Australian Greens dispute Senate Committee’s claim that nuclear energy is “clean”
No one need be killed or injured for want of a wind turbine or solar panel and for this reason it is appropriate to call renewable energy peaceful and clean. Every country has abundant indigenous sources of their own renewable energy. The Indian Ocean Region has abundant solar radiation that could power solar thermal power plants, providing sustainable, reliable and independent energy. Australia providing that form of technology and assistance, rather than uranium, would provide tangible and material benefits to both Australia and the countries of the Indian Ocean Rim
Dissenting Report Australian Greens Senator Scott Ludlam 14 June 13 The Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee inquired into The Importance of the Indian Ocean rim for Australia’s foreign, trade and defence policy . http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=fadt_ctte/indianocean/index.htm
The Greens dissented on some statements about nuclear power and uranium
These dissenting remarks are restricted to citations or comments in the Committee’s report that exaggerate the prospects of the uranium market in the Indian Ocean Region or which erroneously refer to nuclear as a clean energy source.
The Department of Resources and Energy falsely states that uranium is the “sleeping giant of Australian export commodities.” While the indestructible optimism of the Department may have therapeutic value, it is simply not grounded in reality. Uranium accounts for only 0.29 per cent of national export revenue and less than 0.015 per cent of Australian jobs in the decade to 2011. Further, companies like BHP and Cameco are mothballing their uranium projects.
The fact is that the nuclear industry has been badly shaken by the global financial crisis, its spiralling costs, the ongoing Fukushima disaster and overwhelming competition from renewable energy. Continue reading
Climate change action urged by Julia Gillard and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Julia Gillard and Arnold Schwarzenegger join forces on climate change ABC News u Jun 13, 2013 Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have written a joint opinion piece to urge global action on climate change. …. The opinion piece, published in News Limited newspapers, stresses that the two regions are not alone in acting on climate change, and says that by the end of the year more than 1 billion people will be living in a state or country where a price on carbon is in place.
“California and Australia have a lot in common – climate change threatens our fragile environments and aggravates serious bushfires, droughts and floods, which put our important agricultural industries at risk,” they write.
“Because of these similar challenges, even though we are leaders from different sides of the political spectrum, we strongly agree on two fundamental ideas – that taking action on climate change can no longer be delayed and that such actions can succeed beyond partisan politics.
“By the end of 2013, more than a billion people will be living in a state or country where a price on carbon pollution is in place, demonstrating that we are not alone. “What the Industrial Revolution and the Information Technology Revolution have shown is that the people in regions which lead these transformations prosper the most and the soonest. It is the same with the Clean Energy Revolution.”….. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-13/gillard-and-schwarzenegger-join-forces-on-climate-change/4750416
High radiation levels 45 mils away from Fukushima’s wrecked nuclear reactors
Experts: Shock during first trip to Fukushima — Radiation levels so high far away from reactors that full protection suit would be used in U.S., yet people were walking around — “Contamination far more widespread than most understand” http://enenews.com/experts-shock-during-first-trip-to-fukushima-radiation-levels-so-high-far-away-from-reactors-that-full-protection-suit-would-be-used-in-u-s-yet-people-were-walking-around-contamination-far
Title: Cleanup From Fukushima Daiichi: Technological Disaster Or Crisis In Governance?
Source: Fairewinds Energy Education
Author: Art Keller
Date: June 13, 2013
[…] Shortly after arrival on their first trip to Japan, the group headed for Shirikawa, a city 45 miles west and a few miles south of the Daiichi nuclear plant. [Sam Engelhard, an industrial hygenist and certified radiation protection technologist,] was shocked as soon as he unpacked his radiation sensor gear and turned it on. Here they were almost 50 miles from the accident site and in the opposite direction of the prevailing winds, and the crew’s radiation alarms immediately started going off. Continue reading
Solar leasing – a win – win opportunity for electricity consumers and producers
Some utilities have made the decision to go with the flow and embrace the new technology rather than relying on barriers to protect an investment that is fast becoming uneconomic. Pity that in Australia that it is only the consumers who can see this.
Culture shock: Network offers solar storage leases to customers REneweconomy By Giles Parkinson 14 June 2013Sadly, this is not a story you will likely read about an Australian electricity network provider – given the pushback from their mostly state-government owners on the proliferation of rooftop solar PV. But, hopefully, it won’t be too far away.
