1.2 million solar installations already in Australia
Australia Home To More Than 1.2 Million Solar Installations http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3186, by Energy Matters,2 May 12
Either Australia is chock-full of tree-hugging hippies, or the average Aussie is increasingly understanding how much money can be saved by making the switch to solar… and yes, it’s the latter. According to statistics published by the newly-formed REC Agents Association (RAA), 665,215 solar power systems for which certificates have been registered were installed between 2001 to the end of March this year, representing an installed capacity of 1.431 gigawatts. Add to that 574,503 solar hot water systems and throw in 149,420 air source heat pumps (arguably also a solar technology) for good measure and the total figure is actually closer to 1.4 million systems.
The RAA says 20% of Australian households that could have a PV or solar hot water system installed have done so, thanks largely to support provided under Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET), which has helped reduce the installed cost of a PV system 75% over last 5 years. Continue reading
Australian-owned and developed in launching Western Australia’s wave energy project
WA to launch world-first wave energy project, WA Today, Pamela Mirghani May 1, 2012 – The first wave energy project in the Southern Hemisphere is set to commence operation in Western Australia next year, with the federal government announcing almost $10 million in funding today. Continue reading
Doctors slam uranium miner Toro Energy for promoting junk science on radiation safety:
We call on Toro Energy to stop promoting fringe scientific views to uranium industry workers and to the public at large.
The Medical Association for Prevention of War has released a statement signed by 45 medical doctors calling on uranium mining company Toro Energy to stop promoting the view that low-level radiation is beneficial to human health. Toro Energy, which plans to mine uranium at Wiluna in WA and has interests in uranium exploration ventures in the NT and SA, has sponsored speaking tours by controversial Canadian scientist Doug Boreham. The joint statement notes that recent research has heightened rather than reduced concern about the adverse health impacts of low-level radiation.
TORO ENERGY PROMOTES RADIATION JUNK SCIENCE , Statement by 45 doctors – (signatures at end ) 1 May 2012
Toro Energy is an Australian company involved in uranium exploration in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia and in Namibia, Africa. The company’s most advanced project is the proposed Wiluna uranium mine in the WA Goldfields.
Toro Energy has consistently promoted the fringe scientific view that exposure to low-level radiation is harmless. Toro Energy has sponsored at least three speaking visits to Australia by Canadian scientist Dr Doug Boreham, who argues that low-level radiation is actually beneficial to human health.
Those views are at odds with mainstream scientific evidence and expert assessment. For example: Continue reading
Quack science, anti science, about ionising radiation from Toro Energy’s Dr Doug Boreham
Doctors take Toro Energy to school on the dangers of radiation , May 1st, 2012 The Australian Greens welcomed today’s call from the Medical Association for Prevention of War for uranium miners Toro Energy to stop promoting the view that low-level radiation is beneficial to human health.
The Greens nuclear policy spokesperson, WA Senator Scott Ludlam, said Toro’s plans to mine uranium at Wiluna, Western Australia, should be abandoned.
“Toro Energy has sponsored a number of speaking tours by Dr Doug Boreham, who promoted radiation as ‘anti-carcinogenic’ at the Paydirt uranium conference in Adelaide. Continue reading
ANSTO radioactive waste application more responsible option then remote dump plan
1 May 12, The Beyond Nuclear Initiative (BNI) has cautiously welcomed news today that the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) will apply to build an interim storage facility at Lucas Heights for radioactive waste due to return from overseas reprocessing.
BNI coordinator Natalie Wasley says the application shows Minister Martin Ferguson’s current push for a remote dump on the Muckaty Land Trust in the NT is losing ground and that interim storage at Lucas Heights is a better option while a comprehensive and long-term management plan is considered. Continue reading
Australia obliged to take back Lucas Heights nuclear waste – it will go to Lucas Heights
The Australian Greens want to close the Lucas Heights reactor and ban the import and export of nuclear waste …...
