Target misses energy point

Cooma Monaro Express
Thursday 27/9/2007 Page: 4

Friends of Renewable Energy has criticised the Federal Government's clean energy target, saying it is misleading and misses the point. The proposed target would see 30,000 gigawatt hours (GWH) of Australia's electricity produced from zero or low greenhouse emitting energy sources by 2020. This 15 per cent `clean' energy target, however, would also allow for the use of clean coal and nuclear power.

Friends of Renewable Energy spokesperson Rashida Nuridin said the target was misleading, could do more harm than good and needed to be more ambitious. "It's great having a target but it's not really the target we should be having, I just feel we could strive for a far more ambitious target," said Ms Nuridin. "Many countries overseas have a third of our renewable resource potential yet their targets are mammoth compared to what is being proposed by the Federal Government. "Also, the danger with calculating GWH into a percentage is that as consumption increases the target could be watered down to less than 15 per cent by 20201" she said.

Ms Nuridin said she was also concerned with the Liberal's `clean energy' target. "The clean energy target would include clean coal and nuclear, which would produce more emissions, rather than a renewable target, which doesn't produce greenhouse gases. "Also if this policy was implemented nationally it would supersede state targets and would also start from 2010, which would be far too late. "This superficial target shows that the government is not serious about addressing climate change," she said.