Summit Sun
Thursday 31/1/2008 Page: 4
DO you want to know what you or your business can do to help address climate change? If the answer is yes, then come to the 2008 Snowy Mountains Renewable Energy And Climate Change Expo, Banjo Paterson Park, Jindabyne, Sunday the February 10, from gam to 3pm. Last years event was a great success despite the rain. There will be lots of information stalls and displays.
People can attend to find out about Green Power, carbon offsets, solar power and hot water systems, wind and other forms of renewable energy, sustainable building, hybrid vehicles, energy saving devices and much more. This is a non profit event run by Friends Of Renewable Energy, a local community organisation. Admission is free, and the expo will run in conjunction with the Flowing Festival.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Macquarie's Clean Tech on shopping spree
Investor Weekly
February, 2008 Page: 8
The Macquarie Clean Technology Fund's first fund has invested in wind farms in the United Kingdom, a geothermal facility in California and biofuels in the UK, Canada and North America since it closed in October 2007. The fund closed with about $205 million to invest in renewable energy, wave power, wind energy, biofuels, geothermal energy, water and clean air technology.
Australian superannuation funds have been the biggest supporters of the fund, making up about 60 per cent of the investment. European pension funds comprise around 25 per cent of the fund and United States and Canadian endowment funds and family offices 15 percent. Macquarie Funds Management managing director and clean technology portfolio manager Peter Martenson said he believed many US pension funds had tried to enter the clean tech market on their own by investing in one fund in the space. "Our fund is smartly diversified and it's been seeded," Martenson said.
"People want clean energy and, just as we do with other investments, we look for where there's a strong consumer demand. "We see strong individual demand, company demand, regulatory demand and following all that is the regulators and politicians. "We still have 50 per cent to invest and that will take the next 12-18 months to work out our portfolio "We'll probably look at the area of water and waste water as well as clean air." The fund has been focused on buy-out funds investing in renewable energy and energy technology and to a smaller extent on venture capital and opportunistic funds.
February, 2008 Page: 8
The Macquarie Clean Technology Fund's first fund has invested in wind farms in the United Kingdom, a geothermal facility in California and biofuels in the UK, Canada and North America since it closed in October 2007. The fund closed with about $205 million to invest in renewable energy, wave power, wind energy, biofuels, geothermal energy, water and clean air technology.
Australian superannuation funds have been the biggest supporters of the fund, making up about 60 per cent of the investment. European pension funds comprise around 25 per cent of the fund and United States and Canadian endowment funds and family offices 15 percent. Macquarie Funds Management managing director and clean technology portfolio manager Peter Martenson said he believed many US pension funds had tried to enter the clean tech market on their own by investing in one fund in the space. "Our fund is smartly diversified and it's been seeded," Martenson said.
"People want clean energy and, just as we do with other investments, we look for where there's a strong consumer demand. "We see strong individual demand, company demand, regulatory demand and following all that is the regulators and politicians. "We still have 50 per cent to invest and that will take the next 12-18 months to work out our portfolio "We'll probably look at the area of water and waste water as well as clean air." The fund has been focused on buy-out funds investing in renewable energy and energy technology and to a smaller extent on venture capital and opportunistic funds.
$135m wind farm ready to go ahead
Adelaide Advertiser
Wednesday 6/2/2008 Page: 49
SOUTH Australia will play host to a new $135 million, 57-megawatt wind farm to be developed by Melbourne based renewable energy company Pacific Hydro. The wind farm at Clements Gap - 250km north of Adelaide, close to Port Pirie - will be equipped with 27 windmills supplied by India's largest wind generator manufacturer, Suzlon Energy, under a new agreement signed yesterday. By 2009, the wind farm is expected to power 25,000 households.
The wind farm is the first for Pacific Hydro and is also the first to start construction since the Federal Government committed to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target to 20 per cent by 2020. "South Australia has got an excellent wind regime, streamlined approval process, good transmission lines and there is community support for the Clements Gap project," said Pacific Hydro's chief executive Rob Grant.
SA-based Consolidated Power Projects Australia will begin civil works at the wind farm this April. With construction tipped to take 18 months, the windmills are likely to arrive at Port Adelaide late this year or early next year. Mr Grant said the encouraging policy environment was behind the company's investment decision. "Labour's policy on MRET gave us and the retailers certainty to proceed with the project," Mr Grant said. The project had received planning approval in 2005, but the lack of a supportive policy environment had held back investment decisions. "A 20 per cent renewable energy target is expected to drive more than $20 billion in new investment across Australia." Mr Grant added.
Wednesday 6/2/2008 Page: 49
SOUTH Australia will play host to a new $135 million, 57-megawatt wind farm to be developed by Melbourne based renewable energy company Pacific Hydro. The wind farm at Clements Gap - 250km north of Adelaide, close to Port Pirie - will be equipped with 27 windmills supplied by India's largest wind generator manufacturer, Suzlon Energy, under a new agreement signed yesterday. By 2009, the wind farm is expected to power 25,000 households.
The wind farm is the first for Pacific Hydro and is also the first to start construction since the Federal Government committed to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target to 20 per cent by 2020. "South Australia has got an excellent wind regime, streamlined approval process, good transmission lines and there is community support for the Clements Gap project," said Pacific Hydro's chief executive Rob Grant.
SA-based Consolidated Power Projects Australia will begin civil works at the wind farm this April. With construction tipped to take 18 months, the windmills are likely to arrive at Port Adelaide late this year or early next year. Mr Grant said the encouraging policy environment was behind the company's investment decision. "Labour's policy on MRET gave us and the retailers certainty to proceed with the project," Mr Grant said. The project had received planning approval in 2005, but the lack of a supportive policy environment had held back investment decisions. "A 20 per cent renewable energy target is expected to drive more than $20 billion in new investment across Australia." Mr Grant added.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
India builds wind power for Australia
Age
Tuesday 5/2/2008 Page: 2
RENEWABLE energy company Pacific Hydro has signed a deal with India's largest wind generator maker, Suzlon Energy, to equip the company's $140 million South Australian wind farm. For an undisclosed amount, Suzlon Energy will provide 27 turbines that will produce 2.1 megawatts of electricity at Pacific Hydro's Clements Gap wind farm, towards the north of Spencer Gulf.
Pacific Hydro chief executive Rob Grant said Australia should prepare for a renewable energy boom following the Federal Government's promise to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target to 20% by 2020. Previously, Pacific Hydro had to look overseas to invest, particularly in Chile and Brazil, using the "clean development mechanism instrument" under the Kyoto Protocol.
"Business is already responding to the Australian Government's commitment," Mr Grant said. 'A 20% renewable energy target is expected to drive more than $20 billion in new investment across Australia so we are looking to the Federal Government to make the appropriate legislative amendments as quickly as possible to ensure investment momentum is maintained."
Link www.pacifichydro.com.au
Tuesday 5/2/2008 Page: 2
RENEWABLE energy company Pacific Hydro has signed a deal with India's largest wind generator maker, Suzlon Energy, to equip the company's $140 million South Australian wind farm. For an undisclosed amount, Suzlon Energy will provide 27 turbines that will produce 2.1 megawatts of electricity at Pacific Hydro's Clements Gap wind farm, towards the north of Spencer Gulf.Pacific Hydro chief executive Rob Grant said Australia should prepare for a renewable energy boom following the Federal Government's promise to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target to 20% by 2020. Previously, Pacific Hydro had to look overseas to invest, particularly in Chile and Brazil, using the "clean development mechanism instrument" under the Kyoto Protocol.
"Business is already responding to the Australian Government's commitment," Mr Grant said. 'A 20% renewable energy target is expected to drive more than $20 billion in new investment across Australia so we are looking to the Federal Government to make the appropriate legislative amendments as quickly as possible to ensure investment momentum is maintained."
