Posts filed under ‘renewable energy’
Doorknocking for 20 000 Conversations about Renewable Energy before June!
In June Rob Oakeshott will table 20 000 renewable energy surveys collected from around the country by climate action groups like us as part of the national 100% Renewables Campaign.
We’ve set a target of 500 surveys, and we’ve already started, talking to people at the Sydney Road festival (see Jody pictured above), in the Coburg Mall, and coming up this weekend in fantastic Fawkner.
If you’d like to be a part of this national community campaign for green energy – get in touch! Details are below:
Doorknocking for Renewable Energy
Saturday, May 7, 1pm – 4pm (training from 1pm – 2pm)
Meet at Fawkner Neighbourhood House at the CB Smith Reserve
Corner of Jukes Road and Williams Road, Fawkner
Call Ellen on 0408 583 694 for more information.
March Politics in the Pub – Carbon Pricing
‘Renewable Energy or Just Less Money for Beer’ was the question that animated the discussion at Climate Action Moreland’s first Politics in the Pub for 2011. Views in Climate Action Moreland have been mixed on this most hotly of debated issues, proving that we do represent a broad cross section of Morelandian society!
We are all united on the need for urgent climate action however, and so the debate was focussed on whether or not carbon pricing would be effective to actually start to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While some of the discussion considered the more technical aspects of carbon pricing, many people also added their thoughts on the political implications of either choosing to implement a carbon price now or whether we should wait for more clear alternatives.
What do you think about carbon pricing? Tell us your thoughts.
If we don’t get the carbon price, will Tony Abbott be elected? If we do, will this mean that we see no more action on climate in Australia, even though the carbon price will not significantly drive down emissions in its current form?
Part 2: Labor’s climate policy funding shuffle dance
This is the second part of our special series on the Labor Party’s 2010 climate policies. Part one is here. This edition, we discuss the funding shuffle dance that is Labor’s renewable energy policies.
Renewable energy (which includes ‛clean coal’ – who knew?)
Renewable Energy Future Fund (is this superannuation for wind farms?)
Well, it’s $652 million to support renewable energy projects, and development of low emissions technologies. It will also be used for energy efficiency programs for households and business. Sounds good, investing in new renewable technologies, doesn’t it? Except, as the Beyond Zero Emissions report outlines, we already have the technology to transition Australia to 100% clean energy.
But hey, we can always improve on existing technology, right? And household energy efficiency is a really effective, cheap way to reduce emissions, so that’s a great use of taxpayer dollars. Only problem: $9 million of this renewable energy money will be used to pay for the Big New Focus Group (BNFG) Huh. Wonder what else they’ll drain this one for. Don’t worry, it’s just a Future Fund, and the future never arrives! Right?
Connecting to the matrix
This is a new policy announcement – $1 billion over a decade to connect renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Now, if we could only take that $2 billion going into ‛clean coal’ research and put it into actual renewable energy, we might have something substantial to connect to the grid. And how about the rest of the $9 billion we spend on fossil fuel subsidies? We could connect up a lot of renewable energy projects with $9 billion!
Solar Flagships (conjuring up confused images of ships with flags and solar panels)
This was announced in last year’s budget and was supposed to be a $1.5 billion program to establish large solar-power stations. This is great, yes? This is what Australians want – large scale renewable projects! So how’s it going so far? (more…)
Door-knocking success with Hazelwood campaign
40 supporters of Climate Action Moreland have door-knocked and leafleted more than 2500 Brunswick homes to launch a new strategy to engage the community on climate issues in this key election year.
The door-knocking, on 17 April and 2 May, will continue at least once a month, with a focus on the campaign to replace Hazelwood power station, the dirtiest in the developed world. It was supposed to close in 2005, but the government extended its licence for another 25 years. Hazelwood is a national embarrassment, 80% foreign owned and responsible for 3% of Australia’s and almost 15% of Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate Action Moreland wants it shut down by 2012 and replaced with renewable energy. We want the government to make shutting down Hazelwood an election promise, but they’ll only do that if we can show there is real community concern on the issue. So we’re taking the issue to the streets of Brunswick… door by door! (more…)
100% renewables campaign launch
On Sunday, 2 May, Climate Action Moreland joined with Beyond Zero Emissions in launching the 100% renewables campaign in Brunswick – calling for a switch from polluting coal power stations to 100% clean green renewable energy like wind and solar.
CAM was joined by over 60 climate action groups around the country also launching the 100% renewables campaign in their local area.
‘We want all our local candidates, Labor, Liberal and Green, to commit to supporting renewable energy. Right now we have a choice – we can continue our dependence on fossil fuels or we can make the switch to 100% renewable energy Mechanisms like a national feed in tarif are proven to be effective and will drive investment in large scale technology.’ said launch organiser Ellen Roberts.
We have the community support for the change, what we lack is the political will from the major parties. The demise of Rudd’s emissions trading scheme means we need better, more effective initiatives.’
For more information about the campaign check out http://climateactionmoreland.org/our-campaigns/
Replace Hazelwood With Renewable Energy Video
Thanks to Andrew at The Vagabond magazine for putting together this fantastic video. It shows volunteers from Climate Action Moreland, 100% Renewable Energy and the Climate Action Centre door knocking in Brunswick to demand that Hazelwood, the most polluting coal-fired power station in the developed world, be replaced with renewable energy.
RET legislation: the fossils cling on for dear life
The renewable energy target bill has now been passed in Parliament, legislating that 20 percent of electricity will come from renewable sources by 2020. The scheme works by compelling electricity retailers to buy electricity from renewable sources.
Investment in electricity from tidal and wave technologies will get a boost, but the geothermal industry is voicing disappointment that no portion of the target was set aside for it. Considering the huge potential of geothermal energy in Australia, this is a kick in the teeth for large scale renewable energy production.
Industry has again put out its hand, demanding yet more government money. Under new concessions demanded by the Coalition, the number of industries to be compensated for higher electricity prices was increased from three to about 40. Once again the government kneels down before the already massively subsidised fossil fuel industry.
Incredibly, electricity from coal seam methane gas – a coal mining waste product – has been classified a renewable energy source and will earn rewards under the scheme. So coal miners are given renewable credits for burning fossil fuels.
While the government will now be patting itself on the back and promoting its green credentials to anyone willing to listen, there is a long, long way to go before Australia is free from the stranglehold of the fossil fuel industry. And a renewable energy target wouldn’t even be necessary if the market was set up to accurately reflect the true cost of carbon emissions. But that day seems a long way off.
What the REC is this?
Don’t reck the REC
The government has proposed giving five times the normal number of renewable energy certificates (REC) to people installing solar panels on their roof until 2015. This means four out of the five certificates will represent energy that isn’t actually produced!
Extra certificates can act as a financial incentive to install solar panels because installers sell them on to retailers. Subsequently, on paper Australia will be achieving its annual targets for renewables, but in reality achieving much, much less.
Further to this, with so much of the annual targets in the first five years taken up by fake solar hot water RECs, there won’t be enough space within the targets to get large scale projects off the ground – including wind projects that are ready to go now.
This may delay large scale projects until 2015, meaning not just delayed renewables, but delayed investment in jobs too. If people thought that their investment in solar panels could reduce large scale investment in renewable energy, this may also be a significant disincentive to install solar panels.
