All-Energy Australia Conference to further clean energy for remote areas
Remote Australia reliant upon clean energy push BY ALEX FIRST, ALL-ENERGY AUSTRALIA 2013 EXHIBITION AND CONFERENCE , 18 June 2013 One of the hot topics to be covered at the upcoming All-Energy Australia 2013 Exhibition and Conference is the crucial need for clean energy infrastructure in Australia’s rural regions. In this excerpt from the soon-to-be-released July/August 2013 edition of EcoGeneration magazine, several case studies show the success of such investments.
Australia’s Gulf region is on the verge of a boom that can be facilitated by greater investment in renewable energy, according to the Chief Executive of Cairns-based development agency Gulf Savannah Development.
Rob Macalister – one of the keynote speakers at All-Energy Australia 2013, being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9–10 October – is optimistic about the future in the area, which covers nearly 200,000 km from Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands through to the Northern Territory border……http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/remote_australia_reliant_upon_clean_energy_push/082029/
Australia’s “Solar Citizens” now has nearly 10,000 members
Energy Matters Supporting Solar Citizens http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3803 21 June 13 Australian grassroots group Solar Citizens is gaining a helping hand in its important work from national solar provider Energy Matters.
Solar Citizens is bringing together existing and future solar owners, with goals of seeing the clean energy technology installed on every suitable rooftop in the nation and to ensure the efforts of solar households are fairly rewarded.
Officially launched in May, the ranks of Solar Citizens have quickly swelled; reaching nearly 9,500 registered members so far.
More than 4,700 individuals have taken online action for two Solar Citizens campaigns relating to Queensland and Tasmania. Continue reading
Green energy seen as a real danger, by fossil fuel industries
Fossil Fuel Really Beginning To Hate Renewable Energy: Graphs, Clean Technica June 19, 2013 Giles Parkinson This article follows on from our story yesterday on Alinta, and the complaint by CEO Jeff Dimery that wind energy is “undermining the running regime of exiting thermal generation assets”. There is no doubt that it is. But while some could argue whether this is a good thing (early retirement of ageing polluting assets in a clean energy transition) or a bad thing (stranded assets, loss of value), it seems that it is inevitable as the world transitions to an energy system based around renewables.
This series of graphs – taken from an expansive presentation of energy data collected by Germany’s Franhofer Institute for Sustainable Energy – gives some insight into why the owners of fossil fuel plants hate this scenario. The growing impact of wind farms and solar panels in Europe, and in Germany in particular, are having a massive impact on energy markets – and the impact is very much more an economic one than a technical one. The same is true in Australia,…. Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/19/fossil-fuel-really-beginning-to-hate-renewable-energy-graphs/#O2dk75bjgXmhYssM.99
Australia most strongly affected by climate change
Coal, oil and gas are killing climate http://www.earthtimes.org/climate/coal-oil-gas-killing-climate/2383/ By JW Dowey – 18 Jun 2013 – The Australians have suffered more than most from climate change problems, with fire and flood dominating their headline news annually. Their Climate Commission produced a report in 2011, “The Critical Decade,” delivering a timetable. Now, 2 years in, the report tells how it is. They believe most fossil fuel has to remain where it is to prevent that disastrous scenario of a 2°C temperature rise. Conclusion 5 in this Report states, “The burning of fossil fuels represents the most significant contributor to climate change.” All of this when they admit their export of coal from New South Wales to Asia represents a gigantic economic bonus and a useful aid to developing nations. Continue reading
Put wind turbines in Sydney streets, not in the country, says Alan Jones
Canberra protests for and against wind farms ABC News, By Mary Lloyd 18 June 13, Supporters and opponents of wind farms gathered in Canberra today for two separate rallies to argue their cases. In front of Parliament House about 100 demonstrators joined radio host Alan Jones to protest against industrial wind farming in rural areas.n front of Parliament House about 100 demonstrators joined radio host Alan Jones to protest against industrial wind farming in rural areas.
He says wind turbines should be erected in urban, not rural areas. “That’s why I’ve constantly said to them well put them in Macquarie Street, put them in Anzac Parade, put them in Parramatta Road,” Mr Jones said. “That’s where the people are, that’s where the energy is used and if they are not injurious to health, well, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
“But they don’t, they go to small communities.” The protesters say the cost on the community from wind farms is too high and the economic benefits too low.