Link www.pacifichydro.com.au
New design blowing in the wind
Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 5/2/2008 Page: 45
WIND farm developers are achieving significant construction cost savings as well as reducing the impact on the environment with a new-approach turbine footing designed by Built Environs. The design aims to save developers about $100,000 per footing - a savings which can run into millions of dollars where wind farms have multiple footings.
The Built Environs design anchors the footing in rock. It involves laying a concrete foundation 7m in diameter and up to 2m in depth - held in place by multi-strand steel anchors up to 20m. A more traditional footing design uses gravity and is made of reinforced concrete, sometimes up to 18m in diameter metres of concrete used for each turbine base.
The footprint is substantial, and adds costs for construction and time. "Two real benefits (from the new design) are shorter construction time and a reduction in the environmental impacts caused through construction," Built Environs civil engineering manager Phil Cornish says.
Tuesday 5/2/2008 Page: 45
WIND farm developers are achieving significant construction cost savings as well as reducing the impact on the environment with a new-approach turbine footing designed by Built Environs. The design aims to save developers about $100,000 per footing - a savings which can run into millions of dollars where wind farms have multiple footings.The Built Environs design anchors the footing in rock. It involves laying a concrete foundation 7m in diameter and up to 2m in depth - held in place by multi-strand steel anchors up to 20m. A more traditional footing design uses gravity and is made of reinforced concrete, sometimes up to 18m in diameter metres of concrete used for each turbine base.
The footprint is substantial, and adds costs for construction and time. "Two real benefits (from the new design) are shorter construction time and a reduction in the environmental impacts caused through construction," Built Environs civil engineering manager Phil Cornish says.
Taralga towers to be higher
Crookwell Gazette
Thursday 31/1/2008 Page: 4
THE developers are seeking to increase further increase the height of the turbine towers in the Taralga Wind Farm. Upper Lachlan Shire Council Director of Environment, Mr. Robert Mowle, reported this to last Council meeting. He said the developers had applied to modify the approved plan to allow for the change. The application will be displayed at the Taralga Post Office and at the Crookwell Library from January 30 to February 15. This will allow respondents to view the details and to lodge objections to the proposals if they desire.
Thursday 31/1/2008 Page: 4
THE developers are seeking to increase further increase the height of the turbine towers in the Taralga Wind Farm. Upper Lachlan Shire Council Director of Environment, Mr. Robert Mowle, reported this to last Council meeting. He said the developers had applied to modify the approved plan to allow for the change. The application will be displayed at the Taralga Post Office and at the Crookwell Library from January 30 to February 15. This will allow respondents to view the details and to lodge objections to the proposals if they desire.
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
Blackout: Drought-hit Tassie faces power rationing
Hobart Mercury
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 1
TASMANIA could be hit with power bans if the 10-year dry that has drained the state's Hydro lakes continues. Energy Minister David Llewellyn has warned of possible blackouts and urged Tasmanians to cut back to preserve "our precious energy resource" in the "record drought." "Notwithstanding the record low inflows in the past few months, there is no plausible circumstance in which Tasmanians will be faced with rationing this year," lie said. "That is, there would need to be an extraordinary convergence of events such as the concurrent and extended loss of Basslink and other generating capacity, before rationing would become an option. "However, if the current record dry continues, then Autumn 2009 may become a challenge." Power has not been rationed in Tasmania since 1967.
The State Opposition and Greens yesterday called for a long-term plan to protect Tasmania from blackouts. "The State Government's energy strategy cannot be pinned simply on praying for rain of biblical proportion," Opposition energy spokesman Peter Gutwein said. "The State Government needs to be taking iunmediate steps to ensure that power rationing does not occur in the short term and it must reveal what long-term steps it is taking to meet the energy needs of all Tasmanians as the impacts of climate change continue to place strain on our energy supplies into the future." Greens energy spokesman Kim Booth said the Government's energy strategy was in tatters and its claim Basslink and the Bell Bay gas power station would drought-proof Tasmania were hot air.
He said the $92 million annual fee to use Basslink would have been better spent developing wind energy. The undersea cable that plugs Tasmania into the national grid can, with the gas power station only provide a quarter to a third of Tasmania's energy load, which is increasing as households install powerhungry devices such as air conditioners and switch to electric heating. After 10 years of low rainfall and the driest November to January on record, Hydro storages are at 23 per cent - the lowest the current system has been at the end of January. Hydro warned that if drought continued, storages would decrease through autumn and would start winter very low - possibly lower than last year's 17 per cent.
Mr Gutwein said the Government must not prop up the Hydro's "parlous" finances by exporting power at high prices. "Are they going to use water that they have got to ensure the lights stay on in Tasmania or are they going to export at higher prices?" he said. "The short-term management of Basslink is absolutely critical. The State Government has now slugged Tasmanians with higher energy charges, it should also reveal if it has held any discussions with other energy companies with a view to establishing increased energy generation in Tasmania.
"There must also be a greater emphasis on better educating Tasmanians in both the commercial and domestic markets on how to better conserve energy." The last time Tasmania was warned blackouts were possible was July 2005, before Basslink giving the state access to Victorian coal power, when lake levels were below 23 per cent and Hydro was set to recommend power rationing to the Government.
It planned to rotate the blackouts geographically to share the pain. Blackouts were to be at peak times to reduce the system load. Tasmania has since endured another two years of drought.
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 1
TASMANIA could be hit with power bans if the 10-year dry that has drained the state's Hydro lakes continues. Energy Minister David Llewellyn has warned of possible blackouts and urged Tasmanians to cut back to preserve "our precious energy resource" in the "record drought." "Notwithstanding the record low inflows in the past few months, there is no plausible circumstance in which Tasmanians will be faced with rationing this year," lie said. "That is, there would need to be an extraordinary convergence of events such as the concurrent and extended loss of Basslink and other generating capacity, before rationing would become an option. "However, if the current record dry continues, then Autumn 2009 may become a challenge." Power has not been rationed in Tasmania since 1967.
The State Opposition and Greens yesterday called for a long-term plan to protect Tasmania from blackouts. "The State Government's energy strategy cannot be pinned simply on praying for rain of biblical proportion," Opposition energy spokesman Peter Gutwein said. "The State Government needs to be taking iunmediate steps to ensure that power rationing does not occur in the short term and it must reveal what long-term steps it is taking to meet the energy needs of all Tasmanians as the impacts of climate change continue to place strain on our energy supplies into the future." Greens energy spokesman Kim Booth said the Government's energy strategy was in tatters and its claim Basslink and the Bell Bay gas power station would drought-proof Tasmania were hot air.
He said the $92 million annual fee to use Basslink would have been better spent developing wind energy. The undersea cable that plugs Tasmania into the national grid can, with the gas power station only provide a quarter to a third of Tasmania's energy load, which is increasing as households install powerhungry devices such as air conditioners and switch to electric heating. After 10 years of low rainfall and the driest November to January on record, Hydro storages are at 23 per cent - the lowest the current system has been at the end of January. Hydro warned that if drought continued, storages would decrease through autumn and would start winter very low - possibly lower than last year's 17 per cent.
Mr Gutwein said the Government must not prop up the Hydro's "parlous" finances by exporting power at high prices. "Are they going to use water that they have got to ensure the lights stay on in Tasmania or are they going to export at higher prices?" he said. "The short-term management of Basslink is absolutely critical. The State Government has now slugged Tasmanians with higher energy charges, it should also reveal if it has held any discussions with other energy companies with a view to establishing increased energy generation in Tasmania.
"There must also be a greater emphasis on better educating Tasmanians in both the commercial and domestic markets on how to better conserve energy." The last time Tasmania was warned blackouts were possible was July 2005, before Basslink giving the state access to Victorian coal power, when lake levels were below 23 per cent and Hydro was set to recommend power rationing to the Government.
It planned to rotate the blackouts geographically to share the pain. Blackouts were to be at peak times to reduce the system load. Tasmania has since endured another two years of drought.