A New Zealand electricity network operator, Vector, is offering a trial run of leases to its customers to install rooftop solar and battery storage for around the same cost as relying entirely on the grid. Given that New Zealand’s retail electricity prices are around the same as Australia’s – 25c/kWh in the local currency – it is a striking offer. Continue reading
Nuclear lobby produces a pretty poor advertising film – Pandora’s Promise
The biggest failing of the film, however, is the lack of any discussion of what the real obstacles to an expansion of nuclear energy are and what would need to be done to overcome them. In fact, nuclear power’s worst enemy may not be the anti-nuclear movement, as the film suggests, but rather nuclear power advocates whose rose-colored view of the technology helped create the attitude of complacency that made accidents like Fukushima possible.
Movie Review: Put “Pandora’s Promise” Back in the Box, Union of Concerned Scientists Ed Lyman, senior scientist June 12, 2013 ”….. By oversimplifying the issues, trivializing opposing viewpoints and mocking those who express them, and selectively presenting information in a misleading way, it serves more to obfuscate than to illuminate. As such, it adds little of value to the substantive debate about the merits of various energy sources in a carbon-constrained world.
“Pandora’s Promise,” taking a page from late-night infomercials, seeks to persuade via the testimonials of a number of self-proclaimed environmentalists who used to be opposed to nuclear power but have now changed their minds, including Stewart Brand, Michael Shellenberger, Gwyneth Cravens, Mark Lynas and Richard Rhodes. The documentary tries to make its case primarily by impressing the audience with the significance of the personal journeys of these nuclear power converts, not by presenting the underlying arguments in a coherent way. This strategy puts great emphasis on the credibility of these spokespeople. Yet some of them sabotage their own credibility. …. the audience may reasonably wonder why it should accept what they believe now that they are pro-nuclear. Continue reading
Warren Buffett backs wind power, rejects Small Modular Nuclear reactors (SMRs)
The best-known investor in the utility arena is raising its stake in wind in Iowa $1.9 billion….
MidAmerican is cancelling its pursuit of new small modular nuclear power options…..
Buffett & co choose wind energy investment over nuclear REeweconomy, By Mike Jacobs 14 June 2013 The Equation Investors working with utilities are making clear and clean choices for meeting our energy needs. Two big announcements show wind and energy efficiency are financeable and attractive, and new small nuclear reactors are not. Recently MidAmerican Energy chose to add more wind energy to its supply, dump a “modular” nuclear plant proposal, and decline to follow the trend toward burning natural gas.
Meanwhile, today Seattle City Light announced a purchase of energy from a commercial energy efficiency developer, demonstrating a power-purchase approach to fund investments in energy conservation that won’t disrupt a utility company’s financial health.
With Warren Buffet behind the wind decision, (MidAmerican is a subsidiary of Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway), and a new financial model possibly cracking the nut on building owner and utility ambivalence about deep energy retrofits for commercial buildings, these are important developments.
To summarise what just happened: Continue reading
Britain’s wind power provided consistent energy, fossil fuel backup not needed
Fossil fuel plants not needed to back up UK wind http://reneweconomy.com.au/2013/fossil-fuel-based-power-stations-unnecessary-to-back-up-wind-23670 By Joshua Hill 14 June 2013 An incidental note at the bottom of a wildlife article covering the culling of badgers in the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph could have explosive results for the energy industry.
According to the addendum, a measly four paragraphs in length, the National Grid — the country’s electric grid operator — has reported that wind energy produced 23,700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of power, requiring only 22 GWh of power from fossil fueled stations to fill the gaps: that is less than a thousandth of wind’s output, and ironically, less than a tenth of what was needed to back up conventional fossil fueled power stations. Continue reading
Surge in Europe’s carbon price raises prospects for Australia’s carbon market
EU carbon price surges amid optimism, The Age,June 14, 2013 Nick Perry Europe’s carbon price has surged to its highest level in months, prompting analysts to tip a rosier outlook for Australia’s future carbon market.
The spike came midweek as EU lawmakers expressed for the first time bipartisan support for efforts to fix Europe’s ailing emissions trading scheme (ETS)……
the price of European carbon permits hit a two-month high this week after conservative politicians indicated they’d support an amended backloading plan.
The proposal is now expected to proceed to the EU parliament once again, where it will go to a final vote on July 2…… If the vote is successful it would have immediate implications for Australia, even though it’s not anticipated the local market will mirror exactly what’s going on in Europe….. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/eu-carbon-price-surges-amid-optimism-20130614-2o7rb.html
Australia’s campaign for community owned renewable energy- 60 communities seeking funding
A Push For Community Owned Renewables In Australia http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3793 14 June 13, More than 60 communities throughout Australia want to develop community owned wind and solar farms; but few have received funding to assist in the early stages.
