Antinuclear

Turnbull govt attacks renewable energy, plans to gut Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)

The sun will set on solar if the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is gutted, The Age, Andrew Blakers and Richard Corkish, 30 Aug 16 

The federal government plans to strip the Australian Renewable Energy Agency of most of its funding, as well as its ability to give grants now that Parliament has resumed. Remarkably, the ALP, which established ARENA when in government, may allow this to happen. This is an existential threat to renewable energy research, innovation and education in Australia.

The solar photovoltaic industry is big business. It now makes up a quarter of all new electricity generation capacity installed each year across the world, and it’s growing at 20 to 30 per cent a year. Together, solar and wind energy make up half of all new generation capacity installed globally and all new generation capacity installed in Australia. A renewable energy revolution is in progress, and Australia is at the forefront. Gutting ARENA directly threatens our leadership position.

Our economy has benefited to the tune of billions of dollars in the form of dramatically reduced solar system costs, increased renewable energy business activity, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, royalties, shares and international student fees.

To provide just one example, the Australian-developed PERC solar cell now has annual sales of $9 billion and is forecast to dominate the worldwide solar industry. Further, gains in energy efficiency made possible by this technology are forecast to save our country $750 million in electricity generation costs over the next decade……..

If ARENA is cut, then hundreds of people will lose their jobs within two years. That is the cold reality. This includes researchers, PhD positions and industry leaders. Our brightest minds will be forced to either leave the field, or leave Australia in favour of other parts of the world where solar research is still valued.

In the longer term, Australia’s leadership in solar energy will vanish. As support for research and innovation dwindles, later-stage commercialisation will also start to dry up. This won’t be a temporary loss, but a long-lasting extinction as we lose the research groups that underpin the very education and training of future Australian engineers and scientists.

This would be completely at odds with the federal government’s innovation agenda, as well as its commitment at the UN climate change conference in Paris to double clean energy research and development by 2020…….http://www.theage.com.au/comment/australian-renewable-energy-agency-to-lose-most-of-its-funding-20160829-gr3qme.html

August 31, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, energy, politics