Hearing to begin on plans for 75-turbine wind farm
Ballarat Courier
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 3
THE planning application for the Crowlands Wind Farm will be considered tomorrow. The Pacific Hydro proposal received Pyrenees Shire Council's full support last year, after it announced plans to build the 75-turbine wind farm. The wind farm will be built about 25kin north-east of Ararat, along the ridge-top between Crowlands and Glenlofty, and would produce enough electricity to meet the annual power needs of 80,000 households.
The application will be considered in six days of panel hearings in Beaufort. The panel will hear from a range of stakeholders including the community, the Country Fire Authority and council, before making a recommendation to the State Government. Pacific Hydro executive manager Andrew Richards said the company had received overwhelming support since consultation began in 2004.
He said community feedback had been used with specialist study results to devise the wind farm design. "The panel hearings provide transparency in the planning process by ensuring all parties can have their say about the project before recommendations are made," Mr Richards said. After the hearings, a recommendation will be made to the planning minister with results expected in April.
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 3
THE planning application for the Crowlands Wind Farm will be considered tomorrow. The Pacific Hydro proposal received Pyrenees Shire Council's full support last year, after it announced plans to build the 75-turbine wind farm. The wind farm will be built about 25kin north-east of Ararat, along the ridge-top between Crowlands and Glenlofty, and would produce enough electricity to meet the annual power needs of 80,000 households.
The application will be considered in six days of panel hearings in Beaufort. The panel will hear from a range of stakeholders including the community, the Country Fire Authority and council, before making a recommendation to the State Government. Pacific Hydro executive manager Andrew Richards said the company had received overwhelming support since consultation began in 2004.
He said community feedback had been used with specialist study results to devise the wind farm design. "The panel hearings provide transparency in the planning process by ensuring all parties can have their say about the project before recommendations are made," Mr Richards said. After the hearings, a recommendation will be made to the planning minister with results expected in April.
Garnaut warned on green energy targets
Australian
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 33
AUSTRALIA'S pipeline industry has warned climate change reviewer Ross Garnaut that the federal Government's commitment to an expanded renewable energy target could lead to higher not lower greenhouse emissions. Professor Garnaut, conducting a climate change review for the federal and state governments, has called for the market to determine the best and least expensive means of greenhouse gas reduction over four decades.
Cheryl Cartwright, chief executive of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association, last week said Professor Garnaut was missing an opportunity to encourage the best process for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She said the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, which the Rudd Government is committed to lifting to 20 per cent by 2020, could, if set too high, lead to high carbon emissions in the short to medium term if the emissions trading system being investigated by the Garnaut review was not appropriate.
"While Professor Garnaut's proposal follows sound economic theory, it ignores political reality," Ms Cartwright said. "A scheme that can give the appearance that industry might not be doing enough to reduce carbon emissions provides the potential for government intervention in the future." Ms Cartwright has criticised the MRET scheme for its encouragement of wind energy ahead of other renewables as a replacement for coal-tired baseload electricity generation.
"The MRET is an example of the Government picking winners," she said. "It is a scheme that benefits the currently most developed green technology, regardless of the potential of other more innovative and efficient solutions." She said that if the price of carbon in an emissions trading system working in conjunction with MRET was too low, it could result in an increase in higher-emission coal-fired power generation. "A high MRET target will force the price of energy production too high the nonrenewable energy productions costs will need to be reduced as much as possible, hence a focus on coal-fired energy," she said.
Ms Cartwright said it was more appropriate to invest in natural gas as a transitional fuel for power generation. The Government should encourage renewable energy development without ignoring the benefits of moving to natural gas in the eventual transition to fully renewable power sources.
(Could it be the Australian Pipeline Industry Association and the fossil fuel lobby generally, are starting to realise profligate polluting, bankrolling anti clean energy groups and the exceptional hype and spin so beloved by the carbon cabal has passed its use-by date? Subsidies for the fossil fuel folks are OK but MRET's are unfair. Sorry, no points if you picked the contradictions above - Blair)
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 33
AUSTRALIA'S pipeline industry has warned climate change reviewer Ross Garnaut that the federal Government's commitment to an expanded renewable energy target could lead to higher not lower greenhouse emissions. Professor Garnaut, conducting a climate change review for the federal and state governments, has called for the market to determine the best and least expensive means of greenhouse gas reduction over four decades.
Cheryl Cartwright, chief executive of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association, last week said Professor Garnaut was missing an opportunity to encourage the best process for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She said the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, which the Rudd Government is committed to lifting to 20 per cent by 2020, could, if set too high, lead to high carbon emissions in the short to medium term if the emissions trading system being investigated by the Garnaut review was not appropriate.
"While Professor Garnaut's proposal follows sound economic theory, it ignores political reality," Ms Cartwright said. "A scheme that can give the appearance that industry might not be doing enough to reduce carbon emissions provides the potential for government intervention in the future." Ms Cartwright has criticised the MRET scheme for its encouragement of wind energy ahead of other renewables as a replacement for coal-tired baseload electricity generation.
"The MRET is an example of the Government picking winners," she said. "It is a scheme that benefits the currently most developed green technology, regardless of the potential of other more innovative and efficient solutions." She said that if the price of carbon in an emissions trading system working in conjunction with MRET was too low, it could result in an increase in higher-emission coal-fired power generation. "A high MRET target will force the price of energy production too high the nonrenewable energy productions costs will need to be reduced as much as possible, hence a focus on coal-fired energy," she said.
Ms Cartwright said it was more appropriate to invest in natural gas as a transitional fuel for power generation. The Government should encourage renewable energy development without ignoring the benefits of moving to natural gas in the eventual transition to fully renewable power sources.
(Could it be the Australian Pipeline Industry Association and the fossil fuel lobby generally, are starting to realise profligate polluting, bankrolling anti clean energy groups and the exceptional hype and spin so beloved by the carbon cabal has passed its use-by date? Subsidies for the fossil fuel folks are OK but MRET's are unfair. Sorry, no points if you picked the contradictions above - Blair)
Renewables to raise power prices
Australian
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 2
RUDD government plans for a 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target by 2020 could push up power costs by at least 6 per cent more than the same emissions reductions achieved through carbon trading. New economic analysis commissioned by the gas industry is understood to warn that combining an aggressive renewable energy target with emissions trading could be significantly less efficient than relying on simpler market mechanisms.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association commissioned economists Charles River and Associates last year to explore the various effects of mandating renewable energy promised during last year's election campaign. The analysis has not yet been released but is understood to estimate a 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target would cost the economy $1.5 billion by 2020 and drive the installation of more than 10,000 wind turbines over the next decade.
Under a mandatory renewable target, most new energy investment would go into renewable technologies at the expense of expanding other lower-emission energy sources such as gas, which has about half the emissions of coalfired power and is cheaper than wind energy. Renewable energy currently accounts for about 10 per cent of total national electricity supply in Australia.
Monday 4/2/2008 Page: 2
RUDD government plans for a 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target by 2020 could push up power costs by at least 6 per cent more than the same emissions reductions achieved through carbon trading. New economic analysis commissioned by the gas industry is understood to warn that combining an aggressive renewable energy target with emissions trading could be significantly less efficient than relying on simpler market mechanisms.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association commissioned economists Charles River and Associates last year to explore the various effects of mandating renewable energy promised during last year's election campaign. The analysis has not yet been released but is understood to estimate a 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target would cost the economy $1.5 billion by 2020 and drive the installation of more than 10,000 wind turbines over the next decade.
Under a mandatory renewable target, most new energy investment would go into renewable technologies at the expense of expanding other lower-emission energy sources such as gas, which has about half the emissions of coalfired power and is cheaper than wind energy. Renewable energy currently accounts for about 10 per cent of total national electricity supply in Australia.
Monday, 4 February 2008
Wind farm a money-spinner
Ballarat Courier
Saturday 2/2/2008 Page: 31
AN analysis of wind energy has shown the planned wind farm at Leonard's Hill would make money, according to the chairman of Hepburn Wind. Simon Holmes a Court said he was delighted with the findings by Garrad Hassan Pacific, which used information taken from a monitoring mast that had been at the Leonard's Hill site for more than a year. It's great news. It has really reiterated the strength of this project, and reminded us that renewable energy can power a town and help cut dangerous greenhouse emissions at the same time," Mr Holmes a Court Said. It's also reaffirmed what we've known for some time:this project's going to make money for our community."
