A cautionary tale about going off grid with solar energy
The “off-grid” guy is not happy with his off-grid system http://reneweconomy.com.au/the-off-grid-guy-is-not-happy-with-his-off-grid-system-58229/ By Giles Parkinson on 5 April 2017 One Step Off The Grid
Michael Mobbs has been involved in sustainability for more than two decades, leading public discourse with his “sustainable house” blog, cutting his connections to mains water and sewer more than two decades ago, and finally cutting the electricity wires to his inner-Sydney terrace home in March, 2015.
His exploits and determination to lead a self-suficent lifestyle earned him the sobriquet of the “off-grid-guy”. But two years after cutting the link to the electricity grid, Mobbs is deeply frustrated – his off-grid system is not working anywhere near as well as he expected.
For the last few weeks, in cloudy, rainy Sydney, Mobbs has had to turn off the fridge during the day to ensure that the house, which he shares with two others, has enough power for a “civilised life” at night-time. Worse than that, his system has a bug in it that causes it to trip every two days. Flashing digital lights have become part of his life.
“I’m running short of power,” Mobbs complains. He reckons that the system that he has in place is delivering 1kWh a day less than he expected. “I thought this would be a walk in the park, but I appear to have tripped over.”
Mobbs in now looking to replace the system, and has even launched a public ‘invitation” for people to suggest solutions. (Submissions are due on April 13).
But he wants this to be a public discourse, because from his experience he sees a cautionary tale for anyone looking to install battery storage, and particularly those who are looking to go off grid.
“I don’t live off-grid just for myself,” he writes on his blog. “I live off-grid to trial and to show options, create and publish real-life data for others, to give hope through action and accountability. ”
But he admits that his particular journey for going off-grid for electricity is incomplete. “When complete, and the new replacement system is installed soon, the project will show what is feasible.”
Although battery storage has been used for decades, mostly in remote areas that don’t easily connect to the grid, the mass-market is new, and so are many of the products now available to those in the inner city, suburbs, and regional towns.
And battery storage is a complex business – it relies so much on the consumer’s usage pattern, available solar power, local weather, orientation and how it is configured and paired with other hardware and software such as inverters and solar panels. Going off grid requires a bespoke solution.
Some people have the money and can throw surplus dollars and capacity at the solution. Hobbs clearly wants to find a smarter way – and in the inner city, he is restricted by space.
Mobbs says that from his experience it is pretty clear that there is a consumer blind spot. He now emphasises the need to be clear about what is wanted from the system, and for good monitoring and analytics to indicate what is going wrong and when.
So what did go wrong with his system?
Adani coal mine granted UNLIMITED ACCESS TO GROUNDWATER!
‘Barbaric’: Farmers rattled as Adani coal mine granted unlimited water access, Brisbane Times, Peter Hannam, 6 Apr 17, The proposed Adani coal mine has been granted unlimited access to groundwater by the Queensland government in a move farmers fear would allow it to drain huge amounts of water from the Great Artesian Basin.
According to a copy of Adani’s water licence obtained by Fairfax Media, the $16 billion Carmichael mine merely needs to monitor and report the amount of water it extracts with a permit that runs until 2077.
The mine, the biggest of nine proposed for the Galilee Basin west of Rockhampton, can conduct its own review of its groundwater model without independent or government oversight.
There are also no impact levels specified that would trigger a halt to mining, with the company able to offset any significant water loss elsewhere, the licence shows.
“It’s bloody-minded and barbaric,” said Bruce Currie, a grazier who lives in the region and has joined legal action against Galilee mines. “This is going to definitely impact on the integrity of [the Great Artesian Basin].”
According to a supplementary environmental impact statement, the mine will draw 26 million litres of water per day from its pits by 2029 as it ramps out annual production to as much as 60 million tonnes. Over its life, the mine’s water tally would reach an estimated 355 billion litres……….
The licence would not be subject to the new Water Act Referral Panel set up to ensure “the sustainable management of water in Queensland”……
Opponents, though, argue the coal is largely poor quality and the basin will require huge subsidies to become viable. Burning the fuel would also release a “carbon bomb” that would contribute to harming the Great Barrier Reef, which is already being hammered by unprecedented coral bleaching blamed on global warming.