They are concerned about the affect wind turbines have on people living nearby them.People at the rally complained they had been suffering from headaches and nausea since wind farms were developed near their homes.They also say that wind power is costly to produce and inefficient because the turbines only turn when there is wind.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-18/canberra-protests-for-and-against-wind-farms/4763294?section=act
ABC TV to screen David Bradbury’s film about Paul Cox, and later a film on Vietnam War
Bradbury has also been busy travelling and filming in recent years, visiting India and Iraq to explore the dangers associated with those countries’ nuclear industries and the effects on the health of civilians there of exported Australian uranium.
“Depleted uranium is the new agent orange of the 21st century,” Bradbury explains, after describing his experiences filming deformed babies in a hospital in Iraq.
Bradbury turns the camera on filmmaker with cancer, http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/black-comedy-latest-offering/1908586/ Jamie Brown 15th Jun 2013 MULLUMBIMBY documentary filmmaker David Bradbury’s latest offering for television departs from his usual interest in war and the threat of uranium to focus on something closer to the heart of humanity.
ABC 1 will screen On Borrowed Time, Sunday at 9.45pm.
The film is a gentle portrait of filmmaker Paul Cox as he faces his own mortality as a result of liver cancer.
Cox is arguably one of the most important filmmakers to come out of this country, and certainly one of the most prolific, having created 18 feature films, 14 shorts, 11 documentaries and four made-for television productions. Man of Flowers (1983), My First Wife (1984), Exile (1994), Innocence (2000) and Human Touch (2004) are among his list of art-house films. Although the film screens on television for the first time tomorrow, Bradbury finished filming two-and-a-half years ago and has since produced a black comedy, When the Dust Settles, for the Electrical Trades Union.
Shot in the Mullumbimby home of local comedian Mandy Nolan, who plays a leading role alongside fellow comedian Austen Tayshus, the film seeks to promote the dangers of working in Australia’s uranium mining industry.
Funded by the ETU for its members, Bradbury’s creation is a lot closer to his heart, with much of his life’s work focusing on the dangers of radiation.
That interest was piqued in 1981 when he travelled to Hiroshima with war correspondent Wilfred Burchett.
In the making of that film, Public Enemy Number One, Burchett relived the atrocities he witnessed as the first Westerner to travel to the bomb-struck city that closed the war in the Pacific and heralded the birth of a new menace.
Bradbury has also been busy travelling and filming in recent years, visiting India and Iraq to explore the dangers associated with those countries’ nuclear industries and the effects on the health of civilians there of exported Australian uranium.
“Depleted uranium is the new agent orange of the 21st century,” Bradbury explains, after describing his experiences filming deformed babies in a hospital in Iraq.
Bradbury’s next project, recently funded by the ABC, will feature a re-enactment of the biggest battle of the Vietnam War – the battle of Coral and Balmoral that persisted for three weeks. http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/black-comedy-latest-offering/1908586/
Climate change action urged by Julia Gillard and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Julia Gillard and Arnold Schwarzenegger join forces on climate change ABC News u Jun 13, 2013 Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have written a joint opinion piece to urge global action on climate change. …. The opinion piece, published in News Limited newspapers, stresses that the two regions are not alone in acting on climate change, and says that by the end of the year more than 1 billion people will be living in a state or country where a price on carbon is in place.
“California and Australia have a lot in common – climate change threatens our fragile environments and aggravates serious bushfires, droughts and floods, which put our important agricultural industries at risk,” they write.
“Because of these similar challenges, even though we are leaders from different sides of the political spectrum, we strongly agree on two fundamental ideas – that taking action on climate change can no longer be delayed and that such actions can succeed beyond partisan politics.
“By the end of 2013, more than a billion people will be living in a state or country where a price on carbon pollution is in place, demonstrating that we are not alone. “What the Industrial Revolution and the Information Technology Revolution have shown is that the people in regions which lead these transformations prosper the most and the soonest. It is the same with the Clean Energy Revolution.”….. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-13/gillard-and-schwarzenegger-join-forces-on-climate-change/4750416
Surge in Europe’s carbon price raises prospects for Australia’s carbon market
EU carbon price surges amid optimism, The Age,June 14, 2013 Nick Perry Europe’s carbon price has surged to its highest level in months, prompting analysts to tip a rosier outlook for Australia’s future carbon market.
