Protest Oct 10 against coal, for renewables
Protesters will also call for a “just transition” away from coal for workers in the industry …[meaning that coal workers] would be guaranteed “green jobs”, through the development of renewable energy and energy-efficiency manufacturing facilities.
Protest to target Hazelwood, Green Left Weekly, September 18, 2010 By Chris Peterson, Melbourne, On October 10, climate activists will converge on the Hazelwood power station in the Latrobe Valley in eastern Victoria. They will use mirrors to try to create Victoria’s “first solar thermal power” station at the Hazelwood gate, to show solar is a viable alternative……….. Continue reading
Western Australia the logical place for Solar Power
The WA coalition argues that the state with the best solar radiation in Australia should be leading the country in solar generation and argues that a 5 per cent solar target for 2020, underpinned by an FiT set by auction, would unlock more than $4 billion of investment to install some 1060MW of capacity.
Solar’s western promise Business Spectator Giles Parkinson , 20 Sep 2010 The solar energy industry has virtually given up on the federal government providing a mechanism for the roll-out of utility-scale solar installations across the country, and is instead focusing its efforts on individual states. Continue reading
For Australia – renewable energy -YES, Martin Ferguson -NO
one key obstacle remaining: the energy minister. Martin Ferguson is not only ideologically opposed to climate action, to most kinds of renewable energy and to talking to the Greens, but he is also not a negotiator. He should be replaced in the portfolio with a more effective player who both supports action but will also be a good negotiator.
A good chance to push renewables, Green Left Weekly, September 18, 2010By Tim Hollo “…..This parliament can and should deliver the most exciting, ambitious renewable energy policies Australia has ever seen. The next two years may be the best opportunity for renewables we ever get, Continue reading
Competitive Solar Feed-In Tariff – Australian Capital Territory
The territory will be the first to implement the FiT for commercial premises (warehouse and office buildings), and anticipates that up to 240MW of solar could be installed, generating the equivalent of 25 per cent of its total energy consumption.
Solar’s western promise Business Spectator Giles Parkinson , 20 Sep 2010 “……Feed in tariffs for small-scale solar average around 45c per kilowatt hour (more expensive in some states), but the solar industry estimates competitive large-scale solar would only need a tariff of around 20c/kwh, decreasing over time. Continue reading
Australia’s future prosperity depends on action on climate change
It is also important that climate change action is understood as an opportunity for structural economic reform and for building long-term economic prosperity….Early action delivers first-mover advantage and reduces the risk of economic exclusion in carbon-intensive industries when the transition to a lower carbon economy eventually takes place…..
Dear PM: risks are worth it in reform | The Australian, 18 Sept 10, David Hetherington “………..Although survival will be a preoccupation, the Gillard government cannot ignore the long-term policy challenges facing the country…. Continue reading
World Bank waking up to the need for a new energy economy
“The biggest hurdle is we still don’t value financially the environmental and social damage we’re doing with our current fossil-fuel economy. The economist’s term for that is “the externalities” – the things we’re not including in our calculus. Everything from the negative impacts of floods, sea-level rise, drought….”
Signs of Energy at the World Bank – NYTimes.com September 14, 2010, By ANDREW C. REVKIN – quoting Daniel Kammen, chief technical specialist for renewable energy and energy efficiency at the World Bank…… Continue reading
Australian Capital Territory leads the way on solar feed-in tariffs
“This is the most progressive policy reform for renewable energy in Australia, from any state or territory government,”
ACT ‘has got it right’ on solar, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Julie Doyle and Jessica Nairn 14 Sept 10, The solar industry says the ACT is the first jurisdiction to put forward such a comprehensive plan.: Simon Corbell speaks with 666 presenter Louise Maher (ABC Canberra) The solar energy industry has welcomed the ACT Government’s decision to dramatically expand the solar feed-in tariff scheme. Continue reading
Queensland govt’s short-sighted vision on energy future
“The Bligh government is locking Queensland into an economy dominated by high dependence on fossil fuels, high greenhouse gas emissions and high payments on carbon credits,”
Carbon future will cost, activist says, Sydney Morning Herald, September 13, 2010 Queenslanders could be subsidising the renewable energy industries of China and India because the state government is locking itself into a future fuelled by fossil fuels, an environmental activist says. Continue reading
Investing in Renewable Energy? – China’s the place
Government backing, a growing market and flowing capital make China the ideal choice,
China Named Best Place To Invest In Green Energy NuWire INVESTOR September 10, 2010 by:Kerri Shannon China has taken over the top spot on the latest list of top countries for green energy investment, beating out the US, Germany and India. Government backing, a growing market and flowing capital make China the ideal choice, while lack of enforcement and incentives cost the US its favorite status. See the following article from Money Morning for more on this….. Continue reading
Renewed call for Australian national Feed-In Tariff for solar power
WA SEA Calls For National Feed In Tariff : Renewable Energy News, 12 Sept 10, The WA Sustainable Energy Association has called on the new Gillard Government to work with the Council Of Australian Governments (COAG) to develop a nationally consistent gross feed-in tariff (FiT) for renewable energy. Continue reading
Carbon price, and rural renewable energy now likely in Australia
The process agreed between the Greens and Labor, the Climate Change Committee, will likely provide the pathway forward…rural communities in Australia will see greater development in renewable energy and clean energy infrastructure
New energy generation since 2000 – renewables 17%, nuclear 2%
Carbon dioxide-free energy sources have made up less than one fifth of the new generation. Of that, 17 per cent has been renewable energy – largely solar, wind and hydroelectricity…..Nuclear power, the largest source of installed low-carbon energy, has declined markedly since the 1980s and made up just 2 per cent.
Limit on climate, and the catch, The Age, Adam Morton, September 10, 2010 “……..According to research published today in the journal Science, global warming can be limited to 1.3 degrees above pre-industrial levels by 2060 Continue reading
There’s money in them there solar rooftops
So long as the sun comes up each morning, this system will keep producing power at the same price, whereas most industry forecasters anticipate that retail electricity prices will rise at double-digit rates.
China races ahead in renewable energy investment
..In the second quarter of 2010, China attracted $11.5 billion in asset-financing for clean technologies, more than Europe and the U.S. combined,
China Supplants U.S. at Top of Ernst & Young Ranking for Renewable Energy, Bloomberg, By Alex Morales – Sep 9, 2010 China overtook the U.S. to lead a quarterly index of the most attractive countries for renewable energy projects for the first time, according to a list compiled by the global accounting firm Ernst & Young. Continue reading
Australia’s grand opportunity for renewable energy
The Greens, of course, received by far the biggest swing of any party at this election and, at almost 4%, a very sizable swing on any definition. That swing was achieved on the back of having put to the electorate by far the most ambitious plans for renewable energy of any political party ever in Australian history. Our policies included an explicit commitment to 100% renewable energy, a comprehensive feed-in tariff for all forms of renewable energy at all scales, loan guarantees for industrial-scale baseload renewable energy power plants, an increased renewable energy target, pre-planning processes to create renewable energy parks, a national roll-out of the smart grid and much more. That platform now has a key bargaining position in the new parliament, with a Greens member of the House of Representatives supporting the minority Labor government and 9 Senators holding the balance of power upstairs as of July next year……..
1 This month
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 