Fairfax also sought comment from Adani Mining, the local subsidiary of the Indian company.
Without the water, their businesses are basically finished.
Limited scrutiny Unlike other controversial mines, such as the New Acland coal mine planned for the Darling Downs, Adani’s water usage is not subject to public submissions and appeals, said Jo Bragg, chief executive of Queensland’s Environmental Defenders Office.
Groundwater evidence is often the most controversial feature and public scrutiny is often the most significant aspect of any review, Ms Bragg said. “It’s a matter of grave concern that there’s not that opportunity.”…….http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/barbaric-farmers-rattled-as-adani-coal-mine-granted-unlimited-water-access-20170404-gvdk5v.html
Despite the blindness of Australian govt and vested interests, the switch from ‘base load’ to smart grid energy is underway
What is so astonishing about the plethora of opportunities is the refusal of the incumbents and other vested interests to see them.
Their regulatory capture of many of the country’s key institutions seems to be complete as well, but could be challenged by the likes of Zibelman and chief scientist Alan Finkel.
“Get used to it”: We’re switching from “baseload” to a smart grid, REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 4 April 2017 “In South Australia, the minister’s right, when the wind stops, you get blackouts.”
Well, no. Fact check please. But so said ABC Q&A host Tony Jones on the program last night in the middle of a discussion about renewable energy between energy minister Josh Frydenberg and the former prime minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt.
Apart from being factually wrong, Jones’ statement highlights the depths of ignorance in mainstream media, and the influence within the ABC of senior commentators who simply do not accept, or understand, the potential of renewable energy. It is a view enthusiastically shared by many conservative politicians and encouraged by an ever desperate fossil fuel industry.
But here’s the thing. The energy mix is changing rapidly and large-scale solar is unstoppable, according to numerous presenters at a major solar conference held in Sydney this week.
Solar and wind will beat new coal and gas on price, and on top of that storage is arriving in a big way, as are all the other different technologies that will usher a dramatic change in our energy mix from a fossil fuelled “baseload” to a flexible system based around wind and solar.
“Get used it”. That was the simple but powerful message to the energy incumbents from Leonard Quong, a lead analyst from Bloomberg New energy Finance, in highlighting the rapidly changing “energy paradigm” in Australia and across the world.
“The best advice that we can give to those that would seek to resist the change, or the increased complexity, is just get used to it,” Quong told the conference on Monday. “The economics of large-scale solar make it an unstoppable force,” he said, reinforcing the point that the power system was moving to a new “control paradigm”, underpinned by any amount of new technologies.
It was a theme taken up by a range of speakers at the conference, from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and to developers such as Goldwind (the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturer), Genex Power and others.
Indeed, in recent weeks the energy debate in Australia has reached something of an inflexion point. The closure of the dirtiest power station in the country, the giant Hazelwood brown coal generator, was the biggest symbol of this transition.
But other events are happening rapidly. In South Australia, a tender for battery storage attracted an astonishing 90 proposals, the former head of Hazelwood conceded that solar and storage was already cheaper than gas, and the biggest player in the South Australian market tore up its business plan in response to the events around it, and the state’s intervention in the market.
Good, said premier Jay Weatherill. “We’ve been screwed for too long by large power companies, it’s as simple as that,” the premier said on Monday.
Finally, the government has now shown it is prepared to take on the energy oligopolies – given that the regulators and rule makers have shown no interest in doing so. And the solution is to be found in storage and smart solutions that reduce the ability of the incumbents to cause huge price spikes and withhold capacity.
And for the first time, the head of one of the country’s main energy institutions, Audrey Zibelman, the new chief of the Australian Energy Market Operator, is talking of a grid that focuses on “distributed generation” – solar and storage – as a cheaper, faster, cleaner and smarter alternative to what we have now.
Even Malcolm Turnbull, in promoting pumped hydro, is talking of “dispatchable generation” and “variable” rather than “intermittent renewables.”
