29 July REneweconomy news
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NSW govt approves 275MW of new solar farms for stateFour more large-scale solar projects totalling 275MW approved for development in central and northern NSW.
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Just how quickly can Tesla kill the petrol car?Elon Musk to had over first 30 Tesla Model 3s and reveal what’s inside first mass market EV. Along with new government mandates, the event flags another stage in demise of the petrol car. Except perhaps in Australia, whose government is developing an Amish-style suspicion of new technology.
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Environment Ministers to consider national battery recycling schemeAustralia’s Environment Ministers resolved today to consider new laws to require battery manufacturers to collect and recycle used batteries.
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Graph of the Day: Tesla battery popular on both sides of politicsScott Morrison compares Tesla’s big battery to the Big Banana and the Big Prawn, but polls shows even Coalition voters think it’s a good idea.
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Canavan comes out as “minister for mining sector,” internet gets really madRecently removed Coalition minister for resources and Northern Australia admits to representing the mining sector. Facebook responds.
Western Australia Walkabout against uranium -month-long pilgrimage from Wiluna to Leonora
https://thewest.com.au/news/kalgoorlie-miner/walkabout-against-uranium-ng-b88547279z, , 26 July 2017 A month-long pilgrimage from Wiluna to Leonora to campaign against uranium mining will begin next month in the wake of the State Government’s approval of four proposed uranium mines earlier this year.
Program co-ordinator Marcus Atkinson said the seventh annual Walkatjurra Walkabout will see 50 to 60 participants walk 10km to 15km a day while connecting with land and culture and supporting the sovereign rights of Aboriginal people to protect their lands and support a nuclear-free future.
Mr Atkinson said considering the Government’s recent decision, this year’s walk was particularly pertinent.
“We want to stop uranium mining and connect with country and culture,” he said.
“It is about supporting traditional owners to show that people from all over the country and the world are standing with them.”
One of the mines, the Yeelirrie uranium project, was approved against the recommendation of the Environmental Protection Authority which said mining would lead to the extinction of several unique species of subterranean fauna.
The Conservation Council of WA and members of the Tjiwarl native title group have taken Supreme Court action against the Yeerlirrie project.
CCWA director Piers Verstegen cited environmental, economic and social concerns over the approval of the mine.
He said environment groups could not allow any project that would knowingly cause the extinction of unique species to go unchallenged, given the precedent it would set.
Mr Atkinson said the walk, which is quite a significant undertaking, was the most effective way of acknowledging the importance of the land. “Often we bring traditional owners to Perth to speak about the significance of the land, but those words and stories are so much more powerful when you are out on the country,” he said.
“It emphasises the fact that this isn’t a place in the middle of nowhere and it is worth saving.
“We need to take a step back and make a decision which is best for WA, not a handful of multinational companies.”
The Walkatjurra Walkabout begins in Kalgoorlie on August 8.
To register to be a part of the walk or for more information, visit walkingforcountry.com.
Resignation of Australia’s Minister Representing The Coal Industry – Matt Canavan
Out with “minister for Adani” – in with a minister for renewables? http://reneweconomy.com.au/minister-adani-minister-renewables-48967/#undefined.uxfs By Sophie Vorrath on 26 July 2017
An alliance of Australia’s top environmental NGOs, formed to oppose the development of what would be the nation’s largest coal mine in northern Queensland, has seized on the resignation of federal resources minister, Matt Canavan, as an opportunity for the Turnbull government to appoint an energy agnostic replacement, and to drop its support for the controversial Adani coal project.
Fat chance, but here’s the idea.
Stop Adani Townsville said on Wednesday that Canavan had acted less like a resources minister and more like “the self appointed minister for Adani” – the Indian company behind the massive proposed Carmichael coal mine and rail project in the Galilee Basin – while steadfastly ignoring the “enormous opportunities” in the state’s north for renewables.
Canavan, who quit Federal Cabinet on Tuesday after it was revealed he had “unwittingly” taken out dual Italian citizenship, is, indeed, well known for his pro-fossil fuels stance, as well as for his indifference to the Paris climate treaty, and the science behind it.
Some notable recent quotes from the minister, who also oversees the northern Australia portfolio, include “Stop trying to save the planet” – Tweeted in response to Queensland’s zero emissions target; and “forget about climate change.”
But most notably, Canavan has been a staunch defender of the virtually indefensible Adani coal mine, often using highly questionable data to support his argument, despite the weight of evidence showing it to be environmentally unviable, and loaded with financial risk.
