Nuclear power in Australia would need massive subsidies and big carbon tax?
Nuclear Plant Builders In UK Want Higher Carbon Tax http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/14/nuclear-plant-builders-uk-want-higher-carbon-tax/#dVvzlmBpAqYyqE5P.99 Australian government members harbouring a not-so-secret fantasy to see nuclear generation in Australia can add another major offence to its principals that such projects would require.
The Telegraph in the UK is reporting that EdF, the mostly French government-owned nuclear giant that is proposing to build the $26 billion Hinkley Point C, is now pushing the UK government to increase its carbon tax so the financials for the first nuclear plant in the UK for nearly three decades adds up.
As Centrica (formerly British Gas) chairman Sir Roger Carr noted last year when pulling his company and its 500 million investment out of the consortium: “Nuclear is not a cheap option.”
It also requires massive subsidies. The Hinkley Point plant requires a guaranteed tariff of £92.50/MWH ($170/MWH), that is twice the wholesale price in the UK and about four times the price in Australia. Continue reading
Solar PV will take over from coal as new financing models favour solar
Solar PV to replace coal as “incumbent” technology REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 17 March 2014 Australia is embarking on a radical transformation of its electricity system that will see solar PV transition from being “disruptive” technology to the “incumbent” technology, displacing coal and sparking a radical change in the way that electricity is provided.
This is the assessment from Clean Energy Council CEO David Green (pictured), who in a presentation last week said generation will move from its traditional place at the point of supply to at or near the point of use; the primary role of the grid will be converted to that of a back-up “battery”; and consumers will play a key role in a more competitive market.
Green told a Davos Connection conference on infrastructure last week that the core logic behind having large scale generation plants close to their fuel source (coal or hydro) was being challenged by shifts in the basic cost parameters of many sources of energy allow generation (mostly solar) to be built closer to where it is used.
It was clear, he said, that solar PV has been taken up more rapidly in lower-income suburbs than higher income – because of the attraction for lower-income households to get a lower, fixed rate of electricity.
Now, new financing models – such as leasing and community ownership, as well as models for renters – was likely to spark a third wave of investment in solar PV. ….
……….RenewEconomy’s Take: Green is right, and this speech is welcome. It is about time that the clean energy industry articulates such a vision for the future in a co-ordinated and vigorous manner. There is much at stake.
As in the US, there is a mixture between those who see opportunity, and those who see only threat. Right now, it appears, it is the latter dominating policy settings. The utilities are resisting change, and so are the government owners.
The carbon price is being wound back, the renewable energy target is under threat, and energy efficiency schemes are also being wound back. In the meantime, tariffs and regulations appear ready to be deployed to slow down the uptake of the solar and solar storage and other technologies. It should be a quite battle..http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/solar-pv-replace-coal-incumbent-technology-38095
Crisis of nuclear waste is world-wide
Worldwide Nuclear Waste Crisis In the Wake of WIPP “If We Don’t Have a Place to Store it, then We Have to Stop Making It.”http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com/videos/radiation-poisoning/worldwide-nuclear-waste-crisis.html Alexandra Bruce March 15, 2014
The recent fire and release of deadly radiological poison from the Carlsbad, NM WIPP site is being whitewashed in the mainstream media.
The cover-up of the recent events at WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Program), where a plume of deadly plutonium particles were released and carried by winds over a vast swathe of the the US is such that we do not know exactly how dangerous this situation truly is. What we do know is that there was (and may still be) an out-of-control fire at that bomb-grade plutonium waste storage plant in Carlsbad.
The storage of nuclear waste remains an unresolved issue – and as one expert, interviewed here say, “If we don’t have a place to store it, then we have to stop making it.”
The lack of a real plan for managing the disposal of weapons-grade waste at Hanford,
WIPP and others have existed since these plants began being built, over 70 years ago, as can be seen by the age of this film. The issue of radioactive waste management has become so covered-up and controlled, that such a film could probably *not* be made today.
So, take advantage of seeing the preposterous ‘solutions’ which have been used, since the
beginning of the Nuclear Age, such as the savage dumping of steel barrels full of nuclear waste into oceans, surrounding highly-populated areas.
The lack of any resolution as to what to do with the nuclear waste from power plants has caused these to continuously stockpile the spent fuel rods on site, in conditions that are not very safe.
For example, when the reactors at Fukushima initially exploded, spent fuel rods, which were being stored ABOVE the reactors were shattered and sent flying in a radius of several miles surrounding the site, with this highly toxic debris covering the land that was the breadbasket of Japan.
Spent fuel, as I hope we have all learned by now, since the Fukushima disaster, is much more toxic than fuel rods are, before use.
Nobody really knows what’s going on under the Irish Sea, where British nuclear waste has been dumped for decades. This film attempts to find out.
Big anti nuclear rally in Tokyo
Japanese rally against nuclear power Sky News, March 15, 2014 Thousands of campaigners have rallied against nuclear power in Tokyo as the government and utilities move toward resumption of reactors in southern Japan.
More than 5000 protesters gathered at Hibiya Park in downtown Tokyo on Saturday to urge the government not to restart nuclear plants, as regulators review whether to let Kyushu Electric Power to restart two reactors at its Sendai power plant. Japan is prone to earthquakes. We have to seriously think about whether nuclear power is a good idea for Japan,’ said Masatoshi Harada, 60, as he joined fellow protesters at the park and later to march toward the Ginza shopping district.
‘This is an opportunity for Japan to drop nuclear power,’ he said.
Last week tens of thousands held a rally at the same site to voice fears about any reliance on nuclear power.
Saturday’s event came days after Japan marked the third anniversary of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Japan in March 11, 2011………. protesters argued that Japan can live without nuclear power as it has done so for many months.