And his government has promised to throw in an extra $110 million to support a solar tower and storage facility in Port Augusta. Once that technology gets established, with its ability to provide 24-7 power, then the game will surely be up for baseload fossil fuels.
Indeed, this was one of the big themes of the Large Scale Solar 2017 conference being co-hosted by RenewEconomy and Informa in Sydney this week. The long expected and sudden boom in large-scale solar is about to change the energy landscape in this country forever, particularly as storage comes on board as well.
Gloria Chan, the head of large-scale solar for the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, talked of a “changing paradigm” from baseload and peaking fossil fuel plants, to a “smart grid” based around solar and wind, with the gaps being filled by “dispatchable” renewables and storage……
The CEFC’s Chan said the CEFC technology roadmap includes pumped hydro and batteries, along with synchronous condensers and other technologies; “dispatchable” renewables such as solar thermal, geothermal hydrogen and biomass.
Other technologies include transmission upgrades and “behind the meter solutions” – the solar and storage and virtual power plants, and demand management highlighted by Zibelman in the past week.
What is so astonishing about the plethora of opportunities is the refusal of the incumbents and other vested interests to see them.
Their regulatory capture of many of the country’s key institutions seems to be complete as well, but could be challenged by the likes of Zibelman and chief scientist Alan Finkel.
Indeed, a survey released this week by Sven Teske, from the Institute of Sustainable Futures in Sydney, found that 71 per cent of international energy experts thought that 100 per cent renewable energy was obtainable and realistic. To be sure, the responses ranged from the “progressive” to the “conservative” – who simply didn’t believe it could be done.
As the head of China’s state grid has noted, this is not a technology issue, but a cultural one.
And perhaps it is that which causes the media to struggle to move forward, and lazily repeat the mischievous myth-making of the fossil fuel incumbents. Jones’s comments on Q&A are a case in point. Perhaps mainstream media is waiting for the right signals from the mainstream parties. The CEFC’s Chan said the CEFC technology roadmap includes pumped hydro and batteries, along with synchronous condensers and other technologies; “dispatchable” renewables such as solar thermal, geothermal hydrogen and biomass.
Other technologies include transmission upgrades and “behind the meter solutions” – the solar and storage and virtual power plants, and demand management highlighted by Zibelman in the past week.
What is so astonishing about the plethora of opportunities is the refusal of the incumbents and other vested interests to see them.
Their regulatory capture of many of the country’s key institutions seems to be complete as well, but could be challenged by the likes of Zibelman and chief scientist Alan Finkel.
Indeed, a survey released this week by Sven Teske, from the Institute of Sustainable Futures in Sydney, found that 71 per cent of international energy experts thought that 100 per cent renewable energy was obtainable and realistic. To be sure, the responses ranged from the “progressive” to the “conservative” – who simply didn’t believe it could be done.
As the head of China’s state grid has noted, this is not a technology issue, but a cultural one.
And perhaps it is that which causes the media to struggle to move forward, and lazily repeat the mischievous myth-making of the fossil fuel incumbents. Jones’s comments on Q&A are a case in point. Perhaps mainstream media is waiting for the right signals from the mainstream parties. http://reneweconomy.com.au/get-used-to-it-were-switching-from-baseload-to-a-smart-grid-96298/
Adani coal railway line plan in breach of Australian government policy
Adani mine railway loan would breach government’s policy, says legal group
Complaint lodged over prospect of Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility partially funding 400km rail line, Guardian, Helen Davidson, 6 Apr 17, A $1bn federal loan to builders of a railway line between the proposed Adani coalmine and the coast would be a direct breach of government policy, a legal group has claimed.
Environmental Justice Australia has lodged a formal complaint with the Productivity Commission over the prospect of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility partially funding the 400km rail line.
It is believed two companies – an Adani-related entity and the rail company Aurizon – have made rival bids for $1bn in government loans.
But EJA said government funding of the line would be a clear breach of competitive neutrality principles and potentially against the criteria of the “developing the north” white paper.