“This unexpected turn of events is an opportunity for the Turnbull government to rule out the $1 billion public loan to Adani for its private rail line and leave the success of the mine project to the market,” said Stop Adani Townsville member Wendy Tubman on Wednesday.
Canavan has also been one of a number of key conservative ministers pushing for the development of a new coal-fired generator in northern Queensland, preferably funded by the government’s Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund.
Meanwhile, as we reported here in May, there is some 4,200MW of large-scale wind and solar projects, all of them in central to northern Queensland, and billions of dollars worth of other projects in the pipeline, including biofuels and even a battery gigafactory in Townsville.
“Townsville and the region are sitting on a gold mine of opportunities,” Oliver Yates, the former head of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and a spokesman for Future North, told RenewEconomy at the time.
Said Tubman: “A gross error of Canavan has been to politicise the work of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, turning it into a slush fund for the Turnbull government, which appears desperate to support Gautam Adani’s private business interests.
“Poll after poll show Queenslanders want large-scale renewable energy projects not a dangerous coal mine that will fuel climate change and destroy the Reef.
“Three times as many Queenslanders oppose taxpayer subsidies from Federal or State governments to the Adani mine as support them,” she said.
28 July More REneweconomy news
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Australia’s largest solar farm – 220MW – under constructionReach Solar to proceed with second stage of Bungala solar farm near Port Augusta, snatching title of largest solar farm under construction.
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Consumers vs the empire: The economics favour partial grid defectionThe economics are now increasingly in favour of partial grid defection. You’re a fool if you don’t have rooftop solar PV and you could.Weatherill lets fly at right wing attack against renewablesJay Weatherill in pugnacious mood at launch of Mark Butler’s Climate Wars book, promising to repeat his Frydenberg shirtfront with PM Turnbull if given the opportunity.Innovation, disruption and the utility business modelThe power sector’s rapid transformation has barely started, but implications for incumbents are beginning to be felt and speculated.NT indigenous communities begin shift to hybrid solar and storageARENA backed NT project commissions first 10 solar, battery storage systems, cutting diesel fuel use by more than a million litres a year.Fossil fuels and Australian tools: It’s time to go fully electricSally Perini has four electric cars, a fully electric ride on mower and a suite of electric tools. And for good reason: One two-stroke leaf blower used for one hour can produce as much hydrocarbons as 150 cars over the same time.
28 July REneweconomy news
- EnergyAustralia: “The truth about coal is that it is not cheap”
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EnergyAustralia says coal is not cheap and idea that new coal plants could reduce electricity costs is a “myth”. This comes as the ACCC vows to focus on bidding practices in wholesale markets, an issue completely ignored by AEMC, the market rule maker.
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ACT launches second phase of battery test centre, early results inEarly results suggest that lithium-ion out-performs both the advanced and traditional lead-acid battery packs in terms of round-trip efficiency.
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Electricity sector “gold plating” behind sky-high prices – not renewablesTAI report says electricity sector gold-plating costing households $400-$500 a year. Cost of carbon price: “barely noticeable.”
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AGL expands smart technology portfolio with $13m in US start-upAGL invests $13 million in smart lock and smart home controls start-up in US, expanding its push into new technologies.
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Queensland launches “world’s largest” EV fast-charging networkQueensland govt launches Electric Super Highway, names first 18 locations for “green-powered” EV fast charging stations.
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Digging for carbon cuts: How the mining industry can win with renewablesAn unprecedented drop in renewable energy prices, the high energy intensity of mining, and the volatility of fossil fuel pricing have combined to create a groundbreaking opportunity for decarbonizing the mining industry.
By 2018, North Korea able to launch a nuclear-armed long range missile at Australia
Why it’s time to fear North Korea, The Australian July 26, 2017, CAMERON STEWART North Korea will be able to reliably launch a nuclear-armed long range missile at Australia and the United States as early as next year, according to a stunning new assessment by the Pentagon.
The prediction brings forward by around two years previous US intelligence assessments of the progress of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
It follows an analysis of recent missile tests by the hermit kingdom which found that scientists in Pyongyang have advanced their technology on the country’s missile testing program faster and more efficiently that was predicted by the west.
Senior US officials have told the Washington Post that the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un will be able to make a ‘reliable, nuclear-capable Intercontinental Ballistic Missile’ sometime in 2018.
In July 4, Mr Kim launched his country’s first missile with the range to strike the US state of Alaska and northern Australia.
