Posts tagged ‘renewable energy’
The Electric Boogalo Shuffle
As anyone who follows these pages regularly would know, Victoria has a lot of Brown Coal. We dig massive holes the size of towns so can we burn it to heat water to make steam which makes our electricity. We also have plans to dig even more of it up so we can get other countries to burn it on our behalf. And if that doesn’t work we’ll bury it underground again after we’ve burnt it so we can continue to dig crater like holes in the Victorian countryside.
In fact – rather then withering on a vine Victoria’s brown coal industry looks like it might be set for a new vintage. The Age recently reported that a Transport Department submission revealed a possible $24 billion could be invested in brown coal over the next decade. (more…)
Switch off Hazelwood
World Enviroment Day is 10/10/10 this year. And what better way to help the environment than to help replace the most polluting power station in the industrialised world with clean, green – renewable energy.
That’s right CAMsters – it Switch Off Hazelwood time. Last year hundreds of people traveled to the Latrobe Valley to issue the operators of Australia’s largest single source of carbon pollution with a “Community Decommission” order. It was a great fun filled family day with plenty of action from the Carbon Cops, Wombat Warriors, Radical Cheerleaders, Ministers for Energy Resources and Silly Walks, and the Climate Clowns. Check out the ‘flickr photos‘ page from last year. (more…)
Energy Basics
Join us for a concise, practical and easy to understand introduction into how our we produce and use energy in Australia.
How we produce our energy has enormous consequences for everyone, but often we don’t feel confident in our opinions because energy production seems so specialised and complex.
So, to give you the nuts and bolts on Victoria’s energy system, Climate Action Moreland is partnering with Beyond Zero Emissions to present Energy Basics, from 2 pm to 4pm at Ceres Learning Centre next Sunday 3rd October. (more…)
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…)
Enough of the noughties, it’s time for the Transition Decade.
We are at a crucial time in human history. Societies have collapsed before because they destroyed their environments and failed to take the necessary steps before it was too late.
* The great civillisation of the ancient Maya destroyed their forests and sucked their rivers dry until their land was uninhabitable and they were forced to abandon their cities.
* The Middle East was not always a desert – it was originally a heavily forested area that was stripped bare by the ancient Sumerians, turning a once fertile area into the barren desert it is today.
* And the Easter Island people created an ecological collapse in a relatively short time period – for them, everything was a consumable resource. With nowhere else to go and nowhere to expand, their entire civillisation collapsed.
We are heading down the same road as those who have gone before us. But this time the collapse of civillisation will be a whole lot worse. This time it will be a global catastrophe like nothing we’ve seen before – the science is clear about that. Unless we make major changes, and make them fast.
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.
NEWS
Solar Rebates Scheme Cancelled
The Federal Government’s solar rebate scheme was abruptly cancelled weeks ahead of schedule because it was too successful. The scheme provided rebates of up to $8,000 for the installation of solar panels.
While the public and the solar industry had been counting on a June 30 deadline, the scheme was cancelled with no industry consultation and very little notice after unexpected demand resulted in a four-fold increase to the program’s budget. Only rebate applications that were sent by midnight 9 June are eligible for assessment.
The program is to be replaced by a solar credits system, which is linked to the government’s Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme. Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has confirmed that there will be no rebate for solar panels until the RET scheme passes the Senate, which will be no earlier than August. Anyone who puts panels on their roof can keep the receipt and apply for a new rebate – if and when the scheme passes the Senate.
Surf Coast not Coal Coast – launch of Anglesea campaign
Groups launch campaign to replace Anglesea coal mine and power station
Images available at www.climateactioncentre.org
Environment, climate and local community groups have joined forces in a campaign to replace Alcoa’s Anglesea power station with renewable energy.