All of the nation’s roughly 50 commercial nuclear reactors have remained offline due to tense public opposition to restarting them.
‘Nuclear plants have been closed, so you cannot say we cannot live without nuclear energy,’ anti-nuclear campaigner Junichi Okano said.http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=958583
The shift to decentralised energy generation in Australia
De-centralised Energy Generation’s Impact On Australia http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=4221 17 Mar 14, A draft discussion paper from Australia’s Clean Energy Council looks at the benefits of a shift to a more decentralised energy generation model.
The electricity system is already transitioning towards a model where large numbers of smaller generators provide the bulk of Australia’s electricity. More than two million Australians are taking control of their energy costs and driving a more competitive, productive, and open energy market says the CEC.
The paper looks at three main areas of benefit from decentralised energy generation.
More competition
With the proliferation of decentralised energy generators, such as small scale solar, this creates a supply and demand imbalance that puts downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices.
Lower cost infrastructure
Up-front costs have dropped dramatically for wind and solar PV; both large and small. Decentralised projects can be delivered through different ownership models as they are an inherently lower-cost form of infrastructure.
More efficient use of resources
A decentralised model of generation offers opportunities to reduce loss factors in the transmission of electricity; which can account for up to 10% of electricity generated via traditional means. An increase in households and businesses supplying their own power also means less pressure on the distribution grid.
The CEC sees the role of grid-supplied power potentially being inverted, switching from being the primary source of electricity to a safety net supplier of last resort.
“As with all disruptive technologies, a more distributed form of generation creates winners and losers, and many of those who have benefited from the traditional system will have an obvious tendency to resist change and the ability to protest loudly,” says Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green.
“Others will embrace change. It is an exciting and dynamic time for the energy sector to drive innovation and reach for the future.”
Produced for last week’s Australian Davos Connection Forum on National Infrastructure; “Centralised To De-centralised Energy: What Does It Mean For Australia” can be viewed here (PDF).
Launching of Australian Technologies Competition for Small and Medium Enterprises
Australian Technologies Competition Launches by Energy Matters 17 Mar 14, The greatly expanded 2014 Australian Technologies Competition was launched at the Powerhouse Museum last week. Now in its fourth year, the Australian Technologies Competition is open to SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) technology companies with less than 100 employees and seeks to find, mentor and develop the best among them.
“Launching the search for Australia’s next great technologies in the midst of many of the country’s best innovations from the past was perfect”, said New Inventors’ James O’Loghlin, who hosted the launch event……More than just an award, the winners of the Australian Technologies Competition gain entry to an intensive Business Accelerator Program that provides expert mentoring and networking opportunities with investors, potential customers and specialist advisors, plus connections to grant programs and international markets. The top 30 companies will win a spot in the intensive business development program……
An initiative of the Department of Industry, more information on the Australian Technologies Competition can be viewed at www.austechcomp.com. Entries close on May 6, 2014.http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=4220
New website showcases Aboriginal land management
Learning lie of the land http://www.inmycommunity.com.au/news-and-views/local-news/Learning-lie-of-the-land/7657879/ A NEW website showcasing the land management practices Aboriginal people have carried out in the Wheatbelt was launched in Northam on Thursday.
It features short films and interviews about Noongar land management projects recorded over the past five years.
The website was designed by natural resource management group Wheatbelt NRM and will be managed by the Aboriginal community.
Wheatbelt NRM Aboriginal facilitator Kerry Horan said the website highlighted a range of projects, such as the use of fire to enhance biodiversity and the preservation of significant cultural sites. “One story that is featured is about the clean-up of a ngamma, or rock hole, at Derbidin near Wyal-katchem,” Ms Horan said.
“These ngammas are important to Aboriginal people because they provided a source of water during the dry season and as meeting places to socialise, share information and trade goods.
“The ngamma also feature prominently in the Nyitting (Noongar word for dreaming).”
Six stories are already featured on the site and it will undergo further development over the next five years, with another 15 stories to be recorded.
“The Noongar have a responsibility to look after country and we see this project as enhancing opportunities for them to do that,” Ms Horan said.
The website is at moorditjboodjar.com.au.
Dilemma for pro nuclear Abbott – as nuke industry urges FOR carbon tax
Tony Abbott is pro nuclear energy. But there’s a problem, as the big argument touted for nuclear is about cutting greenhouse gas emissions. So the nuclear industry really wants the carbon tax!
Keep carbon tax, say green and nuclear energy chiefs The Chancellor is widely expected to take action to curb future rises in the carbon tax, to ease costs for households and manufacturers alike Telegraph UK By Emily Gosden, Energy Editor 16 Mar 2014 The Chancellor must resist calls to scrap his carbon tax in the budget this week because it remains the most cost-effective way of tackling climate change, energy giant EDF has argued.
Vincent de Rivaz, EDF Energy chief executive, insists that Britain “has right policies on climate change and energy” and warns of the dangers of abandoning long-term policies, such as the carbon price floor. “Crucially, the political consensus and stability of these policies have given investors the confidence to put their money into Britain,” he says. ……..while consumer and industry groups and some suppliers have urged the Chancellor to scrap the tax altogether, Mr de Rivaz urges the Government to “send a strong signal that it remains committed to its long term energy polices even if it makes short term and temporary adjustments to them”……Mr de Rivaz insists the policy is working because it is “tipping the balance away from coal to lower carbon gas” and it is “encouraging spending on new low carbon power generation like wind, biomass and nuclear”.
He suggests that the Government should look elsewhere if it wants to bear down on costs on energy bills.
“Householders are under pressure…. and more can be done [to help them]. But of all the environmental measures, the Carbon Floor Price, among a wider set of policies, is the most cost effective way to cut emissions.”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10701635/Keep-carbon-tax-say-green-and-nuclear-energy-chiefs.html
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 