The analysis took into account the turbine positions, wind, effects from topography, vegetation and long-term weather patterns. Board member and architect Per Bernard described the energy analysis as a very thorough scientific process that confidently predicts what the wind park is actually going to produce''. This energy analysis gives us long-term certainty about the wind park's production levels into the future. It enables the Hepburn Wind board to plan the wind park with real confidence."
Mr Bernard said the assessment showed the two turbines of the Hepburn Community Wind Park should produce enough energy for just under 2300 houses, almost the total number of houses in Hepburn and Daylesford. Hepburn Wind has estimated the renewable energy will cut more than 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the shire's greenhouse emissions. A prospectus for the project is close to completion and is expected to be launched in the first half of the year.
Saturday 2/2/2008 Page: 31
AN analysis of wind energy has shown the planned wind farm at Leonard's Hill would make money, according to the chairman of Hepburn Wind. Simon Holmes a Court said he was delighted with the findings by Garrad Hassan Pacific, which used information taken from a monitoring mast that had been at the Leonard's Hill site for more than a year. It's great news. It has really reiterated the strength of this project, and reminded us that renewable energy can power a town and help cut dangerous greenhouse emissions at the same time," Mr Holmes a Court Said. It's also reaffirmed what we've known for some time:this project's going to make money for our community."
The analysis took into account the turbine positions, wind, effects from topography, vegetation and long-term weather patterns. Board member and architect Per Bernard described the energy analysis as a very thorough scientific process that confidently predicts what the wind park is actually going to produce''. This energy analysis gives us long-term certainty about the wind park's production levels into the future. It enables the Hepburn Wind board to plan the wind park with real confidence."
Mr Bernard said the assessment showed the two turbines of the Hepburn Community Wind Park should produce enough energy for just under 2300 houses, almost the total number of houses in Hepburn and Daylesford. Hepburn Wind has estimated the renewable energy will cut more than 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the shire's greenhouse emissions. A prospectus for the project is close to completion and is expected to be launched in the first half of the year.
Fortune-hunters find gold in China
Sunday Mail Brisbane
Sunday 3/2/2008 Page: 12
THOUSANDS of Chinese immigrants converged on the Australian goldfields in the 1800s, hoping to make their fortune. Now a new breed of hopefuls are heading the other way Australian business professionals are going to China for a slice of the biggest economic explosion on the planet. China's economy grew by 11.4 per cent last year almost three times as fast as Australia's acclaimed "boom" and it is expected to continue charging upwards by almost 10 per cent this year.
An insatiable hunger for mineral resources means China is expected to overtake Japan as Australia's largest export market this year, worth more than $35 billion. Not just minerals are in demand: Australian expertise is commanding top dollars and adventurous professionals including engineers, lawyers, financial planners, retailers and hospitality specialists are answering the call.
Queensland entrepreneur Damien Weis is one of them. His family-owned business, Pulse Energy, based at Milton in Brisbane, has contracts worth nearly $3 billion to build and operate renewable energy plants in China. There will be 20 wind farms, three hydro-electric stations, four methane power plants and a string of bio-mass projects using material such as sugar cane to produce electricity.
"They need as much power generation as they can get from as many sources as they can," Mr Weis said. "we see unbelievable opportunities there and because of the scale, opportunities are now available to smaller companies that previously were only available to big companies." Australia's "foreign experts" as expats on working visas in China are known have joined Americans, Britons, Germans, French and others in selling their know-how to help develop Chinese businesses.
The expats get a front-row seat on the wild ride that is China's economic revolution. Last week, a group of Queensland professionals based in Shanghai toasted the new land of opportunity. Public relations manager Donna Campbell, Austrade officers Esther Sun, Julie-Anne Nichols and Karen Fowler, hotel manager John Roberts, and marketing professionals Jenny Soo and Maxine Howe, met for drinks at Shanghai's swanky Marriott Hotel, where Ms Campbell is communications director.
Austrade's senior trade commissioner in Shanghai, Christopher Wright, believes Australia's lucrative relationship with China could continue for at least another decade. "The scale of what's happening in China is overwhelming," he said. "I'm still very bullish when it comes to China because the program the Government has for investment is still being rolled out."
Sunday 3/2/2008 Page: 12
THOUSANDS of Chinese immigrants converged on the Australian goldfields in the 1800s, hoping to make their fortune. Now a new breed of hopefuls are heading the other way Australian business professionals are going to China for a slice of the biggest economic explosion on the planet. China's economy grew by 11.4 per cent last year almost three times as fast as Australia's acclaimed "boom" and it is expected to continue charging upwards by almost 10 per cent this year.
An insatiable hunger for mineral resources means China is expected to overtake Japan as Australia's largest export market this year, worth more than $35 billion. Not just minerals are in demand: Australian expertise is commanding top dollars and adventurous professionals including engineers, lawyers, financial planners, retailers and hospitality specialists are answering the call.
Queensland entrepreneur Damien Weis is one of them. His family-owned business, Pulse Energy, based at Milton in Brisbane, has contracts worth nearly $3 billion to build and operate renewable energy plants in China. There will be 20 wind farms, three hydro-electric stations, four methane power plants and a string of bio-mass projects using material such as sugar cane to produce electricity.
"They need as much power generation as they can get from as many sources as they can," Mr Weis said. "we see unbelievable opportunities there and because of the scale, opportunities are now available to smaller companies that previously were only available to big companies." Australia's "foreign experts" as expats on working visas in China are known have joined Americans, Britons, Germans, French and others in selling their know-how to help develop Chinese businesses.
The expats get a front-row seat on the wild ride that is China's economic revolution. Last week, a group of Queensland professionals based in Shanghai toasted the new land of opportunity. Public relations manager Donna Campbell, Austrade officers Esther Sun, Julie-Anne Nichols and Karen Fowler, hotel manager John Roberts, and marketing professionals Jenny Soo and Maxine Howe, met for drinks at Shanghai's swanky Marriott Hotel, where Ms Campbell is communications director.
Austrade's senior trade commissioner in Shanghai, Christopher Wright, believes Australia's lucrative relationship with China could continue for at least another decade. "The scale of what's happening in China is overwhelming," he said. "I'm still very bullish when it comes to China because the program the Government has for investment is still being rolled out."
$6bn Empire of the Sun
Sunday Mail Adelaide
Sunday 3/2/2008 Page: 74
SOLAR power will be cheaper than coal or oil-powered electricity within five years, China's "Sun King" believes. Dr Zhengrong Shi, an Australian citizen who catapulted from suburban obscurity to become mainland China's richest man, will outline his glowing forecast for solar energy in Adelaide next month at the International Solar Cities Congress.
In a rare interview, Dr Shi told the Sunday Mail how solar power is poised to dramatically fall in cost, how the world will switch to sun power within a generation - and how he proudly flies an Australian flag outside the Chinese headquarters of his solar cell manufacturing plant. "By 2050 about 35 per cent of world electricity will be solar generated, and by the end of the century it will be more than. +' 75 per cent," he said. "I would say within three to five years the cost of generating solar powered electricity will fall to 15c per kilowatt hour." In Australia, electricity from fossil fuel powered sources now costs up to 20c per kilowatt hour, while solar photovoltaic costs around 50c.
The forecast of such a dramatic fall in cost comes amid growing pressure to switch to cleaner energy due to climate change, and as developing nations' appetite for power grows. Dr Shi, 44, is well placed to make predictions about the future of solar energy. He arrived in Australia from China with a master's degree in laser physics in 1988, then began work in a solar research laboratory at the University of New South Wales. He became an Australian citizen as the laboratory's work won international accolades - the lab's Professor Martin Green and Professor Stuart Wenham won the Australia Prize in 1999 for their research.
