Posts filed under ‘renewable energy’
Victoria sets offshore wind targets of 9GW by 2040
The Victorian Government has set new offshore wind farm targets. Currently there are no offshore wind farms operating in the state, although the Star of the South Project off the Gippsland Coast is well progressed in planning.
The new offshore wind targets:
- 2032 – target of 2 GW
- 2035 – target of 4 GW
- 2040 – target of 9 GW
- 2050 – potential capacity of 13 GW
There are already 3 offshore wind farms on the drawing boards. The 2.1GW Star of the South is the most advanced offshore wind farm project, with estimated construction from 2025 and completion in 2028.
(more…)Peter Khalil asks about tech fairy dust in Net Zero Plan
Peter Khalil, MP for Wills, was part of the Labor questioning of the Prime Minister in Question time in the House of Representatives today. It follows Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s launch of a Net zero by 2050 Plan, that was widely criticised (including by Climate Action Moreland many climate advocacy organisations) (See Blog: Morrison Net Zero 2050 Plan a fraud, with plans to double coal exports, new gas expansion)
It is clear the Government’s plan relies on substantial fairy dust to get to Net Zero by 2050. It is also highly reliant on the problematic Technology Investment Roadmap which places much emphasis and hope on developing at commercial scale a substantial Carbon Capture and Storage industry to process Blue Hydrogen (to market as clean hydrogen) from fossil gas and coal. Carbon Capture and storage is expensive’ and energy intensive without guaranteeing 100 per cent sequestration. There is only one operating commercial plant using CCS technology globally. Australia has already poured over $4 billion into Carbon Capture and Storage with little technology to show for it.
(more…)Submission: Australia’s Technology Roadmap not enough to address the Climate Emergency
Climate Action Moreland submission on the Draft Australia Technology Roadmap. This is the document that Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor has been pushing. The document itself provides a survey of different technologies that can be used in address climate change. But it is insufficient. The decision processes that approve expansion of emissions (such as in new coal mines or gas extraction), or maintain present high pollution levels in existing sectorial processes needs also to be considered. Strategic Technology Roadmap is only one tool that should be used to driving climate action ambition to tackle the climate crisis. We have a climate emergency.
Inquiry on achieving 100 percent renewables passed by Victorian State Parliament
The Victorian Parliament on Wednesday supported a Greens motion in the Legislative Council, looking at pathways for Victoria to be powered by 100 per cent clean energy, including the economic and employment benefits of such an energy transition.
Victoria currently has a 50 per cent renewables target by 2030. Coal currently provides 70 per cent of the state’s electricity.
The Inquiry won’t start until later in 2020 or early 2021, highlighted Samantha Ratnam in breaking the news in a Facebook post.
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Climate action centre stage at Sydney Road Street Party
Peter Khalil MP public engagement issues board at end of Sydney Road Street Party. Source: Courtesy Peter Khalil
Thousands of people strolled and paraded along Sydney Road on Sunday 1st March for the annual Sydney Road Street Party. The street was closed to all traffic and trams from Brunswick Road to Victoria street. Climate Action Moreland was there with a stall, up near the Victoria street end. We provided a local climate / environment hub for Stop Adani Moreland, Neighbours United for Climate Action, Newlands Friends of the Forest, and Moreland BUG to locate and campaign with us.
Our main engagement activity was collecting signatures for our petition to City of Moreland to amend their Procurement Policy with regard to businesses that sign contracts to do work with the Adani Coal mine. If you missed us on the day, you can sign our digital version of the petition to Moreland City Council on Adani.
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Moreland Council capital expenditure on climate projects and the Neighbourwoods Program
Solar PV installed on Fawkner Library
Perusing the Governance report in the Council agenda for the October 2019 Council meeting there was an item for capital works climate change expenditure of $990,000 but no detail what this expenditure was actually for.
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Submission to Climate Change Authority – policies necessary to achieve Australia’s commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement
Climate Action Tracker June 2019 assessment.
Climate Action Moreland prepared the following submission (PDF) to the Climate Change Authority focussing on three sectors: agriculture, energy (electricity) , and transport. These are key areas for Australia to implement climate policy to achieve reduction in emissions to meet Australia’s commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement. We appreciate the Climate Change Authority collating this information, even though the present conservative government largely ignores the independent advice of this Authority.
Under the Paris Agreement Australia needs to submit a new Nationally Determined Contribution document that outlines all targets and policies to achieve our targets, by early 2020. No backtracking is acceptable (this is written into the agreement as well) This is the ratchet (ambition) mechanism of the Paris Agreement. On current commitments the world is heading for an average temperature rise of between 2.4 degrees to 3.8 degrees Celsius by 2100, as calculated by the Climate Action Tracker website. Australia’s effort is rated as ‘Insufficient’.
Brunswick MP highlights solar homes program needs urgent restructure
Solar installs in contraction due to poor implementation of Solar Homes Package
Brunswick Greens MP Tim Read has highlighted in state parliament the urgent need for the solar hones program to be restructured.
This is a flagship program by the Labor’s Dan Andrews Government for residential uptake of solar panels and growing renewables in Victoria. But the program is so popular and demand is being capped so that it is driving renewables installation businesses to the wall. The industry and jobs are in contraction.
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More climate ambition and Stop Adani a clear message from Wills Climate Forum to Mark Butler and Peter Khalil
Wills Climate Forum
Wills Labor MP Peter Khalil finally was able to organise a climate forum for his electorate centred on the City of Moreland, with shadow minister for climate and energy Mark Butler MP attending.
It was clear from the audience questions that although Labor is on the right track with climate policy, many citizens of Moreland think more ambition is needed given the climate crisis and the need for climate emergency planning. This was made clear by the most recent science in the IPCC 1.5C report published in October 2018. Most also want to see a clear statement and commitment to stop the Adani mine, and in fact any new coal or gas projects.
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Premier refuses to answer question on Victorian coal phaseout plan
Ellen Sandell asking about coal phaseout plan
The Premier Daniel Andrews failed to answer a direct question on Wednesday, the last sitting day this year for state parliament, on a transition plan to close Victoria’s dirty coal plants and stop coal mining and burning in Victoria for good, asked on behalf of School strike for climate kids.
Greens MP Ellen Sandell (Melbourne) asked the Premier, on behalf of all the students striking for climate justice, when he would urgently release his coal transition plan. She also highlighted that the Andrews government has extended the licence for the dirtiest coal station in Australia, Yallourn.
Premier, while your government has done some really good things on renewables, you are suspiciously silent when it comes to coal. My question is: will you hear the call of these brave young people and urgently release a plan to close Victoria’s dirty coal plants and stop coal mining and burning in Victoria for good?
Instead of answering the question, the Premier diverted his answer into the Victorian Renewable Energy Target of 50 per cent renewables by 2030 (The kids are demanding 100 percent by 2030), the lack of Federal leadership and in particular raising the old history in another parliament of Greens senators opposition to the CPRS scheme.
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Climate Action Moreland: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change 