Competitive neutrality principles require governments not to use their legislative or fiscal powers “to advantage their own businesses over the private sector”, according to government agreements.
“We also submit that the Naif is non-transparent, ineffective, inefficient and has an inadequate governing framework.”
EJA based its complaint on a report by the Productivity Commission into the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation in 2012. It said said the commission found Efic should cease supporting onshore resource projects and related infrastructure because the private sector was already active in that market.
It also suggested the framework of Efic and Naif were similar, in that it had a “market gap” not “market failure” mandate……
Naif’s mandatory criteria also includes the requirement that the funded project be of benefit to the public and “serve or have the capacity to serve multiple users”.
While Adani’s proposal for the rail line is believed to be for its sole use transporting coal between the Carmichael mine in the Galilee basin and the coastline for export, Aurizon’s has reportedly scoped for a multi-use line – albeit with Adani as the sole operator initially.
Barnden said this did not affect the group’s complaint, and suggested Aurizon would have difficulty justifying a proposal for a multi-user line because the Abbot Point terminal on the coast only had capacity for Carmichael.
“I think we’re reasonably confident that the commission will make findings which would lead to recommendations to the minister to not finance or not provide financial support to large private infrastructure projects in Australia.”….. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/06/adani-mine-railway-loan-would-breach-governments-policy-says-legal-group
Adani’s Carmichael coal mine is environmentally reckless and contrary to today’s energy markets
http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/adanis-carmichael-coal-mine-is-environmentally-reckless-and-contrary-to-todays-energy-markets-20170404-gvdkgh.html
~ Julien Vincent executive director of Market Forces 6 April 2017:
“If at first you don’t stack up economically, make the public pay for it.”
“This could be the mantra that delivers Adani’s Carmichael mega coal mine in the Galilee Basin
at the expense of the environment, culture, our prospects of a stable climate and in defiance of sound economics. …
“Since buying the coal tenements from Linc Energy in 2010, Adani has failed to secure a single private backer for the Carmichael mine.
“In fact, since then, 17 banks have either publicly distanced themselves from Galilee Basin
coal export projects or introduced policies that prevent them lending to the Carmichael mine. …
“In an industry where sentiment and market signals have a huge impact, leadership from private banks like Westpac can do more than just prevent a project like Adani’s Carmichael coal mine, and its impacts on people, the environment and climate. It can help prevent Australians for having to pay for the privilege.”
Victorian Liberal Party rejects nuclear power, also rejects climate denialism
Turnbull warns party faithful against drift to the right, Adam Carey, Eryk Bagshaw, The Age, 2 Apr 17, Malcolm Turnbull has stared down the right-wing of his own party which has hamstrung his leadership and asserted that the Liberals should be the party of the “sensible centre”…….
The party’s [Victorian] state council passed three motions to adopt new federal policies:…….
Motions to embrace nuclear power and to adopt energy policies that reject “climate alarmism demonising CO2 emissions” were rejected.http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-warns-party-faithful-against-drift-to-the-right-20170401-gvbhjf.html
Port Augusta ‘buzzing’ over deal for solar power plant
Port Augusta mayor Sam Johnson ‘absolutely ecstatic’ solar power plant will be finally funded Adam Langenberg, Political reporter, Sunday Mail (SA) April 2, 2017 THE city at the centre of South Australia’s power crisis is “buzzing” after a highly anticipated plan to build a 100MW solar thermal plant took one huge leap closer to reality.Excited locals say the promise of a $110 million concessional loan to proponents is “absolutely huge” and 
transformative for the city, while project backers say the State Government must award its power supply contract to provide certainty.
Mayor Sam Johnson said he was “absolutely ecstatic” the project was a step closer but he took a shot at the Federal Government for only delivering on its promise as part of a deal with Senator Xenophon to support its company tax cut package.
“There was certainly a buzz around town because it’s no secret we’ve had a few bad shots in the arm in the last 18 months,’’ Mr Johnson said.
“We’re looking for that positivity and we know we can deliver the next chapter.”