The US intelligence assessment shows that the US now believes North Korea is closer than previously thought to having the know-how to miniaturise its nuclear weapons to arm its new ICBM……http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/north-korea-able-to-launch-nuclear-strike-on-australia-as-early-as-2018/news-story/6602ff2c8575b1cd5d7c8dcb93577096
World Vision leader scathing about Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne’s plan for Australia to export weapons
‘Profiting from bloodshed’: Tim Costello criticises Christopher Pyne weapons export plan, SMH, Amy Remeiki , 17 July 17
World Vision Australia chief Tim Costello said Australia would be “exporting death” and “profiting from bloodshed” if it followed through on Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne’s plan to see the nation become a major arms exporter. Speaking to Fairfax Media, Mr Pyne said he wanted to see Australia not only build but design military assets, such as warships, on par with other players and allies such as Britain, France and Germany to help bolster the nation’s influence and reinforce relations.
But Mr Costello strongly criticised the plan, which he said carried terrible consequences.
“This is a government that has cut humanitarian aid, which saves lives, to the lowest level in our history, and it is now seriously discussing the merits of becoming a major weapons manufacturer and exporter,” he said.
“The government says this is an export and investment opportunity – but we would be exporting death and profiting from bloodshed. Mr Costello said it was naive to imagine Australia could control whose hands the weapons ended up in, once they were sold…….http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/profiting-from-bloodshed-tim-costello-criticises-christopher-pyne-weapons-export-plan-20170717-gxcomj.html
Norther Territory Aboriginal owners’ legal case: they wanted “low level nuclear waste dump”
Wonder which Whitey businessmen are funding this one?
Nuclear waste fight sparks $17m claim, AMOS AIKMAN, The Australian, July 26, 2017Traditional owners who want a nuclear waste dump on their land are suing the Northern Land Council for more than $17 million, claiming that the federal statutory authority neglected its duty to support their bid to use the land to alleviate crippling poverty.
Documents filed in the Federal Court allege that the NLC, which is legally bound to consult with indigenous landholders and pursue their best interests, failed to do so repeatedly in relation to proposals to house Australia’s low-level nuclear waste at Muckaty Station……..
The first applicant, Ngapa traditional owner Jason Bill, welcomed the serving of legal papers yesterday.
“Great news: that’s the thing that my family have been waiting for,” Mr Bill said.
“All we were asking for is a low-level waste dump … we’ve looked into it and heard about it from the professionals, and it’s not going to damage the environment.”….. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/indigenous/nuclear-waste-fight-sparks-17m-claim/news-story/1fa95bb665d1dbdb653d0e2e8b7df0e9
ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and National Australia Bank, slash lending to coal miners
Big four banks slash lending to coal miners, The Age, Clancy Yeates, 25 July 17, Australia’s big banks have slammed the brakes on project finance lending to expand the coal industry since late 2015, but are still lending billions for other fossil fuel developments, environmental finance group Market Forces says.
ANZ and Commonwealth Bank, previously named as the largest lenders to fossil fuels, both signalled they were actively reducing loans to some carbon-intensive sectors including the coal industry,
Death of famed and much-loved Aboriginal activist Yami Lester
Yankunytjatjara elder and Maralinga nuclear test survivor Yami Lester OAM passes away, aged 75 http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/yankunytjatjara-elder-and-maralinga-nuclear-test-survivor-yami-lester-oam-passes-away-aged-75/news-story/ccfc3f82c75a643c3e49f22c8a215dbf, MATT GARRICK, Sunday Mail (SA), July 22, 2017 YANKUNYTJATJARA elder Yami Lester OAM, an Outback hero who opened the nation’s eyes to the human cost of nuclear tests committed on Australian soil, has died aged 75 in Alice Springs.
Planning for the town of Jabiru to be rejuvenated as uranium mining ends
Jabiru: the Kakadu mining town facing closure seeks a fresh start The town of 1,000 people is supposed to disappear as the Ranger uranium mine closes, but locals want to give it a new future as a tourism hub, Guardian, Helen Davidson, 24 July 17
Jabiru is a small town on a countdown.
Deep inside Kakadu national park, the tiny network of bush-lined streets and a tired shopping precinct was originally built in 1982 to service the community of workers from the Ranger uranium mine. It remains home to just over 1,000 people, a quarter of whom are Indigenous, and serves as a hub for more than 300 people living on nearby outstations.
