
10:30am on the 29th of November in Sydney.. Come stand in solidarity with uncle Kevin Buzzacott keeper of Lake
Eyre & Arabunna Elder, Peter Watts Arabunna man, Edwin Mejia Columbian unionist against operations at BHP Billitons 33% owned Cerrejon mine and all the campaigners and activists stronlgy opposed to BHP operations accross the globe. The time to act is now.
New South Wales Greens condemn the call for nuclear energy
Nuclear Power In NSW – ‘Dangerous, Uneconomic And Retrograde’ http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3486 by Energy Matters, 26 Nov 12, A parliamentary committee that called on the state government to foster public discussion of nuclear power generation in New South Wales has been slammed by Greens NSW MP John Kaye; who labeled nuclear energy as “dangerous, uneconomic and retrograde”.
“Parading nuclear energy as a viable low emissions energy source while the O’Farrell government continues to devastate the renewable energy sector is deeply contradictory,” said Mr. Kaye.
“Despite the ink barely having dried on community submissions to the O’Farrell government’s long awaited Renewable Energy Action Plan, nuclear energy is again being dragged out for debate.”
Mr Kaye said wind energy and solar power technologies are cheaper to develop and avoid the threat of toxic waste products that will haunt humanity for thousands of years; plus what he called the unavoidable connection to nuclear weapons.
“Energy Minister Chris Hartcher must now rule out a review of nuclear energy development in NSW and focus on fostering a jobs rich, clean energy sector in NSW,” he said. Nuclear power is continuing to raise its ugly radioactive head in Australia, with Resources Minister Martin Ferguson making his love affair with nuclear power more apparent during a speech in Sydney last month.
“The Australian government’s responsibility is to test all forms of clean energy and if at some point in the future we don’t get the breakthrough on baseload clean energy Australia will need to think seriously about considering nuclear,” he said, apparently including nuclear power as a clean energy source; a questionable association.
Minister Ferguson may need to spend less time daydreaming about nuclear power and take more note of what is happening in the renewables industry as the “breakthroughs” have already occurred; for example, solar thermal technology combined with heat storage systems.
Residential solar panels have already helped put off the need for constructing more large carbon intensive power plants and home energy storage systems – the Next Big Thing for small-scale solar power – will also increasingly wean Australia off fossil fuel based baseload power generation.
The history of Germany’s move away from nuclear power
As we know, in fact, nothing happened. Germany quickly adapted to the loss of the more-than-25% (but no much above that) of national power which nuclear electricity had provided
Germany’s Energiewende And The End Of Nuclear Power, The Market Oracle Nov 25, 2012 By: 
Andrew_McKillop NUCLEAR SHOCK TREATMENT For Ukraine and Japan, learning to do without nuclear power needed shock treatment: the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, and the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The combined economic cost and losses due to these “unforeseen nuclear accidents” will probably exceed $500 billion over the years and the decades. Nuclear accidents are in a class apart, for long term damage capability.Above all, certainly since Fukushima they cannot be kept away from and out of public debate.
Like all revolutions, Germany’s Energiewende or energy transition – which took an intense new lease of life and renewed public interest following the Fukushima disaster – was set in motion by many factors. Continue reading
No hope for Queensland uranium mining, with no uranium market recovery in sight
Market reality to keep uranium riches in the ground despite lifting of mining ban, Courier Mail, by: Robert Macdonald November 26, 2012 WHEN Premier Campbell Newman unexpectedly announced the end of Queensland’s uranium mining ban in late October, the share prices of selected explorers soared.
It was just a spike. Once investors recovered from their initial glee at the overturning of the 20-year-old roadblock, the reality of a uranium market deeply depressed in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power station disaster brought them back to Earth…….
The current spot price of uranium is less than $US45 ($A43) a pound (454g), which is barely two-thirds of the break-even cost of a modern uranium mine. The long-term price is higher, about $US60 a pound, but still barely profitable.
“I don’t think anything in the world would go ahead at the moment,” Laramide Resources vice president, exploration Peter Mullens said….. Continue reading
Kuala Lumpur: 10,000 march for 13 days, rally against Lynas rare earths processing plant.
The rally is a culmination of a 13-day march against the plant’s opening
Kuala Lumpur: 10,000 protest rare earth plant over health concerns Environmental activist group Himpunan Hijau organized the rally against the opening of rare earth company Lynas’ new plant. Global Post,Talia Ralph November 25, 2012 early 10,000 people took to the streets in Kuala Lumpur Sunday to protest the opening of Australia-based mining company Lynas’ new rare earth plant. Continue reading
Australia world leader in solar panel installation
AUSTRALIA LEADING WORLD IN SOLAR INSTALLS: 7 news, FLANNERY ABC November 26, 2012, “….. As of July this year, almost 754,000 households and businesses in Australia had solar panels.
The report says Queensland is leading Australia in solar panel installations and has doubled its use of solar energy in less than two years…. ” http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/article/15480465/australia-leading-world-in-solar-installs-flannery/
Prince Charles warns on the urgency of the world’s environmental crisis
Mankind must go green or die, says Prince Charles Environmental damage left unchecked would be ‘suicide on a grand scale’, Prince warns The independent, JONATHAN BROWN 23 NOVEMBER 2012 The Prince of Wales has warned that mankind is on the brink of “committing suicide on a grand scale” unless urgent progress is made in tackling green issues such as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, intensive farming and resource depletion.
