Off the grid: AEMC paves way for stand alone systems to replace poles and wires — RenewEconomy
Landmark ruling means networks can now take thousands of consumers off grid with solar and battery stand alone systems, delivering huge savings for all. The post Off the grid: AEMC paves way for stand alone systems to replace poles and wires appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Off the grid: AEMC paves way for stand alone systems to replace poles and wires — RenewEconomy
May 29 Energy News — geoharvey
Science and Technology: ¶ “A Warming Arctic Produces Weather Extremes In Our Latitudes” • Atmospheric researchers have shown that rising temperatures in the stratosphere are causing the jet stream to falter and follow a wave-like course. And the weakening of the jet stream is spreading downward from the stratosphere, producing weather extremes in lower latitudes. […]
Queensland solar rule change declared “invalid” by Supreme Court — RenewEconomy
Solar farm investor-backed project developer score Supreme Court win over Queensland government’s controversial new solar rules. The post Queensland solar rule change declared “invalid” by Supreme Court appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Queensland solar rule change declared “invalid” by Supreme Court — RenewEconomy
Two new solar farms connect to the grid in Queensland — RenewEconomy
Adani’s Rugby Run finally joins grid after lengthy delay, as Haughton solar farm also starts production. The post Two new solar farms connect to the grid in Queensland appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Two new solar farms connect to the grid in Queensland — RenewEconomy
The week that has been, in climate and nuclear news – Australia
Media freedom now under grave threat, as USA aims to gaol Julian Assange for life.
Journalism should awaken the world to the looming climate catastrophe. Link between global warming and war. Despite misogyny, women continue to fight the reckless spending on nuclear weapons. Carbon dioxide soars to record-breaking levels not seen in 800,000 years. Climate crisis – the Impact of Ocean Acidification? A fight for the future as climate change school strikes grow for fourth month running.
AUSTRALIA
US charges Julian Assange with 17 counts under Espionage Act. (He’s an Australian citizen. Does the government or anyone care?) Gross injustice! Ecuador to hand over Assange’s entire legal defense to the United States .
CLIMATE . ‘We have lost Australia for now,’ warns climate scientist in wake of election. Australia can be a global leader on combating climate change, and rejecting nuclear. Mass protest in Melbourne, demanding action on climate change. Australian courts will consider the risks of climate change to be foreseeable, thereby creating further responsibilities for companies and directors.
Torres Strait lodges case at UN against Australia on human rights as climate change issue.
Prime Minister dumps Melissa Price from Environment Ministry, even though she had done exactly what the Liberal COALition wanted, on Adani coal mine. Divisions in Labor Party over climate change policy. The Australian Labor Party wavers about the Adani coal project, but the anti-coal activists are not giving up. There are still serious obstacles to Adani’s coal mine expansion. Queensland government hits panic button on Carmichael coal mine approvals. Adani coal mine approvals could be granted within weeks as Queensland Premier Palaszczuk sets deadline.
Albo [new Labor leader Anthony Albanese] and the Green New Deal: Great name for a band, but is it good policy? BHP sees early end for thermal coal, plugs in to electric future.
NUCLEAR –
Support for nuclear power is support for coal: John Quiggin refutes the arguments of Australia’s pro nuclear shills. Corruption in the Australian uranium industry.
Rare Earths. Need for awareness on what Lynas will do with its rare earths radioactive trash. Lynas plans rare earths “upstream” processing in Australia and “downstream” processing in USA and Malaysia. It’s not clear what will be done about Lynas’ radioactive wastes in Malaysia, as Lynas plans rare earths processing also in Texas.
RENEWABLE ENERGY. Western Australia taps into boom for raw materials for EV and storage batteries . How serious is Queensland about its 50 per cent renewable energy target? Twin Creek wind farm and Australia’s biggest battery edge closer to approval. Electric Landcruiser conversion – made for Australian mining – goes viral .
Coal industry tightens embrace with Coalition as ex minister becomes MCA chair — RenewEconomy
The links between the Coalition and the coal lobby grow ever tighter, as new Minerals Council chair Helen Coonan seeks to fast-track new coal mine approvals. The post Coal industry tightens embrace with Coalition as ex minister becomes MCA chair appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Coal industry tightens embrace with Coalition as ex minister becomes MCA chair — RenewEconomy
Climate scientists alarmed as unusually wide tornadoes hit swathes of USA
Tornadoes Cut Across Unusually Wide Swaths of US, Raising Alarm for Climate Scientistshttps://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/05/27/tornadoes-cut-across-unusually-wide-swaths-us-raising-alarm-climate-scientists “There’s reason to believe major outbreak days are getting worse.” by Julia Conley, staff writer,
As the death toll in Oklahoma rose to six Monday amid an outbreak of nearly 200 tornadoes across the Midwest in recent days—as well as in areas far less accustomed to them—climate scientists said such patterns may carry warnings about the climate crisis and its many implications for extreme weather events.