The high cost of silicon in photovoltaic solar cells, which convert sunlight to electricity, has been a major obstacle to the widespread use of solar power. Dr Shi was part of the team that developed a new generation of silicon wafer cells, significantly reducing the cost. The Chinese Government kept a close eye on its prodigal son, finally wooing him back to set up a solar company in Wuxi, near Shanghai, with a $6.7 million grant. The US Government also tried to lure him.
China's gain was Australia's loss. In 2001, Dr Shi set up solar manufacturing and research firm SunTech Power Holdings, picking up cheap equipment from a bankrupt US firm, and within a few years became China's largest manufacturer of electricity producing solar cells. (He did not use the technology he helped develop in Sydney, as that was protected by patent). He floated the company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005 - and a year later Forbes magazine named him as mainland China's richest man and Australia's fourth richest citizen, with a paper fortune of almost $3 billion.
While $3 billion sounds a lot, if his optimistic predictions for solar's future are correct he will soon be making some serious money. "I have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," he said in a telephone interview from his Wuxi headquarters. "The industry is booming; European nations in particular are switching to solar. In terms of sales, solar has surpassed wind-generated power. "We have pollution and greenhouse gases as a result of burning fossil fuels, leading to climate change, and this is driving the demand for solar energy." While European nations look for clean power, Dr Shi noted developing nations would be demanding massive amounts of energy in coming years.
"We are facing an energy resources crisis," he said. "I'll be telling the Solar Cities Congress that more than half the population on Earth are just starting to improve their lifestyles - where will all the energy they demand come from?" While demand rises, Dr Shi predicts the cost of solar energy is about to fall dramatically, likening it to the fall in computer costs. "Solar is within reach of parity of the cost of power generated from conventional sources," he said.
"In the past people have thought it was expensive but that is not the case at all. "In three to five years, based on crystalline silicon wafer technology, in places like Australia and California electricity prices from solar will be around 15c per kilowatt hour. "It is affordable. Most people don't really know about solar so it will be a new path for them. "The industry is moving very fast; it is very dynamic." Suntech's rapid expansion in China now sees it add the electricity capacity equivalent to a major power station every three years, powering military, commercial and domestic clients.
It has been boosted by a Chinese law that aims for 15 per cent of China's energy to be generated from renewable sources by 2020. As demand grows, Dr Shi is continuing his cutting edge research that now sees him hold a dozen patents for breakthroughs in photovoltaic technology. His rise has seen him dubbed the Sun King, but it has come at a price. Married with two sons, he now has a bodyguard and driver as well as the pressures of a workforce of about 5000 and thousands of shareholders in his $6 billion company.
While he misses the more relaxed Australian lifestyle - and his family miss the beach - Dr Shi is as enthusiastic as ever about the industry's future. "We are providing solutions, we have to have this attitude," he said. "And it is a good feeling to help create clean energy." That "good feeling" borders on a crusade - last year's annual office party, held in a sports stadium to accommodate the thousands of employees, included a viewing of Al Gore's environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth. While the billionaire research scientist is keen to save the world, the fact is global warming is quite convenient for companies like Suntech, which can successfully manufacture renewable energy to wean the world off coal and oil.
Dr Shi's prediction of solar swiftly moving from the alternative fringe to the mainstream is not just based on technical innovations. silicon prices soared tenfold in recent years as a rush of demand took producers by surprise. Dr Shi believes the price of silicon will fall dramatically over the next two years as production increases, cutting costs at the same time as the efficiency of solar cells improves. These changes will see solar able to compete with traditional energy sources on the key factor of cost.
He also believes Australia can still take a leadership role in developing solar technology, pointing to the ground-breaking work that continues to be done at the University of New South Wales. However, he notes the incentives and support that lured him to China do not appear to be available for anyone wanting to create a solar kingdom in Australia.
THE Sun King's rise in turning $6 million in seed capital into a $6 billion company has not been driven by ambition or greed. When he first arrived in Australia he had no interest in photovoltaic research - he simply wanted to find a way to stay in Australia. Then, after discovering his knack for the field, he felt let down when the breakthrough technology he helped develop at the University of New South Wales failed to be commercialised. Indeed, not long before he received the offer from the Chinese Government he was considering quitting research to set up a restaurant in Sydney. Instead, he went back to China and started an empire of the sun.
As well as being a keynote speaker at the International Solar Cities Congress, Dr Shi intends to use the trip to build contacts with a view to developing business relationships with South Australia, where Suntech products are already sold. The billionaire scientist has the knowledge and technology; South Australia has the demand and the sunshine - it could be the start of a beautiful relationship.
Sunday 3/2/2008 Page: 74
SOLAR power will be cheaper than coal or oil-powered electricity within five years, China's "Sun King" believes. Dr Zhengrong Shi, an Australian citizen who catapulted from suburban obscurity to become mainland China's richest man, will outline his glowing forecast for solar energy in Adelaide next month at the International Solar Cities Congress.
In a rare interview, Dr Shi told the Sunday Mail how solar power is poised to dramatically fall in cost, how the world will switch to sun power within a generation - and how he proudly flies an Australian flag outside the Chinese headquarters of his solar cell manufacturing plant. "By 2050 about 35 per cent of world electricity will be solar generated, and by the end of the century it will be more than. +' 75 per cent," he said. "I would say within three to five years the cost of generating solar powered electricity will fall to 15c per kilowatt hour." In Australia, electricity from fossil fuel powered sources now costs up to 20c per kilowatt hour, while solar photovoltaic costs around 50c.
The forecast of such a dramatic fall in cost comes amid growing pressure to switch to cleaner energy due to climate change, and as developing nations' appetite for power grows. Dr Shi, 44, is well placed to make predictions about the future of solar energy. He arrived in Australia from China with a master's degree in laser physics in 1988, then began work in a solar research laboratory at the University of New South Wales. He became an Australian citizen as the laboratory's work won international accolades - the lab's Professor Martin Green and Professor Stuart Wenham won the Australia Prize in 1999 for their research.
The high cost of silicon in photovoltaic solar cells, which convert sunlight to electricity, has been a major obstacle to the widespread use of solar power. Dr Shi was part of the team that developed a new generation of silicon wafer cells, significantly reducing the cost. The Chinese Government kept a close eye on its prodigal son, finally wooing him back to set up a solar company in Wuxi, near Shanghai, with a $6.7 million grant. The US Government also tried to lure him.
China's gain was Australia's loss. In 2001, Dr Shi set up solar manufacturing and research firm SunTech Power Holdings, picking up cheap equipment from a bankrupt US firm, and within a few years became China's largest manufacturer of electricity producing solar cells. (He did not use the technology he helped develop in Sydney, as that was protected by patent). He floated the company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005 - and a year later Forbes magazine named him as mainland China's richest man and Australia's fourth richest citizen, with a paper fortune of almost $3 billion.
While $3 billion sounds a lot, if his optimistic predictions for solar's future are correct he will soon be making some serious money. "I have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time," he said in a telephone interview from his Wuxi headquarters. "The industry is booming; European nations in particular are switching to solar. In terms of sales, solar has surpassed wind-generated power. "We have pollution and greenhouse gases as a result of burning fossil fuels, leading to climate change, and this is driving the demand for solar energy." While European nations look for clean power, Dr Shi noted developing nations would be demanding massive amounts of energy in coming years.
"We are facing an energy resources crisis," he said. "I'll be telling the Solar Cities Congress that more than half the population on Earth are just starting to improve their lifestyles - where will all the energy they demand come from?" While demand rises, Dr Shi predicts the cost of solar energy is about to fall dramatically, likening it to the fall in computer costs. "Solar is within reach of parity of the cost of power generated from conventional sources," he said.
"In the past people have thought it was expensive but that is not the case at all. "In three to five years, based on crystalline silicon wafer technology, in places like Australia and California electricity prices from solar will be around 15c per kilowatt hour. "It is affordable. Most people don't really know about solar so it will be a new path for them. "The industry is moving very fast; it is very dynamic." Suntech's rapid expansion in China now sees it add the electricity capacity equivalent to a major power station every three years, powering military, commercial and domestic clients.