Senator Xenophon said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had assured him the project “was a goer” and welcomed the Government’s clear commitment to solar thermal generation at Port Augusta. “It will transform the town and be a beacon of hope. It will also change the way we look at energy, by providing virtual baseload with a molten salt storage,” Senator Xenophon said. “I just want it to happen. I’m happy to work with the Prime Minister………
..Repower Port Augusta Dan Spencer reiterated both proponents, SolarReserve and Solarstor, needed to clinch an electricity supply deal with the State Government before progressing further.
“It puts the ball right in Jay’s (Premier Weatherill) court,” Mr Spencer said.
“They’ve got the guarantee of the federal loan so they can lock it in now by providing the power contract.”
Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said applications for the electricity contract were being assessed and the Government had “numerous policies in place to support a potential solar thermal plant.”http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/port-augusta-mayor-sam-johnson-absolutely-ecstatic-solar-power-plant-will-be-finally-funded/news-story/55acc17df92d7f9cef77b6548aae488c
Climate change is pushing cyclones further South
Watch out, Gold Coast, climate change is pushing cyclones further South Cyclone the size of Debbie could be catastrophic for Gold Coast, modelling shows, The Age, Eryk Bagshaw, 2 Apr 17,
A cyclone the size of Debbie could have catastrophic consequences on the Gold Coast, new modelling has shown, as climate change pushes cyclones further south and puts tens of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure at risk.
Actuaries, who predict and model scenarios for banks and insurers, have warned properties could become “uninsurable” as premiums rise to meet environmental challenges. Debbie devastated northern Queensland and swept floods into NSW which caused $1 billion in damage, forced 30,000 people to evacuate and took two lives.
Under modelling compiled by Deloitte’s principal actuary Sharanjit Paddam and James Cook University, a shift in the cyclone-prone region of just three degrees would cause winds in excess of 260km/h to hit the Gold Coast and stretch as far as Brisbane, where many homes and towers do not meet cyclonic safety standards.
The “sting in the tail” of ex-Cyclone Debbie battered the Gold Coast this week with winds half as strong as those that hit Bowen and Proserpine, along with torrential downpours. Continue reading
Looking to the future: Australia’s energy supply and demand
Power games: The quick fix and unanswered questions on electricity, The Age Adam Morton 2 Apr 17,
Let’s assume that at some point in February next year it will reach 45 degrees in south-east Australia.
Let’s assume it will be more than 43 degrees for three days running. Let’s assume you are unlucky and the temperature tops 40 degrees for a week or more……..
As the climate control kicks in, home solar systems are also firing up. At the turn of the decade, rooftop solar panels were a novelty. Now, more than 1.5 million households have them. They provide some relief for the stretched electricity grid.
And the grid needs all the relief it can get. Like most of us, electricity infrastructure performs less well when it is hot. This applies to the ageing equipment in creaking old coal plants and gas-fired turbines. Some break down as the temperature rises. It also applies to solar photovoltaic panels, some of which lose nearly a fifth of their capacity as the temperature goes past 40……..
the extraordinary weather conditions means the annual threat of bushfire – which could knock out transmission lines and possibly affect generators – remains constant………
The scenario above is the picture today, but it will almost certainly have changed again by next summer. The energy industry has been acting as though on fast-forward over the past fortnight, and shows no sign of slowing down.
The Clean Energy Council says there is more than $5.5 billion worth of renewable energy projects under construction this year. On Thursday, Lyon Solar added plans for a $1 billion solar and battery plant in South Australia’s Riverland to be in place by next summer. Billed as the biggest of its type in the world, it includes a 330 megawatt solar farm and 100 megawatt battery system with four hours’ storage – enough, proponents say, to potentially make concerns about South Australia and Victoria’s supply redundant.
This is independent of the Weatherill government’s quick tender for Australia’s first large-scale battery system that could – if Tesla mogul Elon Musk is to be believed – be built in 100 days. It is one of a number of steps planned by the South Australian government. Less headline grabbing, but possibly just as important, is that Premier Jay Weatherill has assured the public there will be 200 megawatts of emergency back-up in place. Almost certainly, it will be met by bringing in cheap, reliable and emissions-intensive diesel generators. This was the path Tasmania took when its hydro dams were running low and the Basslink cable to Victoria was broken last year. It might seem antiquated, but works.