In Oklahoma, tornadoes touched down in at least two cities, including El Reno and Sapulpa, over the weekend, injuring dozens and leveling a number of homes. The tornado that hit El Reno, a suburb of Oklahoma City, was given an EF3 rating, with wind speeds up to 165 miles per hour. Only about five percent of tornadoes are given an EF3 rating or higher.
Outside the Midwest, at least one twister touched down near Washington, D.C., with reports of tornadoes in Texas and Colorado, and Chicago facing a tornado watch on Monday.
While tornadoes have long been a fixture in the Midwest, meteorologist Eric Holthaus tweeted last week that there is “reason to believe major outbreak days…are getting worse,” while climate scientists are examining links between the storms and the climate crisis.
The so-called “Tornado Alley,” which covers parts of Texas and Kansas as well as Oklahoma, appears to be growing, according to a study published in Nature last year—making tornadoes more frequent in states that rarely saw them previously including Arkansas, Mississippi, and eastern Missouri.
“What all the studies have shown is that this particular part of the U.S. has been having more tornado activity and more tornado outbreaks than it has had in decades before,” Mike Tippett, a mathematician who studies the climate at Columbia University told PBS Newshour earlier this year.
As the Kansas City Star reported on Sunday, scientists believe the warming of the globe—fueled by human activities like fossil fuel extraction—is contributing to higher amounts of water vapor in the atmosphere, causing heavier rainfalls which can spawn tornadoes.
The increase in destructive tornadoes across wider swaths of the country than in previous decades “may be suggestive of climate change effects,” Purdue University researcher Ernest Agee told the Star. And the unusual occurrence of tornadoes in far more densely-populated areas than those that frequently see such weather events has led to concerns that tornadoes will become more deadly and destructive than they’ve been in the past
Vancouver holding international “clean” energy summit – but – taken over by nuclear greenwash?
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At Vancouver’s Clean Energy Summit, Nuclear Is Making a Play https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2019/05/27/Nuclear-Making-Play-Clean-Energy-Summit/ Note to ministers from 25 nations: Prepare to be dangerously greenwashed. By Tanya Glafenhein and M.V. RamanaTanya Glafenhein is an undergraduate political science major at UBC focused on ecological sustainability, and environmental and social justice.
M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC, and the author of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India, Penguin Books, New Delhi (2012). This week Vancouver is host to a summit of ministers from over 25 countries gathered “to accelerate progress toward a clean energy future. Created in 2010, the Clean Energy Ministerial describes itself as a “high-level global forum to promote policies that advance clean energy technology” and “to encourage the transition towards a global clean energy economy.” As we face massive environmental challenges, a transition is clearly needed. The problem is that one significant focus of the CEM is to find ways of preserving the existing energy infrastructure while greenwashing it. Case in point: the cleverly termed NICE Future, which stands for Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future, that was set up in 2018 by the CEM initiative. Its stated aim is “to initiate a dialogue on the role that clean and reliable nuclear energy can play in bolstering economic growth, energy security and access, and environmental stewardship.” But nuclear energy is not clean except in some narrow definition, and our experience over the decades with this technology has shown that it cannot “bolster” any of the other goals. Dirty truths about ‘clean energy’ Before going further, it would help to beVanctter understand the term clean energy. For years now, there is an open and growing preference for renewable energy among the public around the world. This was a problem for the large private and public sector organizations that owned other forms of electricity generation technologies, particularly coal, nuclear, or natural gas. One of the strategies that these large organizations, and supportive politicians and government officials, have been undertaking is to sweep these, or slight variants thereof, under the term clean energy. The key word is clean, and its use has been promoted by multiple fossil fuel and other industry groups. In the mid-2000s, dozens of coal and utility companies formed something called the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. It then spent tens of millions of dollars on advertisement campaigns about “clean coal” being a solution to global warming. Continue reading |
May 27 Energy News — geoharvey
Opinion: ¶ “At Vancouver’s Clean Energy Summit, Nuclear Is Making a Play” • As we face massive environmental challenges, a transition is clearly needed. The problem is that one significant focus of the global forum “Clean Energy Ministerial” is to find ways of preserving the existing energy infrastructure while greenwashing it. [TheTyee.ca] ¶ “Turbines Arrive […]
Australia could fund 100% renewables by 2030 with 7.7% of super savings — RenewEconomy
Phasing out fossil fuels from retirement savings could be a good investment and a great move for the climate – a Future Super report suggests The post Australia could fund 100% renewables by 2030 with 7.7% of super savings appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Australia could fund 100% renewables by 2030 with 7.7% of super savings — RenewEconomy
AEMO says W.A. grid at risk if regulations fail to keep up with renewable transition — RenewEconomy
Market operator says energy transition happening at stunning pace in the west, and unless regulators keep up and design rules to encourage needed technologies, grid security is at risk. The post AEMO says W.A. grid at risk if regulations fail to keep up with renewable transition appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via AEMO says W.A. grid at risk if regulations fail to keep up with renewable transition — RenewEconomy
Victoria delivers on solar homes, arms “energy cop” with budget funding — RenewEconomy
Victorian government establishes dedicated energy cop to catch price gouging energy companies while extending zero-interest solar loan program to renters. The post Victoria delivers on solar homes, arms “energy cop” with budget funding appeared first on RenewEconomy.