It has been boosted by a Chinese law that aims for 15 per cent of China's energy to be generated from renewable sources by 2020. As demand grows, Dr Shi is continuing his cutting edge research that now sees him hold a dozen patents for breakthroughs in photovoltaic technology. His rise has seen him dubbed the Sun King, but it has come at a price. Married with two sons, he now has a bodyguard and driver as well as the pressures of a workforce of about 5000 and thousands of shareholders in his $6 billion company.
While he misses the more relaxed Australian lifestyle - and his family miss the beach - Dr Shi is as enthusiastic as ever about the industry's future. "We are providing solutions, we have to have this attitude," he said. "And it is a good feeling to help create clean energy." That "good feeling" borders on a crusade - last year's annual office party, held in a sports stadium to accommodate the thousands of employees, included a viewing of Al Gore's environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth. While the billionaire research scientist is keen to save the world, the fact is global warming is quite convenient for companies like Suntech, which can successfully manufacture renewable energy to wean the world off coal and oil.
Dr Shi's prediction of solar swiftly moving from the alternative fringe to the mainstream is not just based on technical innovations. silicon prices soared tenfold in recent years as a rush of demand took producers by surprise. Dr Shi believes the price of silicon will fall dramatically over the next two years as production increases, cutting costs at the same time as the efficiency of solar cells improves. These changes will see solar able to compete with traditional energy sources on the key factor of cost.
He also believes Australia can still take a leadership role in developing solar technology, pointing to the ground-breaking work that continues to be done at the University of New South Wales. However, he notes the incentives and support that lured him to China do not appear to be available for anyone wanting to create a solar kingdom in Australia.
THE Sun King's rise in turning $6 million in seed capital into a $6 billion company has not been driven by ambition or greed. When he first arrived in Australia he had no interest in photovoltaic research - he simply wanted to find a way to stay in Australia. Then, after discovering his knack for the field, he felt let down when the breakthrough technology he helped develop at the University of New South Wales failed to be commercialised. Indeed, not long before he received the offer from the Chinese Government he was considering quitting research to set up a restaurant in Sydney. Instead, he went back to China and started an empire of the sun.
As well as being a keynote speaker at the International Solar Cities Congress, Dr Shi intends to use the trip to build contacts with a view to developing business relationships with South Australia, where Suntech products are already sold. The billionaire scientist has the knowledge and technology; South Australia has the demand and the sunshine - it could be the start of a beautiful relationship.
It's all go for wind farms
Portland Observer
Wednesday 30/1/2008 Page: 1
PACIFIC Hydro is moving full steam ahead on two stages of the Portland Wind Energy Project, with generators expected to go up at Cape Bridgewater within weeks, and government approval of the Cape Nelson south (Stage Three) project given on Thursday. Pacific Hydro public relations officer Emily Wood said Stage Three would include 22 generators located on the east and west sides of Cape Nelson Rd/Scenic Rd, which would be the same size as those being built at Cape Bridgewater, 109 metres from the tip of the blade to the ground.
She said now that the stage had been approved, the next step would be to advise landholders in the area that Pacific Hydro had been given the final "tick" and construction would start shortly. "We usually contact landholders in writing, giving notice of our intention to begin work within 14 days, which also gives landholders an option to discuss any concerns with us." Ms Wood said she expected work would start within the next few weeks.
"Work will begin in the north-west area of the site (the top right hand section of the map) and initially, access tracks and the temporary compound will be built." After that, Pac Hydro would prepare the batching plant (so contractors can make concrete on site, reducing trucks on the roads), then the laying of foundations for the wind generators would begin.
She said the majority of work would be done by local contractors, with GR Can and Mibus Brothers having the main contracts for the civil works. "The Cape Bridgewater project has 60 per cent local employment and content, with the other 40 per cent from generators imported from overseas; we are hoping to continue that with the Cape Nelson project." Ms Wood said Pacific Hydro did not anticipate there would be any disturbance to residents because Stage Three was not a township area.
"It is hoped any disturbance will be kept to a minimum, and residents will be kept fully aware of what is happening." She said an existing quarry on the site would be used for road toppings on access tracks. "With the batching plant on site too, this should mean that there is not very much of an increase in trucks on the roads. It is likely that only one truck a day will be required to go to the site. "As soon as things become more finalised and movements are confirmed, the community will be made aware via a letterbox drop or a knock on the door." Ms Wood said it was really great to get the final approval for Stage Three and to be able to move forward. "This is really exciting and a great way to start 2008.
We would like to thank the community, which has been very patient. It is great that what we have been saying we would do, can now be done." In other news Stage Two of the PWEP (Cape Bridgewater) is progressing well with blades and cells starting to arrive. Pacific Hydro is now waiting for a specialised crane to arrive and be assembled on site. Ms Wood said it was hoped the transportation of blades and work on erecting the generators would begin in three weeks or so. "We will advise the community as soon as details are confirmed. The first section for work to begin will be the Amos Rd site." Approval is still pending for Stage Four of the project which is Cape Nelson north and Cape Sir William Grant.
Wednesday 30/1/2008 Page: 1
PACIFIC Hydro is moving full steam ahead on two stages of the Portland Wind Energy Project, with generators expected to go up at Cape Bridgewater within weeks, and government approval of the Cape Nelson south (Stage Three) project given on Thursday. Pacific Hydro public relations officer Emily Wood said Stage Three would include 22 generators located on the east and west sides of Cape Nelson Rd/Scenic Rd, which would be the same size as those being built at Cape Bridgewater, 109 metres from the tip of the blade to the ground.
She said now that the stage had been approved, the next step would be to advise landholders in the area that Pacific Hydro had been given the final "tick" and construction would start shortly. "We usually contact landholders in writing, giving notice of our intention to begin work within 14 days, which also gives landholders an option to discuss any concerns with us." Ms Wood said she expected work would start within the next few weeks.
"Work will begin in the north-west area of the site (the top right hand section of the map) and initially, access tracks and the temporary compound will be built." After that, Pac Hydro would prepare the batching plant (so contractors can make concrete on site, reducing trucks on the roads), then the laying of foundations for the wind generators would begin.
She said the majority of work would be done by local contractors, with GR Can and Mibus Brothers having the main contracts for the civil works. "The Cape Bridgewater project has 60 per cent local employment and content, with the other 40 per cent from generators imported from overseas; we are hoping to continue that with the Cape Nelson project." Ms Wood said Pacific Hydro did not anticipate there would be any disturbance to residents because Stage Three was not a township area.
"It is hoped any disturbance will be kept to a minimum, and residents will be kept fully aware of what is happening." She said an existing quarry on the site would be used for road toppings on access tracks. "With the batching plant on site too, this should mean that there is not very much of an increase in trucks on the roads. It is likely that only one truck a day will be required to go to the site. "As soon as things become more finalised and movements are confirmed, the community will be made aware via a letterbox drop or a knock on the door." Ms Wood said it was really great to get the final approval for Stage Three and to be able to move forward. "This is really exciting and a great way to start 2008.
We would like to thank the community, which has been very patient. It is great that what we have been saying we would do, can now be done." In other news Stage Two of the PWEP (Cape Bridgewater) is progressing well with blades and cells starting to arrive. Pacific Hydro is now waiting for a specialised crane to arrive and be assembled on site. Ms Wood said it was hoped the transportation of blades and work on erecting the generators would begin in three weeks or so. "We will advise the community as soon as details are confirmed. The first section for work to begin will be the Amos Rd site." Approval is still pending for Stage Four of the project which is Cape Nelson north and Cape Sir William Grant.
Power on at last for remote isle
Border Mail
Saturday 2/2/2008 Page: 8
LONDON: Life on a remote Scottish island became much much brighter yesterday when islanders flicked on the electricity for the first time. The 87 residents on the Isle of Eigg were celebrating the fact they will no longer have to rely on old diesel generators as their main, but intermittent, power source. Instead they will be able to toast bread, flick on the lights and boil the kettle whenever they like.