It has also grown to become a base for the 210,000 odd tourists who visit Kakadu each year, many of them staying at the smattering of caravan parks and crocodile-shaped hotels on their way through.
But Energy Resources Australia is required to wrap up its operations and rehabilitate the site when its lease expires in 2021, after losing the support of its parent company, Rio Tinto, to open another mine.
That means returning the land – including Jabiru – to a pre-mine state, taking the electricity and airport with it.
The uncertainty is already having an impact, with a number of businesses having closed their doors in recent years, unable to secure loans or find buyers without a guaranteed future.
The West Arnhem Regional Council has provided assurances that it will remain in the region, servicing the Indigenous communities.
“Jabiru is the town in this region. There’s nothing else between Coolalinga [near Darwin] and Gunbalanya [in Arnhem Land],” says Justin O’Brien, chief executive of the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation.
Gundjeihmi, which represents the Mirarr traditional owners of the park, is working with the federal and territory governments, and ERA, on an alternative plan for the town.
O’Brien is optimistic, and says ERA’s study was based on “full demolition” scenarios.
“They are a narrow focus on what would occur if nothing else happened.”
Last year the Mirarr were legally recognised by the federal court as the native title holders of the land Jabiru sits on, and are negotiating a township lease……
The airstrip, connected to the Ranger mine, has a future three years longer than the town under the current closure plans – it would be demolished in 2025. If it disappeared it would be devastating for the tourism industry, O’Brien says.
“Jabiru and Kakadu might not be kicking the goals in tourism we think it could and should be, but it’s all that’s on offer at the moment. In the peak season it can be difficult getting a bed.”
Bob McDonald, director of Kakadu Air, which has operated from the Jabiru airstrip running scenic flights over Kakadu for 36 years, declines to talk about the report, but tells Guardian Australia he is “extremely optimistic” and the current planning is “a great opportunity for the normalisation of Jabiru”. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/24/jabiru-kakadu-mining-town-facing-closure-seeks-fresh-start
John Grimes – on South Australia’s energy storage revolution
SA’s energy revolution – what it means for Australia http://www.examiner.com.au/story/4803957/sas-energy-revolution-what-it-means-for-australia/?cs=97 23 Jul 2017 The energy storage revolution has arrived with a bang. The recent announcement by the South Australian government that it will partner with Elon Musk’s Tesla to build the world’s biggest lithium-ion battery was a lightning bolt moment with profound implications for regional communities. The 100MW battery will provide stability for a wind farm, and emergency backup power. It will also provide badly needed jobs for regional towns in construction, operation and maintenance, as well as tourism from those flocking to see this technological wonder.
This project marks just the beginning. Both Victoria and Queensland are planning similar large-scale battery projects, and storage is also being rolled out in homes, businesses and regional communities across the country.
Australia has the highest rate of household solar use in the world, so it makes sense that families would look to batteries to store excess electricity (created during the day) to be used when they need it most (when returning home from work or school).
Around 20,000 families have solar batteries now, but as prices keep plummeting it’s not unreasonable to expect 500,000 Australians will have them by 2020.
Many companies offer mouth-watering financial packages that combine solar and storage. German battery storage company Sonnen is offering Aussies free electricity – paying customers’ power bills in return for accessing the battery storage capacity to provide grid balancing services for network operators.
Storage has arrived and it will give you control of your energy use, and slash your power bills. With power prices set to rise by up to 20 per cent, now is the time to shop around and see how solar and storage can work for you.
John Grimes is the Chief Executive of the Australian Solar Council and Australian Energy Storage Council.
Tributes flow, on the death of highly respected Aboriginal elder Yami Lester
Yami Lester: tributes follow death of Aboriginal elder and Maralinga activist https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/23/yami-lester-tributes-follow-death-of-aboriginal-elder-and-maralinga-activist
Lester, who was blinded by British atomic tests in South Australia in the 1950s, campaigned to get recognition for the 1,800 Indigenous Australians affected, Guardian, 23 July 17 Tributes have poured in for Aboriginal elder and activist Yami Lester, who died at the age of 75.
Lester, who died in Alice Springs on Friday night, lived a life of “great hardship and challenge” after being blinded as a young adolescent by the Maralinga atomic tests in the 1950s, which he called the “black mist”.
He worked as a stockman before losing his sight.
He may be farewelled at a state funeral if his family accepts the offer from the Northern Territory government.“Mr Lester was a key Aboriginal leader who embraced the challenge of bridging two worlds,” NT chief minister Michael Gunner said on Saturday.