via Victoria delivers on solar homes, arms “energy cop” with budget funding — RenewEconomy
Support for nuclear power is support for coal: John Quiggin refutes the arguments of Australia’s pro nuclear shills
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Coal and the nuclear lobby (updated), John Quiggin AUGUST 13, 2018It’s reasonable to ask why I would bother arguing about nuclear power, given my frequently expressed view that it’s DEAD AS A DOORNAIL. The problem is that nuclear fans like Ben Heard are, in effect, advocates for coal. Their line of argument runs as follows (1) A power source with the characteristics of coal-fired electricity (always on) is essential if we are to decarbonise the electricity suppy The problem is that, on any realistic analysis, there’s no chance of getting a nuclear plant going in Australia before about 2040 (see over the fold). So, the nuclear fans end up supporting the Abbott crew saying that we will have to rely on coal until then. And to make this case, it is necessary to ignore or denounce the many options for an all-renewable electricity supply, including concentrated solar power, large-scale battery storage and vehicle-to-grid options. As a result, would-be green advocates of nuclear power end up reinforcing the arguments of the coal lobby. Looking at the argument set out above, point (1) is generally taken as self-evident, even though the idea of baseload demand is basically a nonsense, at least until the renewables share gets much closer to 100 per cent. Point (3) is based on the claim that since France did this 40 years ago, Australia can do it today. The fact that France has long since lost the special characteristics that made its dash for nuclear power possible isn’t even considered. When I looked at the issue a few years ago, I concluded that only China had anything like the characteristics needed, but nuclear power has stalled even there. Coming back to the Australian debate, it’s striking that it’s still going on, given the negative findings of the SA Royal Commission, established at the behest of the nuclear lobby. But I’ll spell out the problem one more time. Let’s look at the most optimistic possible timetable. The hardest evidence relates to the time between the issuing of a contract to build a nuclear power plant and the connection to the grid. The best-case scenario is that of the KEPCO contract in the UAE, one of the rare cases where the construction phase was completed on time and on budget. There have, however, been unexplained delays in startup. The contract was signed in December 2009 and, on current projections, the first plant (of four) will be connected to the grid ten years after that, at the end of 2019. So, to get nuclear power going in Australia before 2040, we’d need signed contracts by 2030 at the latest. What needs to happen before that goal can be achieved. * First, obviously, both major parties need to be convinced of the case for nuclear power. That’s highly unlikely but let’s suppose it can somehow be done by 2020 * Next, the current ban on nuclear power needs to be repealed. This ban looms large in the minds of nuclear fans, but actually it’s such a minor problem we can ignore it * Next, we need to set up, from scratch a legislative and regulatory framework for nuclear power, and establish and staff a regulator similar to the US NRC. Bear in mind that there is essentially no one in Australia with any relevant expertise. I’d be surprised if this could be done in five years, but let’s suppose three * Next we need to license designs that can be built here and, at the same time, completely remodel the National Electricity Market in a way that makes nuclear cost-competitive with both gas and renewables, while not opening the door for new coal (again, three years would be incredibly optimistic) * Next we need to identify greenfield sites for multiple nuclear power plants, almost certainly on the east coast, and go through the processes of EIS, Environment Court and so on. In any realistic view, this would never succeed, but let’s suppose another three years. After all that, we have to find companies willing to build the plants, and organize the necessary contracts. Given the absurdly opimsitic schedule set out above, this would have to be done inside a year. In summary, even on magical assumptions it would be impossible to get nuclear power going in Australia before 2040, by which time we would already have had to close most of the coal-fired generation fleet. It follows that the only effect of nuclear advocacy is to prolong the life of coal-fired power to the limits of technological feasibility. In practice, support for nuclear power in Australia is support for coal. Tony Abbott understands this. It’s a pity that Ben Heard and others don’t. https://johnquiggin.com/2018/08/13/coal-and-the-nuclear-lobby/?fbclid=IwAR0nXz5RBL-zJxcmCaeyin80CSc44bYGvJ94NV7YYNb2NwSgg8QDAyYjNMw |
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Torres Strait lodges case at UN against Australia on human rights as climate change issue
   Torres Strait Islanders ask UN to hold Australia to account on climate ‘human rights abuses’ The Conversation, Professor Environment and Development Sociology, The University of Queensland. May 27, 2019 Climate change threatens Australia in many different ways, and can devastate rural and urban communities alike. For Torres Strait Islanders, it’s a crisis that’s washing away their homes, infrastructure and even cemeteries.The failure to take action on this crisis has led a group of Torres Strait Islanders to lodge a climate change case with the United Nations Human Rights Committee against the Australian federal government.