Nuclear waste will be stored in Sydney at Lucas Heights BY: IMRE SALUSINSZKY, NSW POLITICAL REPORTER The Australian May 01, 2012 NUCLEAR waste due to boomerang back to Australia in 2015 will be stored in metropolitan Sydney, after decades of political dithering over a national radioactive waste repository in the outback.
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation will today launch its application for a licence to build an 800 sq m interim warehouse on the premises of the research reactor at Lucas Heights, which has generated the waste during the 50 years of its operation. Continue reading
Moount Isa Mayor McGrady, on the board of 2 uranium companies – wants Mt Isa to be a “uranium hub”
New Mount Isa Mayor on uranium push,ABC News By Chrissy Arthur May 01, 2012 Mount Isa Mayor Tony McGrady has says he will be talking to the Queensland Government “at every opportunity” about developing a uranium industry in the state’s north-west..
…. The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) says there is nothing legally wrong with Mr McGrady keeping his role with two uranium companies.
Multi $billion company BHP and Australian Government out to punish Aboriginal elder who dared to oppose uranium mine
DEMOCRACY AT A PRICE: DECISION BY BHP BILLITON AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SEEK COSTS FROM ARABUNNA ELDER PUNITIVE AND VINDICTIVE, 1st May 2012 The Australian Nuclear Free Alliance (ANFA) is deeply concerned by the decision of BHP Billiton and the Federal Government to seek costs from Arabunna elder uncle Kevin Buzzacott arising from his challenge of the Federal approval of the Olympic Dam expansion.“ANFA members fully support Uncle Kevin and admire his stand for country. We know that history will be the fairest judge of this struggle. BHP and the minister who approved the expansion of Olympic Dam will be forever linked to the toxic legacy of this mine, for thousands of years to come,” said Larrakia woman Donna Jackson, co-chair of ANFA.
“The court decided that Kevin Buzzacott had standing to pursue this challenge, as is his right under both the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act and the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act,” said ANFA Committe member Nectaria Calan. “Where does this leave the right to judicial review of such projects if those who seek such a review are then punished with costs?”
Dean Della Vale, president of BHP’s Uranium Customer Sector Group which is responsible for the Olympic Dam project, is a founding member of the Australian Uranium Associations Indigenous Dialogue Group, established to facilitate dialogue with traditional owners.
“BHP pursuing costs undermines any claims by the Indigenous Dialogue Group that they are seeking to engage with aboriginal communities in good faith. Aboriginal communities do not have the right to say no to mining on their land, and here we have an elder using one of the few legal options available to them to ensure that at least the impacts of the project were properly considered, and they may be facing a massive bill for doing so,” said Ms Calan.
“The message BHP are sending is that there are repercussions for taking on the mining giant. Last financial year the company recorded a total net profit of US$23. 95 billion – they certainly don’t need the money,” Ms Calan concluded.
Victoria’s Baillieu government YES to coal, NO to wind – despite the facts
— A wind farm cannot be built within two kilometres of a person’s home without their consent. But a coal mine can be opened within 100 meters of a home without the owner’s consent.
— Wind farms are now excluded from ‘no go’ zones stretching across the state. But coal mines face no such ‘no go’ zones: the only place they are excluded from is national parks (for now).
— All wind farms require planning approval from the local council. Coal projects, on the other hand, can avoid the need to obtain certain planning approvals at all in some cases.
— Wind farms must comply with environmental laws like any other project. Coal projects, on the other hand, are exempt from parts of key laws like the Environment Protection Act 1970 (Vic).
Coal or wind in your backyard? http://www.climatespectator.com.au/commentary/coal-or-wind-your-backyard Michael Power, 30 April 12, If you’re going to ‘pick winners’ from the energy market, you at least want to choose wisely. So it’s hard to see why Victorian laws treat coal and coal seam gas more favourably than renewable energy.
The Environment Defenders Office (Victoria) (EDO) released a report last week that finds Victoria’s laws give the mining industry privileged treatment that few other industries enjoy. In particular, they now make it easier to obtain approval for a coal mine than a wind farm in Victoria.