Fund Community Energy is an initiative of the Coalition for Community Energy calling on the Federal government to establish a $50 million grant program to support the development stage of these projects. The investment could leverage over half a billion dollars in investment in community renewable energy. The group has organised meetings with Liberal and Labor politicians in June and wants to ensure it can show significant community support, so has implemented a petition that aims to collect at least 5,000 signatures.
“Community-owned renewable energy projects cut carbon pollution and bring new life to regional and rural Australia. Most importantly, they pave the path for an Australia powered by renewable energy that’s owned by everyday people, not big energy companies with vested interests in fossil fuels,” states the Fund Community Energy web site. Coalition for Community Energy refers to the 3Ds of community energy to highlight its benefits: decarbonising energy supply, decentralizing and localising energy generation and democratising energy governance.
At this point in time, only two community owned renewable energy projects are up and running in Australia; one of them being Hepburn Community Wind Park, winner of the 2012 World Wind Energy Award.
There has been some good news in recent days – the NSW government recently announced $411,000 in grants for nine new community renewable projects; but the concern is for the dozens of other projects languishing that may fade into obscurity.
The Fund Community Energy campaign is being led by the Community Power Agency and Yes 2 Renewables with support from dozens of other groups including 100% Renewable and the Alternative Energy Association.
Two new renewable energy programs for remote locarions
Regional boost for clean energy http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/regional_boost_for_renewable_energy/081907/, 13 June 2013 The Federal Government has announced a new program that will aim to generate 150 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources in regional and remote locations in Australia.
The $400 million program, known as the Regional Australia Renewables (RAR) initiative, will be supported via the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The program will construct at least two large-scale renewable energy plants of 10 MW or greater in Australian regional and remote locations within the next five years.
The initiative is split into two programs – the Industry RAR program and the Community RAR program. The Industry RAR program will support the development of renewable energy solutions, including hybrid and integrated systems in off-grid and fringe-of-grid locations across Australia. The Community RAR program will work directly with electricity distributors to demonstrate technologies that can feed more renewable energy into community electricity grids, such as energy storage systems.
Federal Resources and Energy Minister Gary Gray said in the Pilbara – where the cost of wind energy can be half that of diesel – energy demand is growing faster than in any other part of Australia.
“It’s no secret that in Western Australia we have a lot of remote areas and meeting our growing energy demand is a big issue,” Mr Gray said. “Where there is no grid-connected electricity, many communities and industries truck-in fuels to generate energy.”
Britain’s Maralinga nuclear test veterans take their case to European Court of Human Rights
Labour ‘snub’ for A-bomb veterans The Shields Gazette, 13 June 13 A NUCLEAR test veteran from South Tyneside is “very disappointed” at the response of Labour Party leader Ed Miliband to a call for support. John Taylor wrote to Mr Miliband, on behalf of himself and the 1,000 ex-servicemen, demanding justice after being exposed to radiation during British nuclear weapon tests in the Pacific in the 1950s.
Mr Taylor, 76, of Carnegie Close, South Shields, had a chance meeting with the Labour leader, while he was supporting Emma Lewell-Buck during her successful by-election battle in the town. But although Mr Miliband asked Mr Taylor to write to him about the campaign, the atom bomb veteran was “unhappy” with the Labour leader’s response.
Mr Taylor said: “Basically, everything in the letter was stuff we already knew. There was no pledge to back our campaign. “There is nothing in Ed Miliband’s letter that suggested he was going to support us. I was very disappointed, because I thought Mr Miliband could have taken up our fight in Westminster.
“I think the veterans’ solicitors will be disappointed with his response too. “His letter really suggested that we would have to fight our cases individually, rather than as a concerted campaign.”
Wearing little or no protective clothing, Mr Taylor witnessed three nuclear explosions between July and September 1957, as part of Operation Antler, while serving as a leading aircraftman with the RAF in Maralinga, Australia.
All the vets claim the nuclear tests caused medical problems for themselves and their families……..
Although the veterans saw their case rejected by the Supreme Court in London last year, Mr Taylor and fellow campaigners hope for a more positive hearing later this year at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/crime/labour-snub-for-a-bomb-veterans-1-5761740
1 This month
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