The spike came midweek as EU lawmakers expressed for the first time bipartisan support for efforts to fix Europe’s ailing emissions trading scheme (ETS)……
the price of European carbon permits hit a two-month high this week after conservative politicians indicated they’d support an amended backloading plan.
The proposal is now expected to proceed to the EU parliament once again, where it will go to a final vote on July 2…… If the vote is successful it would have immediate implications for Australia, even though it’s not anticipated the local market will mirror exactly what’s going on in Europe….. http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/eu-carbon-price-surges-amid-optimism-20130614-2o7rb.html
Clean Energy Australia Report – record use of renewable energy in Australia 2012
Renewable Energy Use Hits Record Heights in Australia The latest data from Australia’s peak clean energy body indicates that the country’s use of renewable energy hit record heights last year. Design Build, By Marc Howe, 7 June 13,
According to figures from the Clean Energy Council’s 2012 Clean Energy Australia Report, a record-breaking 13.14 per cent of Australia’s electricity was derived from renewable energy in 2012.
Both solar power and wind power have reached major milestones since the start of 2012, Australia’s 62 wind farms produced enough electricity to supply power to one million households for the first time last year, while the country installed its millionth solar power system earlier this year.
While solar power and wind power saw an increase in their share of renewable energy generated, rising to 26 per cent and eight per cent respectively, hydro power nonetheless remains the dominant form of clean power, accounting for 57 per cent in 2012…….. However, the report found that Australian investment in renewables actually fell significantly last year, dropping $1.3 billion dollars from $5.5 billion in 2011.
The decline in investment has been largely attributed to the solar sector due to the scuppering of government incentives for the installation of rooftop panels and declines in systems cost.
Further declines in investment are also expected this year as a result of political uncertainty in the lead up to the federal election this year, and the potential impact on the renewable energy sector of a Coalition victory.
South Australian wind farm project near to decision
Keyneton wind farm decision looms http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-06/keyneton-wind-farm-decision-looms/4737426 Jun 6, 2013 A decision on whether a proposed wind farm between the Barossa Valley and Mid Murray regions will go ahead is now with the Planning Minister.
Pacific Hydro lodged an application mid-last year with the Development Assessment Commission to build a 42-turbine wind farm at Keyneton.
The commission says it has considered the matter and made its recommendations to the Minister, John Rau, who is expected to make a final decision in the next few weeks.
Fear and loathing on King Island – at the thought of a feasibility study for wind energy
The council, as a body, is supporting the “yes to feasibility” vote.
Fear over turbines rift http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2013/06/05/380797_tasmania-news.html HELEN KEMPTON | June 05, 2013 THE prospect of King Island being more widely known for its 200-plus wind turbines rather than the beef and cheese it produces has caused a major rift in the community. Mayor Greg Barratt said the debate about the massive $2 billion TasWind proposal had become very nasty and split up families and groups of friends.
When the project was first announced, there was much excitement on the Bass Strait island.
The island’s second biggest employer, the JBS Swift abattoir, had closed just months earlier and about 100 jobs had been lost. Many of
those workers were quick to leave the island in search of employment and beef farmers had to work out how they were going to get their
cattle off an island with just one weekly ship service.
But the wind project, which at first had buoyed the community’s hopes that a new economic future could be on the horizon, has now split a
tight-knit community which always pulled together through tough times. Cr Barratt fears the wind farm debate could end up as divisive as the Franklin Dam dispute which fragmented the West Coast community in the 1980s. Continue reading
Australia and India strengthening defence ties
Indian Defence Minister Arrives In Australia, In Serbia, By Koushik Das 5 June 13 Indian Defence Minister A K Antony Arrived In Perth As A Part Of His Ongoing Three-Nation Tour Of Singapore, Australia And Thailand. The Indian Government Said In A Statement That The Main Objective Of Antony’s Visit Is To Strengthen The Country’s Defence Ties With The Asia Pacific Region.
Upon his arrival in the Australian city, the Indian minister held a meeting with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith to discuss a number of important bilateral and international issues. Without divulging details of the meeting, New Delhi said that Antony would hold another round of meeting with Smith in Canberra later on Tuesday……
The Stockholm-based International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) recently said that India, Pakistan and China – the three major nuclear powers in Asia – had strengthened their nuclear arsenals in 2012.