The planning rules for wind farms introduced by the state government last year are some of the toughest that apply to any type of development anywhere in the country. No new wind projects have been proposed in Victoria since they have been introduced.
At the same time, the government has moved to relax the laws that apply to new mining projects, developing a strategy to encourage brown coal export in Victoria, and initiating a Parliamentary Inquiry to identify and remove barriers to further ‘Greenfields’ minerals exploration and mining. Continue reading
The politics of Australia’s ABC TV coverage of climate change
Climate change denial is as easy as ABC Independent Australia , 25 April 12, The ABC’s approach to reporting on climate change is motivated more by politics than science, says environment editor Sandi Keane — who compares its coverage to that of the BBC. “…….This week, the ABC’s Q&A show will host another ‘debate’ on climate science, with former Coalition Senator and Liberal power broker, the well-known AGW-dissenter, Nick Minchin. Regardless of the outcome, the sceptics can already chalked it up as a win thanks to the myth perpetuated by the ABC that AGW is ‘controversial’….. It is no secret that the phoney ‘debate’ about global warming was deliberately manufactured by self-interest groups to delay regulation on emissions….
In a disgraceful move by the ABC, no doubt as a result of politics once again determining program content, the above clip from the show with Professor Naomi Oreskes (author of the best seller: Merchants of Doubt) has been cut from tonight’s show – or so we are told in this morning’s Age by Prof Stephan Lewandowsky.
You will be told that each ‘side’ was able to choose its own team to convince the other to change their mind. Not so Anna Rose, it appears.
Watch the above clip of Oreskes’ interview with Nick Minchin and you’ll understand why his side of politics were afraid of it going to air. http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/business/media-2/climate-change-denial-is-as-easy-as-abc/
ACF calls on Australian government to stop selling uranium for nuclear weapons
Chernobyl anniversary: Time for Australian government action on uranium, 28 April 12, On the anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident the Australian Conservation Foundation has called on the federal government to improve nuclear safety and stop literally fuelling nuclear insecurity.
On 26 April 1986, a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Ukraine melted down and spewed radioactive materials across Europe and beyond. The human, environmental and economic impacts of the accident were profound and continue.
“Chernobyl literally exploded the myth of the ‘peaceful atom’ and caused many nations to reconsider the risks and costs of nuclear power,” said ACF nuclear free campaigner Dave Sweeney.
“On the anniversary of Chernobyl and in the continuing shadow of Fukushima it is important Australia also reviews and reconsiders the costs and consequences of our involvement in the global nuclear trade as a significant supplier of uranium – the basic fuel for both nuclear power and nuclear weapons.”
Last year it was confirmed in the federal Parliament that Australian uranium was in the failed Fukushima reactor and is now causing contamination in Japan. However the federal government has failed to act on calls – including from the UN Secretary General – to review the industry.
ACF has called for the federal government to learn from Chernobyl and Fukushima and:
- · Commission an independent assessment of the environmental and social impacts of uranium mining in Australia (as recommended in the UN review into the Fukushima crisis)
- · Stop selling uranium to nuclear weapon states pending an independent review of importing countries’ compliance with international disarmament obligations
- · Strengthen international and multi-lateral initiatives by including specific performance requirements and review mechanisms in new and existing Agreements and contracts
“Uranium is the asbestos of the 21st Century: like asbestos, the product works, but at too high a cost – and like asbestos Australia will one day stop mining and supplying it. In the meantime we need to step up to our responsibilities and review and address the impacts of the uranium trade. To fail to do so is to fail to learn from the lessons of Chernobyl and Fukushima and to fail to stop the next nuclear disaster,” Mr Sweeney said.