It’s the first time the Australian government has been taken to the UN for their failure to take action on climate change. And its the first time people living on a low lying island have taken action against any government. This case – and other parallel cases – demonstrate that climate change is “fundamentally a human rights issue”, with First Nations most vulnerable to the brunt of a changing climate. The group of Torres Strait Islanders lodging this appeal argue that the Australian government has failed to take adequate action on climate change. They allege that the re-elected Coalition government has not only steered Australia off track in meeting globally agreed emissionsreductions, but has set us on course for climate catastrophe. In doing so, Torres Strait Islanders argue that the government has failed to uphold human rights obligations and violated their rights to culture, family and life……… Torres Straight Islanders are on the frontlinesSome Torres Strait Islands are less than one metre above sea level and are already affected by climate change. Rising tides have delivered devastating effects for local communities, including flooding homes, land and cultural sites, with dire flooding in 2018 breaking a sea wall built to protect local communities……. Parallel threats across the PacificWhile the Torres Strait appeal to the UN is groundbreaking, the challenges facing Torres Strait Islanders are not unique. Delegates at the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji last week described climate change as the “single greatest threat” to the region, with sea level rise occurring up to four times the global average in some countries in the Pacific. Climate change is already causing migration across parts of the Pacific, including relocation of families from the Carteret Islands to Bougainville with support from local grassroots organisation Tulele Peisa. The Alliance of Small Island States, an intergovernmental organisation, has demanded that signatories to the Paris Agreement, including through the Green Climate Fund, recognise fundamental loss and damages communities are facing, and compensate those affected. The growing wave of climate litigationAcross the Torres Strait, the Pacific, and other regions on the frontline of climate change, there are a diversity of responses in defence of land and seas. These are often grounded in local and Indigenous knowledge……https://theconversation.com/torres-strait-islanders-ask-un-to-hold-australia-to-account-on-climate-human-rights-abuses-117262?
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Free media now under grave threat, as USA aims to gaol Julian Assange for life
 Whatever Assange got up to in 2010-11, it was not espionage. Nor is he a US citizen. The criminal acts this Australian maverick allegedly committed all happened outside the US. As Joel Simon, director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, has observed: “Under this rubric, anyone anywhere in the world who publishes information that the US government deems to be classified could be prosecuted for espionage.”The new indictment against Assange falls into three parts – each of them attempting to criminalise things journalists regularly do as they receive and publish true information given to them by sources or whistleblowers.
US efforts to jail Assange for espionage are a grave threat to a free media
 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/26/prosecuting-julian-assange-for-espionage-poses-danger-freedom-of-press
Do you remember the Collateral Murder video – the one that showed US air crew in Apache helicopters killing people as though playing computer games, laughing at the dead after slaughtering a dozen people, including two Iraqis working for the Reuters news agency? Do you remember how the US military had lied about what happened in that incident in July 2007 – first claiming that all the dead were insurgents, and then that the helicopters were responding to an active firefight? Neither claim was true. Do you recall that Reuters had spent three years unsuccessfully trying to obtain the video? Collateral Murder? Was it in the public interest that the world should have eventually seen the raw footage of what happened? You bet. Was it acutely embarrassing for the US military and government? Of course. Was the act of revelation espionage or journalism? You know the answer. We have two people to thank for us knowing the truth about how those Reuters employees died, along with 10 others who ended up in the crosshairs of the laughing pilots that day: Chelsea Manning, who leaked it, and Julian Assange, who published it. But the price of their actions has been considerable. Manning spent seven years in jail for her part in releasing that video, along with a huge amount of other classified material she was able to access as an intelligence analyst in the US army. Assange has been indicted on 17 new counts of violating the Espionage Act, with the prospect that he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Continue reading |
1 This month.
Australians deserve the truth
about
AUKUS – https://aukuspublicinquiry.com/
Australians deserve the truth
about AUKUS
PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
of the week – Australians for War Powers Reform (AWPR)
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity
Antinuclear 