The Victorian government has also promised a battery tender, aiming to have 50 megawatts – enough to power a couple of regional cities for four hours – before Christmas. Another 50 is expected to follow in 2018……..
The ignored opportunity
Perhaps because it has no champion among industry or regulators, the potentially significant scope to quickly reduce electricity demand through smarter use of technology remains little explored.
A paper released last week by the awkwardly named Energy Efficiency Certificate Creators Association makes the case for the savings possible by cutting waste.
Victoria has been a leader in this area with an energy efficiency scheme that, until the Coalition walked away before the last election, had bipartisan support. Ric Brazzale, managing director of Green Energy Markets, estimates the cleaner lights and appliances it helped install last year alone reduced demand by about 120 megawatts – the equivalent of a small power plant.
Advocates want incentives for businesses to reduce production when necessary and to upgrade substandard equipment – think boilers, airconditioners, fridges and insulation. At a household level, the call is for greater support to install better whitegoods and battery packs.
Small steps can make a significant difference. Replacing old lights with LEDs, for example, can cut electricity consumption from that device by up to 80 per cent.
Unanswered questions
Better demand management will help, but it won’t avoid the need for more generation. The big, unaddressed question is what will the response be when the next large coal power plant closes – and the next one after that, and so on.
Australia has 23 remaining coal generators. As the federal government acknowledges, several more may shut over the next decade. According to modelling for the Climate Change Authority, all would need to be gone and replaced by cleaner technology by 2035 if Australia is to play its part under the Paris deal to keep global warming below 2 degrees.
That notional deadline rarely gets a mention in public debate, but a campaign is in full flight for a bipartisan national energy and climate policy to set the pace for the transition to cleaner plants. Businesses are worried that ageing coal plants will otherwise continue to shut abruptly – Hazelwood’s closure was announced just five months out – without there being time to build replacements. The federal government has rejected their preferred model, an emissions intensity scheme, and as has offered no alternative.
Reviews into electricity security (by chief scientist Alan Finkel) and climate policy (by the Environment Department) are under way, but the government is fundamentally divided on the need to do anything. It is hard to see where it lands.
Nationally, the only significant large-scale policy designed to drive energy investment beyond this decade is Victoria’s ambitious and contested renewable energy target, which aims to build enough wind and solar farms to deliver 40 per cent of the state’s electricity needs by 2025. (The ACT has also a renewable target, but in other states the goals are purely aspirational.)
The Andrews government has not said what it thinks the rapid growth in clean energy means for the Latrobe Valley’s three remaining coal plants – Yallourn, Loy Yang A and Loy Yang B. The state opposition plans to abolish the renewable target if it wins power next year, but it hasn’t said what, if anything, it would do in its place. It has hinted it may subsidise coal plants to keep them open.
Meanwhile, anyone hoping for an answer on what will keep the lights on in the longer term is left waiting. http://www.theage.com.au/business/energy/power-games-the-quick-fix-and-unanswered-questions-on-electricity-20170327-gv7w01.html
#StopAdani Alliance
‘One of the biggest threats to Australia’s beloved Great Barrier Reef, Adani’s Carmichael coal mine is weeks away from being finalised.
Concerned citizens have no time to lose in opposing it, say activists.’Vaidehi Shah
An alliance of 13 green groups has formed to fight the mine
It comprises the
Bob Brown Foundation, http://www.bobbrown.org.au/
350org, http://350.org/
GetUp, https://www.getup.org.au/
Australian Conservation Foundation, https://www.acf.org.au/
Australian Youth Climate Coalition, http://www.aycc.org.au/
Seed (Australia’s first Indigenous youth climate network), http://www.seedmob.org.au/
Australian Marine Conservation Society, https://www.marineconservation.org.au/
Mackay Conservation Group, http://www.mackayconservationgroup.org.au/
North Queensland Conservation Council, http://nqcc.org.au/
Environment Council of Central Queensland, https://www.facebook.com/Environment-Council-of-Central-Queensland-443059492526187/
Whitsundays Residents Against Dumping, http://wrad.nationbuilder.com/
Market Forces https://www.marketforces.org.au/
& The Sunrise Project. http://sunriseproject.org.au/
Australianb anks, insurance companies, considering the costs of climate change
While those who want to argue whether climate change is real or some sort of Chinese conspiracy, those with real money at risk have moved on. The science is accepted, they have plenty of evidence to back up their own concerns, and now they want to find a way to deal with the financial repercussions.