The tiny Hebridean island is using a combination of five wind turbines, solar and hydroelectric energy hooked up to 6km of cables to deliver its new continuous power source. "I've just gone and bought a toaster for the first time," Sue Kirk, the island's shopkeeper, said. "I'm going to avoid going on a mad spending spree but with the weather the way it is, it's tempting to get a tumble dryer as well because it's been raining non-stop since Christmas." Islanders campaigned for two decades to get electricity on Eigg.
Saturday 2/2/2008 Page: 8
LONDON: Life on a remote Scottish island became much much brighter yesterday when islanders flicked on the electricity for the first time. The 87 residents on the Isle of Eigg were celebrating the fact they will no longer have to rely on old diesel generators as their main, but intermittent, power source. Instead they will be able to toast bread, flick on the lights and boil the kettle whenever they like.
The tiny Hebridean island is using a combination of five wind turbines, solar and hydroelectric energy hooked up to 6km of cables to deliver its new continuous power source. "I've just gone and bought a toaster for the first time," Sue Kirk, the island's shopkeeper, said. "I'm going to avoid going on a mad spending spree but with the weather the way it is, it's tempting to get a tumble dryer as well because it's been raining non-stop since Christmas." Islanders campaigned for two decades to get electricity on Eigg.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Free plug for a toaster that goes like the wind
Daily Telegraph
Friday 1/2/2008 Page: 15
IT will provide Australia's first petrol-free, guilt-free drive to work. But what's really exciting about the electric car parked in the basement of the University Technology Sydney (UTS) is it can also make toast. That's when it's not earning money by putting clean electricity back into our overstretched power grid. Like its doomed predecessors, the plug-in electric car project promises a lot.
Engineers at UTS say it will deliver, with plans to have the converted Toyota Prius on the road by March for its first trip to Melbourne. The project, headed by UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures researcher Josh Asher, pre-empts the first mass production fully-electric cars of Toyota and General Motors, due on the market by the end of 2010.
The UTS car will achieve up to 50km a day of fully-electric driving before the standard petrol-electric hybrid engine is called upon. If the car is powered overnight by wind energy, an average 40km commute will be totally carbon-neutral. For $15,000, Sydney electric expert Stan Baker will add the extra batteries to hybrid vehicles like the Prius.
With the financial backing of green power entrepreneur Peter Szental, Asher's team has pushed further into the future by modifying the battery pack to direct unused power into running household appliances. Excess power can also be fed back into the electricity grid.
Friday 1/2/2008 Page: 15
IT will provide Australia's first petrol-free, guilt-free drive to work. But what's really exciting about the electric car parked in the basement of the University Technology Sydney (UTS) is it can also make toast. That's when it's not earning money by putting clean electricity back into our overstretched power grid. Like its doomed predecessors, the plug-in electric car project promises a lot.Engineers at UTS say it will deliver, with plans to have the converted Toyota Prius on the road by March for its first trip to Melbourne. The project, headed by UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures researcher Josh Asher, pre-empts the first mass production fully-electric cars of Toyota and General Motors, due on the market by the end of 2010.
The UTS car will achieve up to 50km a day of fully-electric driving before the standard petrol-electric hybrid engine is called upon. If the car is powered overnight by wind energy, an average 40km commute will be totally carbon-neutral. For $15,000, Sydney electric expert Stan Baker will add the extra batteries to hybrid vehicles like the Prius.
With the financial backing of green power entrepreneur Peter Szental, Asher's team has pushed further into the future by modifying the battery pack to direct unused power into running household appliances. Excess power can also be fed back into the electricity grid.
New sites for geothermal energy explorers
Longreach Leader
Friday 18/1/2008 Page: 11
THE Queensland Government is calling for tenders for 13 geothermal exploration sites - one of which is southwest of Longreach and another three near Birdsville. The latest releases bring to 33 the number of sites considered promising for geothermal energy, a renewable, clean energy source supported by the government. "The geothermal industry is a sunrise industry for Queensland and the Bligh Government is backing it all the way," Minister for Mines and Energy, Geoff Wilson said.
"It faces a bright future because it has the potential to produce more base-load energy than any other renewable energy source." Areas with geothermal potential are identified by using temperature data obtained from petroleum wells and artesian bores, according to a Department of Mines and Energy spokesperson. "Potential geothermal targets are granites with high temperatures, and the best prospects have temperatures above 220 degree centigrade at five kilometres depth", he said.
Geothermal is considered a clean alternative to coal because its production does not emit harmful greenhouse gasses, which would help in the fight against climate change. Queensland is home to the majority of Australia's hot rocks and Mr Wilson believes it has the potential to provide one fifth of Australia's total electricity needs over the next 25 years. "Indeed, initial estimates indicate that the hot dry rocks beneath the Eromanga and Cooper basins could meet all of Australia's energy needs for many years into the future," he said.
Tenders close on February 18.
Friday 18/1/2008 Page: 11
THE Queensland Government is calling for tenders for 13 geothermal exploration sites - one of which is southwest of Longreach and another three near Birdsville. The latest releases bring to 33 the number of sites considered promising for geothermal energy, a renewable, clean energy source supported by the government. "The geothermal industry is a sunrise industry for Queensland and the Bligh Government is backing it all the way," Minister for Mines and Energy, Geoff Wilson said.
"It faces a bright future because it has the potential to produce more base-load energy than any other renewable energy source." Areas with geothermal potential are identified by using temperature data obtained from petroleum wells and artesian bores, according to a Department of Mines and Energy spokesperson. "Potential geothermal targets are granites with high temperatures, and the best prospects have temperatures above 220 degree centigrade at five kilometres depth", he said.
Geothermal is considered a clean alternative to coal because its production does not emit harmful greenhouse gasses, which would help in the fight against climate change. Queensland is home to the majority of Australia's hot rocks and Mr Wilson believes it has the potential to provide one fifth of Australia's total electricity needs over the next 25 years. "Indeed, initial estimates indicate that the hot dry rocks beneath the Eromanga and Cooper basins could meet all of Australia's energy needs for many years into the future," he said.
Tenders close on February 18.
Climate change a council priority
Portland Observer
Friday 25/1/2008 Page: 1
CLIMATE change and its impact on the shire will become a key focus of Glenelg Shire Council policy through a new advisory committee. The committee includes mayor Geoff White and councillors Robert Halliday, Frank Zeigler and Tom Munro, as well as a council staff member, and will help council develop its responses to the phenomenon. Cr Munro proposed the establishment of the committee at the council's monthly meeting on Tuesday night after attending an annual Australian Local Government Association conference in Darwin last month, which featured numerous presentations about climate change.
The conference was held at the same time as Cr Munro was representing local government association Timber Towns Victoria nationally at the inaugural meeting of the National Timber Taskforce. He said climate change could cause sea level rises and severe weather. However, the shire could also benefit from the renewable energy sector, particularly if the council promotes the region as a centre of excellence for wind, wave and geothermal energy. "This should put council on the front foot in terms of climate change issues," he said. "The establishment of the Centre for Excellence would provide a strong impetus for the council to progress and complement its response to climate change and emission reduction targets," he added.
The committee will provide advice to council about climate change policies and strategies, emission reduction targets and how council could work with the community to deal with climate change. It is also expected to improve awareness of the potential positive and negative impacts of climate change on the Glenelg Shire. "I look forward to some great outcomes for the benefit of all of the shire," Cr Karen Stephens said after seconding the motion.
Draft terms of reference for the committee will be presented to council at its March 25 meeting. Meanwhile, the council considered its response to the latest Victorian Coastal Strategy draft, prepared by the Victorian Coastal Council following recommendations by planning consultant Scott Taylor, and adopted all of his suggestions. The VCC, in consultation with senior Victorian scientists reviewing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report, anticipates that in 80 to 100 years' time the sea level along the state's coast is expected to rise by 40 to 80 centimetres at a minimum.