“He never let his blindness hold him back, he was sharp as a tack in negotiating at the highest levels of business and government.
“His life was a life of great hardship and challenge, met with great courage and foresight, and he achieved great change.”
He joined the Aboriginal Advancement League in Adelaide, fighting to gain recognition for the British atomic tests in South Australia, and an acknowledgement for the 1,800 Aboriginal people affected.
His work lead to the McClelland royal commission in 1984-85 which resulted in group compensation for the Maralinga Tjarutja people and long-term clean-up operations to restore the land.
Lester, who had an Order of Australia, was also central to the work of the Pitjantjatjara Council that led to the grant of freehold title to traditional owners in South Australia.
South Australia’s Aboriginal affairs minister, Kyam Maher, said Lester had inspired many and left behind a strong legacy.
Lester was also the inspiration for the 1987 Paul Kelly song Maralinga.“My thoughts are with his family, who carry on his work of activism, standing up for the rights and views of Anangu and preserving culture and language,” he said in a statement.
The South Australian government is consulting with his family on a memorial to recognise his contribution to the state.
Quietly, nuclear -powered USS Ronald Reagan to Brisabane to join massive Talisman military exercise
Nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan heads into Brisbane, Warwick Daily News Jodie Munro O’Brien, The Courier-Mail | 22nd Jul 2017 “….The USS Ronald Reagan, named after America’s 40th president, was commissioned in July 2003 and has been based in Yokosuka, Japan since late 2015.
The Nimitz class airline carrier – which towers 20 storeys above the waterline, is 334m long and 77m wide – is scheduled to pull into Brisbane for a port visit late Sunday, but no public tours are available.
The flight deck of the nuclear-powered ship is 1.82 hectares (4.5 acres) in size, which is where the approximately 65 aircraft are either parked, or taking off or landing at any time of the night or day at high speeds.
Aircraft attached to the ship, which was about 644km off the coast of Brisbane this week as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre, are US Navy F/A 18 Super Hornets, an E-2 Hawkeye, EA-18 G Growlers, MH-60 R/S Seahawk helicopters and a C-2 Greyhound.
Even with ear plugs, a helmet and additional ear protection on, the noise on the flight deck from the mostly hornets taking off every minute or two can still sound like a powerful, giant vacuum cleaner.
A steam-powered catapult system helps launch most aircraft off the ship in what feels like a human slingshot, sending a plane from zero to hundreds of km/hr in mere seconds…..
On top of being a mobile military airport, the USS Ronald Regan is its own floating city, with at least 5000 sailors on board at any time……
Talisman Sabre is a biennial joint Australia-United States military exercise that started in June.
This year it involves more than 33,000 mostly Australian and US troops, 20 ships and more than 200 aircraft, with the majority of the mock war taking place in and around Shoalwater Bay in Central Queensland. https://www.warwickdailynews.com.au/news/nuclear-powered-uss-ronald-reagan-heads-brisbane/3203549/
Who will guard Peter Dutton’s guardians?
Peter Dutton’s home affairs ministry will investigate itself for corruption, The Age, Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker 22 July 17 In his almost four years as Justice Minister, Michael Keenan has not once requested that the commission hold public hearings to examine corruption – a move guaranteeing the agency’s virtually non-existent public profile.
Fairfax Media is aware of several major investigations under way into the integrity of people or operations within agencies set to form part of Mr Dutton’s new super-ministry. These investigations are being conducted behind closed doors by the integrity commission and the federal police.
The creation of Home Affairs means that the Australian Federal Police will now come under the same departmental umbrella as the people and agencies they are investigating in partnership with the integrity commission.
“Institutionally it is a weakness. The arrangements should be such that this is not an option,” says Australian National University security expert John Blaxland. Professor Blaxland has been critical of the proposed Home Affairs ministry because it may reduce the “high degree of healthy contestability” between agencies, which sees the AFP eager to scrutinise Border Force, and vice versa, when necessary. This is disputed by senior officials.
What is incontestable is that since its inception in 2006, the integrity commission has not held a single public hearing into any of the agencies it oversees: the AFP, the Criminal Intelligence Commission, Border Force and the Immigration Department.
Due to a lack of resources, Australia’s least-known corruption fighting body relies on one of the agencies it oversees, the AFP, to actually carry out its major investigations. …….http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/peter-duttons-home-affairs-ministry-will-investigate-itself-for-corruption-20170721-gxfwov.html
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 