In its latest report, the institute said that while China now has 250 nuclear warheads as compared to 240 in 2012, Pakistan has around 120 and India 110. Expressing deep concern over the arms race in the region, SIPRI said:
While states have avoided direct conflict with each other and have stopped supporting insurgent movements on each other’s territory, decades-old suspicions linger and economic integration has not been followed up with political integration.”
According to SIPRI officials, the troubled bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, China and Japan, and South Korea and North Korea encouraged the arms race in Asia.
“Once again there was little to inspire hope that the nuclear weapon-possessing states are genuinely willing to give up their nuclear arsenals. The long-term modernisation programmes underway in these states suggest that nuclear weapons are still a marker of international status and power,” insisted senior SIPRI researcher Shannon Kile. http://inserbia.info/news/2013/06/indian-defence-minister-arrives-in-australia/
Toro’s uranium project’s dubious financial viability
Bear vs Bull: Toro Uranium project at risk onyserve.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/bear-vs-bull-toro-uranium-project-at-risk-senatorludlam-australia/ Australian Greens spokesperson on nuclear policy –. 20 May 2013.
The tenuous financial viability of Western Australia’s first proposed uranium mine is the subject of a new research paper undertaken by independent market analysts Economists at Large, commissioned by Western Australian Senator Scott Ludlam and a range of environmental groups.
“The study shows that Toro’s proposed Wiluna Project may scrape into financially viability if absolutely every possible variable goes Toro’s way – but only if the company can avoid clean-up and decommissioning costs,” said Senator Ludlam.
“Most crucially, the numbers are against the company as soon as the cost of clean-up is factored in. Because the company has not submitted a costed mine closure plan or established where it will find the money to post a rehabilitation bond, the site looks to become an open-ended contamination liability for taxpayers.
“According to this study, if the most optimistic range of estimates for the world uranium price, exchange rates, capital and operating costs all go the company’s way, the Net Present Value of the project is positive. As soon as any of these variables slip backwards from the company’s optimistic assumptions, the NPV calculations turn negative.
“Nuclear power is in retreat in Europe and the United States, and the disaster in Japan has torpedoed expectations for a big nuclear expansion in Asia. We commissioned this study because we believed Toro was a risky proposition; the numbers bear this out, and explain in part why much larger uranium companies BHP and Cameco have mothballed their WA projects while Toro pushes blindly ahead. This study tells the investment community in black and white: buyer beware.
“The Greens believe this project will be an environmental disaster if it goes ahead; this report gives some numbers to the scale of the financial disaster that may await as well,” Senator Ludlam concluded.
The study can be downloaded here: http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/media-releases/bear-vs-bull-independent-assessment-wiluna-uranium-project
100% Renewable Energy for South West Western Australia: Free Event June 10
SEN PRESENTS: 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR SW WA BY 2029 HTTP://WWW.SCIENCEWA.NET.AU/COMPONENT/OHANAH/SEN-PRESENTS-100-RENEWABLE-ENERGY-FOR-SW-WA-BY-2029.HTML
10 JUNE 2013 6:30 PM CITY WEST LOTTERIES HOUSE, WEST PERTH
Senator Scott Ludlam will also speak, with CCWA climate campaigner Jamie Hanson hosting and introducing.
FREE EVENT, Refreshments Provided
If you would like directions or are unable to find your way into the building, just call Steve on 0400 870 887 or Angus on 0401 176 323. Feel free to invite friends and colleagues interested in a sustainable energy future for WA by distributing this email or forwarding this link: www.sen.asn.au/events.
Analyzing Green Electricity in Australia: 2013
Research and Markets: Analyzing Green Electricity in Australia: 2013 Edition DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8chh72/analyzing_green) has announced the addition of the “Analyzing Green Electricity in Australia” report to their offering.
Analyzing Green Electricity in Australia report begins with an analysis of the global energy industry, the Australian energy industry and the Australian renewable energy, setting the stage for introducing the importance of green electricity in Australia. The report covers all the renewable energy sectors that are actively participating in generating electricity through ecological methods. Australia’s renewable energy certificate system is also described in details within the report, along with an in-depth analysis of the regulatory framework affecting electricity generation in a green manner.
The leading providers of green electricity in Australia such as AGL, EnergyAustralia, Origin Energy, etc., are all profiled in the report.
Key Topics Covered:…… http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130528006143/en/Research-Markets-Analyzing-Green-Electricity-Australia-2013
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8chh72/analyzing_green
1 This month
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
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 