How climate change will affect your mortgage https://thewest.com.au/opinion/shane-wright/climate-change-is-real-and-its-cost-cannot-be-ignored-ng-b88432001z
Shane Wright, Economics Editor, Monday, 3 April 2017 The pictures from the northern Sydney suburb of Collaroy are hard to forget.
Last year, after some extreme weather, a string of houses were left hanging in mid-air. The beach, and backyards, of these homes had simply disappeared.
It grabbed our attention. But it also grabbed the attention of the banks that had lent money to those homeowners and tens of thousands of others who like to live next to the beach.
If you’re a bank, you want to make sure that the people who you lend cash to can repay it.
That means taking into account their income levels as well as the value of the asset they’re purchasing.
There’s not much sense in giving someone a $500,000 mortgage that may be falling in value. In the case of a problem with repayments, and the bank is forced to sell the property, then there’s no chance it will get its money back.
Perfect banking sense. And so it is perfect banking sense to start taking into account the threat posed by climate change.
In the case of the homes on that Sydney beach, if climate change is washing away part of the property then — by definition — the value of that property is falling. Indeed, the property is actually getting smaller as it is swept out to sea.
So you would not be surprised to know that the nation’s banks are starting to look at what climate change might mean to the values of the assets that underpin the best part of $1.5 trillion in mortgages.
There is a growing risk that if your home loses value due to climate change — it’s in a flood-prone area, it’s not very high above sea level, it’s surrounded by increasingly bushfire-prone forests — then how much you can borrow could be curtailed.
You also shouldn’t be surprised that the insurance sector is also looking very closely at what climate change-induced events may mean for its coverage and its fees. Continue reading
Victorian Liberal Party pledges to keep brown coal-fired stations burning
We’ll keep coal burning: Guy
Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy has pledged the party would keep brown-coal-fired stations burning. (subscribers only)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/matthew-guy-pledges-to-keep-coal-power-stations/news-story/8f09b2bac4d0d0a31e18c883ea753230
Coal industry affected by climate change: costs of Queensland Cyclone Debbie
Queensland Cyclone Debbie: Economic impact, Courier Mail, April 2, 2017 QUEENSLAND coal exports may have taken a $1.5 billion hit from Cyclone Debbie as more than 22 mines were forced to halt production while roads and ports were shut.
Economists also tip a hit to the state Budget, with a temporary loss of coal royalties and lost agricultural production. But they also warn that negative talk about the impact on resorts could hurt tourism operators unaffected by the weather.
Energy analysts IHS said about 10 million tonnes of coal production was lost as buyers went elsewhere.
Mines will also be affected by impassable roads and flooded pits, but the losses aren’t expected to be anywhere near those incurred by Cyclone Yasi, when about 40 million tonnes of production was lost.
Economist and former Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive Nick Behrens said the economic impact would be substantial for the State Government……http://www.couriermail.com.au/business/queensland-cyclone-debbie-economic-impact/news-story/dabed7d1c567e01f519fd9567ed0a21d
Labor claims Coalition’s proposed native title changes breach deal deal struck between major parties
Coalition’s proposed native title changes a breach of deal struck between major parties, Labor claims, ABC News, 2 Apr 17 By political reporter Dan Conifer Federal Labor has accused the Coalition of bungling native title changes and breaching a deal struck between the major parties.
The Coalition moved to amend the Native Title Act in February soon after a court scuttled a multi-million-dollar deal between the West Australian Government and traditional owners.
The Federal Court rejected the Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) between the parties because it was not signed by all native title claimants.