Adopting uncharacteristically apocalyptic language, the Prince said the world was heading towards a “terrifying point of no return” and that future generations faced an “unimaginable future” on a toxic planet. Continue reading
Climate change denial lobbying in force in America
in the United States, the forces of greed, profit, and power are at work with no regard to the consequences of their actions.
Conservatives in U.S. trying to reverse renewable energy standards in the states, Examiner, NOVEMBER 25, 2012 BY: ROBERT BOWEN As world leaders begin discussions in Qatar Monday on an agreement to reduce carbon pollution, oil companies in the United States are out to repeal the renewable energy standards in the 29 states that have them. They are funding conservative groups to do their dirty work according to an article published Saturday in the Washington Post.
The Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank that denies climate change science, has joined with the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to write model legislation aimed at reversing state renewable energy mandates across the country. The Electricity Freedom Act, adopted by ALEC’s board of directors in October, would repeal state renewable energy standards (RES) which require utilities to get a portion of their electricity from renewable sources. ALEC and Heartland are using a tried and true tactic calling it “essentially a tax on consumers of electricity’ and bringing in “freedom.” Continue reading
Whyalla making wind turbines – it’s not wiped off the map by carbon tax
Wind Turbine Towers To Be Manufactured In South Australia, http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3485 by Energy Matters 26 Nov 12, 20 wind turbine towers for South Australia’s Snowtown II wind farm will be constructed in Whyalla.
Siemens Ltd is working with E&A Contractors, who are planning to build a wind tower manufacturing facility in the town using equipment and personnel from former wind tower manufacturers RPG; which was recently placed into Voluntary Administration.
According to a press release from Minister Greg Combet’s office, over 80 per cent of wind turbine towers used in Australia so far have been sourced from Australian suppliers.
“As part of this great project we have actively collaborated with Australian suppliers to supply the towers locally,” said Siemens Ltd’s Vice President David Pryke. “E & A have demonstrated strong business acumen and a commitment to re-establishing the wind tower business for South Australia by acquiring the key assets and people of RPG.”
Minister Combet’s office used the opportunity to again criticise previous comments by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott who
suggested Whyalla would be “wiped off the map” as a result of Australia’s carbon tax.
Construction of Snowtown Stage II started late last month and consists of a 90 turbine expansion of the existing Snowtown wind farm, which will add 270 megawatts capacity.
Snowtown II is expected to be capable of generating enough electricity to supply around 180,000 South Australian homes when it is operational by the end of 2014.
Stage 1 of Snowtown Wind Farm was completed in 2008 and generates enough power to supply nearly 70,000 households.
Owned by TrustPower, Snowtown wind farm is situated on the Barunga and Hummocks ranges west of Snowtown, around 150 kilometres north of Adelaide. The turbines use Siemens’ Direct Drive technology, which eliminates the gearbox, and longer blades.
Germany’s energy program has won out against all the nuclear propaganda and lies
unrepentant global warming hysterics such as Britain’s James Lovelock or the USA’s James Hansen cling to the all-powerful image of nuclear power, like any easily impressed and easily manipulated schoolboy
in Germany, its bet against nuclear power, driven by massive popular and political support has won out against all the nuclear propaganda and lies.
Germany’s Energiewende And The End Of Nuclear Power, The Market Oracle Nov 25, 2012 By: Andrew_McKillop “……..Making a smooth transition to a renewable energy-based economy is simply not possible by ruining energy consumers. The big-spending wishlist, to be sure, is almost endless: as shown by the now farcical story of UK government attempts to “relaunch nuclear power” in Britain, with its contracts for difference and electricity market regulation – and guaranteed producer prices for nuclear electricity up to 166 euros per 1000 kWh (145 GBP/MWh) – trying to breathe life back into La Fee Atomique, or the nuclear fairy as it is called in nuclear-besotted France, is a very expensive game. Continue reading
Nuclear Fusion – not a clean alternative to nuclear fission
Chernobyl Children Fukushima Children http://www.facebook.com/chernobylchildren.fukushimachildren 26 Nov 12 We were told the exact SAME LIES about Nuclear Fission. The exact same lies. Now it’s Fusion. A nuclear fusion power plant emits in normal operation 1000 times more radioactivity than a nuclear power plant and produces five times as much nuclear waste as a present-day nuclear fission power plant – Including the radioactive tritium beta emitter (heavy hydrogen). It mimics Hydrogen and becomes build in the DNA hydrogen bridges and causes childood leukemia. The nuclear fusion is not a “clean alternative” but a capital-intensive, centralized destructive force, based on the principle of the HYDROGEN BOMB, so the fusion is based on the fusion of radioactive Isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) to helium, with large amounts of energy. http://www.greenpeace-aachen.de/archiv/energie/bilder/atom-kernfusion.jpg
I have serious doubts about the accuracy of this item – suggest you read also the Comments about it. – Christina Macpherson
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of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 