Moving ahead of the debate

Ballarat Courier
05/06/2007 Page: 18

AS Australia's politicians grapple with the best way to tackle climate change, companies like Pacific Hydro are already providing part of the solution. Working for more than seven years in western Victoria, Pacific Hydro has operating wind farms at Challicum Hills near Ararat and at Codrington. Combined, they produce enough energy each year to provide the equivalent power needs of about 60,000 Victorian homes, all without dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.

Pacific Hydro community relations manager Emily Wood said Australia had incredible wind resources. "It is cheaper and more efficient to have wind energy in Australia than in many other parts of the world yet it is still a fairly new form of energy here," she said. "The simple reason why Australia doesn't have much wind energy right now is that, on the surface, coal looks cheaper," Ms Wood said. "But while coal looks cheaper on the surface, in the long run it isn't.''

This is the essence of the debate: calculating the total impact of climate change. CSIRO figures indicate climate change will mean declining rainfall in south eastern Australia, more bushfires and rising temperatures. "When you look at the trite cost of burning fossil fuels for electricity and include the billions of tonnes of water they require and the millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas they produce, you can see why the trite cost of coal is far more than just cost of electricity," Ms Wood said.

Scientists warn that without deep cuts to emissions, our climate could change unpredictably. Pacific Hydro said that looking for a single, silver bullet solution is unrealistic. "Clean, zero emissions energy sources like wind and solar are ready to go, proven technologies and can provide 20 per cent by 2020 clean energy in Australia. Combine this with energy efficiency and emissions trading and we could begin reducing our greenhouse emissions today,'' Ms Wood said.