Until February’s court decision, ILUAs could be made without the support of all native title applicants.
The court ruling overturned years of established law, throwing doubt over current and future agreements nationwide.
“It is once again clear that these new amendments have not been subjected to any form of consultation with legal experts, Indigenous Australians or industry.
“The repeated breaches of faith by your Attorney-General in this matter, and the clear unwillingness of your Government to properly consult on the significant issues at hand, have meant that Labor remains concerned about some aspects of the bill.”
The correspondence was also signed by shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus and shadow assistant minister for Indigenous affairs Pat Dodson.
The letter said Labor wanted the Senate committee’s recommendations enacted “as quickly as possible” and offered to work with the Coalition over coming weeks……..
The amendments have not been debated in the Senate.
Parliament next sits in May. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-02/native-title-proposal-by-coalition-breaches-deal-labor-says/8407964
The Coalition and Labor agreed on the need to amend the legislation to reverse the effect of the recent court decision, allowing at least 126 ILUAs already proposed or registered to continue with as few as one claimant.
But the Opposition claims Attorney-General George Brandis has proposed changes that go beyond what the major parties agreed during a Senate committee process.
Shorten ‘uncomfortable’ with Government handling of issue In a letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Friday, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten accused the Government of “repeated breaches of faith”.
“These amendments failed to deliver on the prior agreement and were again defective in a number of respects,” the letter said.
Labor supports emissions scheme to reach 50% renewable energy goal
Labor to drop renewable energy target in favour of emissions scheme
RET will come to a natural end as emissions intensity scheme can reach goal of 50% renewable energy by 2030, says Andrew Leigh , Guardian, Paul Karp, 2 Apr 17, Labor will abandon the renewable energy target after 2020 because an emissions intensity scheme will be sufficient to reach the goal of 50% renewable energy by 2030, Andrew Leigh has said.
On Sky News on Sunday the shadow assistant treasurer firmed the opposition’s plan to reach the 50% goal without a hard target in comments that appeared to rule out extending the existing renewable energy target (RET).
“We’ve committed to getting 50% renewables but the mechanism that we’ve used in the past has been a renewable energy target. That comes to an end and we believe an [emissions intensity scheme] EIS can take us to the point of having 50% renewables … without the RET,” Leigh said.
Asked to confirm that meant Labor would not support the RET when it expired in 2020, Leigh responded: “We believe that the emissions intensity scheme does that job … without a RET.”……..
Pressure has been mounting on the Finkel review to recommend a market mechanism. A string of peak bodies have already called for market mechanisms, including the National Farmers’ Federation, the Investor Group on Climate Change and the Business Council of Australia, which explicitly called for an EIS.
Leigh noted that an EIS was supported by experts across the field, including the Business Council of Australia and many energy regulators. He noted renewables account for the majority of new investment in electricity generation in the last decade.
“One of the government’s favourite backers, Bjørn Lomborg, not somebody Labor would usually support, says that every $1 invested in renewables gives you a pay back of $11.”
Leigh said that Nick Xenophon, who abandoned his demand for an EIS in return for support for company tax cuts in favour of a payment to pensioners and a number of energy measures, had been “sold a pup”.
The measures include fast-tracking a solar-thermal plant in South Australia already promised, a study of a gas pipeline connecting the state with the Northern Territory, and a new national energy policy………https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/02/labor-to-drop-renewable-energy-target-in-favour-of-eis
1 This month.
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/235274195556
19 May – Webinar- Webinar: No Nuclear Weapons in Australia
Start: 2026-05-19 18:00:00 UTC Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00)
End: 2026-05-19 19:30:00 UTC Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney (GMT+10:00)
20 May – Webinar – The dangerous world of AUKUS, US, military occupation and suppression of dissent
National Webinar, 20th May, 2026, 6.30pm AEST. Confronting laws restricting/suppressing protest speech and action
Speakers: Former Sen. Rex Patrick, Lawyer Nick Hanna ,Arthur Rorris ,Jorgen Doyle, Sen David Shoebbridge,
Facilitator Kelley Tranter.
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 