Antinuclear

Cautious hope for the future of renewable energy in Australia

Renewable energy industry cautiously optimistic for the future GREGG BORSCHMANN , ABC News 9 June 14, After months of doom and gloom, a cautious optimism is emerging that Australia’s large scale renewable energy target will not be scrapped.

FOR MOST OF THIS year, speculation and headlines have not been good for Australia’s renewable energy sector. . Much has been made of self-professed climate change ‘sceptic’ and pro-nuclear advocate, Dick Warburton, heading up a review of the renewable energy target (RET). And last week ABC’s Lateline aired claims that members of the review panel had conflicts of interest.

But Miles George, chair of the Clean Energy Council, has reasons to be mildly optimistic about the future of the RET.

“There have been four reviews in the last four years and they have all essentially come up with the same result – that if you cut the renewable energy target, electricity consumers will actually pay more for their electricity, not less,” he told RN Breakfast…….

Last month, the Australian Industry Group made what may be the pivotal submission to the Warburton Review. It argued against deep cuts, saying the RET had lowered wholesale prices and abolishing it would not lead to lower power prices. AIG chief executive Innes Willox said that unstitching the RET would not deliver ”overall benefits to energy users”………

The three major players in the Australian electricity market, Origin, AGL and Energy Australia, are all keen to scrap or dilute the RET, even though all have interests in wind projects.

The rationale is simple: the incumbents don’t want extra capacity in an already over-supplied market as it will only depress wholesale prices further……..http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/06/10/4020482.htm

June 10, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News