South Australian Government grants lease to (weapons connected) Four Mile uranium mining project
Four Mile uranium mine gets lease Adelaide Now, by: Julian Swallow April 27, 2012 ALLIANCE Resources and its joint venture partner Quasar Resources have been granted a 10-year mineral lease over their Four Mile project, ending months of negotiations. Mineral Resources minister Tom Koutsantonis said on Friday that South Australia was a step closer to its next major uranium mining development. However, no timetable or funding commitment has as yet been made by the venture partners, who remain locked in a legal dispute…… Continue reading
ERA to close Ranger uranium mine, in context of 90% share price fall
Doncha love the headline from this Sydney Morning Herald article about the uranium company Energy Resources of Australia? Anyone would think that the company had wonderful prospects. But read the lines (you don’t need to read between the lines) – and you see the true picture – colossal share price loss, closure of the Ranger open pit mine, and a laughable future prospect for their plan for an underground uranium mine.
From a share price of $18.22 in May 2009, the stock lost more than 90 per cent of its value to be languishing at $1.15 earlier this year, with the company’s future being seriously questioned.
Kakadu’s miner for all seasons SMH, Peter Ker April 28, 2012 After three decades as a major uranium producer in Australia’s top end, Atkinson’s company Energy Resources of Australia is about to fill in its massive open pit and return the landscape to something resembling the nearby Kakadu National Park.
In a reversal of the typical path taken by mining companies, ERA is about to go from producer to explorer, gambling its future on the viability of a deposit deep beneath its existing operations….
… ERA has spent the past 30 years digging uranium from a small province surrounded on all sides by Kakadu National Park. The company operates here at the grace of the indigenous community, which has long been reluctant to see any more of its land developed for mining. Continue reading
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation helping Japan to study radiation
It’s interesting that ANSTO will be studying ‘naturally occurring radiation” and will be “supporting Japan in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster “. They don’t seem to be showing much interest in monitoring nuclear-power-caused radiation, and I can’t help wondering about that support for Japan. Could it be support for the Japanese government and nuclear industry minimising the real impact of the Fukushima disaster? After all, ANSTO’s main business is in keeping the door open for nuclear power in Australia.
Centre gauges radiation St George and Sutherland Shire Leader BY KATE CARR 27 Apr, 2012 AFTER months of searching for the perfect concrete and pre-World War II steel, ANSTO’s new $8.7 million radioactivity measurement centre officially opened on Tuesday. Federal Science and Research Minister Chris Evans helped ANSTO chief executive Adi Paterson cut the red ribbon and opened the centre, where scientists can accurately measure naturally occurring radiation…..
Dr Paterson said the centre would give ANSTO the tools to monitor the amount of radiation in the environment and undertake research which could support Japan in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed an earthquake and tsunami.
The new centre needed to be built using specialised materials so that it had such low background radiation that equipment could detect tiny amounts of radiation which might otherwise be drowned out. The centre also includes the only ITRAX core scanner in Australia, a piece of equipment used to measure the composition of sediment core samples taken by drilling. http://www.theleader.com.au/news/local/news/general/centre-gauges-radiation/2535888.aspx
Australia’s Defence minister ‘welcomes’ USA submarines, cagey about upgrades for nuclear submarine visits
Defence Minister evades nuclear sub questions In My Community, 27/Apr/2012 By Laura Tomlinson, Weekend Courier FEDERAL Defence Minister Stephen Smith used a visit to HMAS Stirling today to reiterate the Australian Government’s commitment to its relationship with the United States.
However, the minister would not be drawn on whether Garden Island’s infrastructure was in line for an upgrade to help host American appliances, including controversial nuclear submarines. Mr Smith and Brand MHR Gary Gray toured one of the US’s biggest submarines, the USS Michigan, which is currently docked at Garden Island, before Mr Smith conducted a media conference on the wharf. ….. Mr Smith told reporters of the Federal Government’s previously-announced commitment to building 12 new submarines.
Nuclear subs have been ruled out – because there is no local capability to construct or maintain them, but that doesn’t mean America’s nuclear fleet is unwelcome. Mr Smith said it was important that Australian defence assets were appropriately geographically distributed “for the challenges of the future”, and that American vessels could use Australian ports……http://www.inmycommunity.com.au/news-and-views/local-news/Defence-Minister-evades-nuclear-sub-questions/7620613/
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