Mr Taylor said people, industries and major infrastructure could potentially be "displaced by coastal processes resulting from climate change," and this needed to be better recognised by the VCS. He said future coastal settlement policy should be "subject to the outcomes of climate change vulnerability assessments and the subsequent adoption strategy, rather than pre-empting it." Climate change forecasting therefore needed to be defined in terms of whether it was an assumption, probability or certainty.
He recommended that Victorian Planning Provisions be amended to introduce a coastal risk management zone "to allow for a consistent response to the issue in all coastal areas", and said benchmarks should be set that factored in sea level rises and allowed for consistent planning decision-making. He encouraged the VCC to adopt a stronger statement about "the prohibition of development in new areas subject to threat", and said they should acknowledge the potential legal liabilities resulting from inappropriate approvals for at-risk developments.
Increased ocean acidity could also have a "massive impact" on fishing, and this needed a bigger commitment so the issues could be better understood. Renewable energy generation facilities and their infrastructure should also receive encouragement under planning schemes, Mr Taylor said. The issue of the coordination of climate change responses across various levels of government and the community needs to be addressed, he added. Glenelg Shire's standing as a "centre of excellence for wind, wave and geothermal energy" could be boosted by the reconnection of the Henty Park bore and geothermal energy to Portland. Former Portland Water Board engineer, Neil Buckingham, is a strong proponent of that reconnection.
Friday 25/1/2008 Page: 1
CLIMATE change and its impact on the shire will become a key focus of Glenelg Shire Council policy through a new advisory committee. The committee includes mayor Geoff White and councillors Robert Halliday, Frank Zeigler and Tom Munro, as well as a council staff member, and will help council develop its responses to the phenomenon. Cr Munro proposed the establishment of the committee at the council's monthly meeting on Tuesday night after attending an annual Australian Local Government Association conference in Darwin last month, which featured numerous presentations about climate change.
The conference was held at the same time as Cr Munro was representing local government association Timber Towns Victoria nationally at the inaugural meeting of the National Timber Taskforce. He said climate change could cause sea level rises and severe weather. However, the shire could also benefit from the renewable energy sector, particularly if the council promotes the region as a centre of excellence for wind, wave and geothermal energy. "This should put council on the front foot in terms of climate change issues," he said. "The establishment of the Centre for Excellence would provide a strong impetus for the council to progress and complement its response to climate change and emission reduction targets," he added.
The committee will provide advice to council about climate change policies and strategies, emission reduction targets and how council could work with the community to deal with climate change. It is also expected to improve awareness of the potential positive and negative impacts of climate change on the Glenelg Shire. "I look forward to some great outcomes for the benefit of all of the shire," Cr Karen Stephens said after seconding the motion.
Draft terms of reference for the committee will be presented to council at its March 25 meeting. Meanwhile, the council considered its response to the latest Victorian Coastal Strategy draft, prepared by the Victorian Coastal Council following recommendations by planning consultant Scott Taylor, and adopted all of his suggestions. The VCC, in consultation with senior Victorian scientists reviewing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report, anticipates that in 80 to 100 years' time the sea level along the state's coast is expected to rise by 40 to 80 centimetres at a minimum.
Mr Taylor said people, industries and major infrastructure could potentially be "displaced by coastal processes resulting from climate change," and this needed to be better recognised by the VCS. He said future coastal settlement policy should be "subject to the outcomes of climate change vulnerability assessments and the subsequent adoption strategy, rather than pre-empting it." Climate change forecasting therefore needed to be defined in terms of whether it was an assumption, probability or certainty.
He recommended that Victorian Planning Provisions be amended to introduce a coastal risk management zone "to allow for a consistent response to the issue in all coastal areas", and said benchmarks should be set that factored in sea level rises and allowed for consistent planning decision-making. He encouraged the VCC to adopt a stronger statement about "the prohibition of development in new areas subject to threat", and said they should acknowledge the potential legal liabilities resulting from inappropriate approvals for at-risk developments.
Increased ocean acidity could also have a "massive impact" on fishing, and this needed a bigger commitment so the issues could be better understood. Renewable energy generation facilities and their infrastructure should also receive encouragement under planning schemes, Mr Taylor said. The issue of the coordination of climate change responses across various levels of government and the community needs to be addressed, he added. Glenelg Shire's standing as a "centre of excellence for wind, wave and geothermal energy" could be boosted by the reconnection of the Henty Park bore and geothermal energy to Portland. Former Portland Water Board engineer, Neil Buckingham, is a strong proponent of that reconnection.
Power bills to double to pay carbon costs
Australian
Friday 1/2/2008 Page: 3
MAJOR Australian greenhouse gas emitters believe that emissions-trading costs of about $65 a tonne of carbon are inevitable, forcing household electricity bills to rise by almost 100 per cent.
The new director of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network (AIGN), Mike Hitchens told The Australian business should look to evolving carbon markets in Europe to estimate the future cost of emissions trading. "We all need to understand that linking to other emissions-trading schemes outside of Australia is inevitable, whether done formally or informally," Mr Hitchens said. "That means that it's the world price of permits we need to incorporate into analysis about the impacts on the Australian economy, not simply the implications of setting our own targets.
The price of emissions in Australia will very likely be set in Europe. Australia is a price taker for commodities in all other global markets, and we will be a price taker in this global market as well." The European Commission has estimated a future price of about $65 per tonne of carbon, with European banks predicting a price of between $60 and $80.
The National Generators Forum said a price of more than $40 per tonne would eliminate the need for the Government's 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET), while a price at $80 per tonne would effectively double the price of retail electricity in Australia. Ross Garnaut, who is heading an independent review of emissions-trading schemes for the Rudd Government, declined to comment yesterday, although he will be addressing the issue of international integration of emissions-trading schemes later this month at a climate change conference in Adelaide.
Treasury has enlisted the assistance of Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Reserve Bank economist Warwick McKibbin in modelling the economic impacts of different carbon prices to guide price-setting when the design of a domestic scheme is finalised later this year. Professor McKibbin said he could not speculate on the potential price of emissions in Australia, but said the risk of being forced to adopt higher world prices for carbon would be addressed if the Rudd Government implemented his own hybrid trading model.
He said his model framed a national emissions-trading scheme more like a currency than a commodity, allowing countries to set and manage their own price for emissions just as currencies trade at different values rather than creating a single world price. "We argue you don't want to trade your permits internationally except in specific circumstances, for the same reason you want to have independent monetary policies," Professor McKibbin said.
It just seems to me better to have a series of national systems that are co-ordinated. You can always map it on to a global trading system by having the same price if you want to." Earlier this week, Professor Garnaut suggested the Government consider setting a budget for total greenhouse emissions until 2050 and then let the market determine the rate at which it wanted to make cuts. A working group to discuss how the NSW Government's Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme would be incorporated into a national regime will meet for the first time in Sydney today.
Friday 1/2/2008 Page: 3
MAJOR Australian greenhouse gas emitters believe that emissions-trading costs of about $65 a tonne of carbon are inevitable, forcing household electricity bills to rise by almost 100 per cent.
The new director of the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network (AIGN), Mike Hitchens told The Australian business should look to evolving carbon markets in Europe to estimate the future cost of emissions trading. "We all need to understand that linking to other emissions-trading schemes outside of Australia is inevitable, whether done formally or informally," Mr Hitchens said. "That means that it's the world price of permits we need to incorporate into analysis about the impacts on the Australian economy, not simply the implications of setting our own targets.
The price of emissions in Australia will very likely be set in Europe. Australia is a price taker for commodities in all other global markets, and we will be a price taker in this global market as well." The European Commission has estimated a future price of about $65 per tonne of carbon, with European banks predicting a price of between $60 and $80.
The National Generators Forum said a price of more than $40 per tonne would eliminate the need for the Government's 20 per cent Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET), while a price at $80 per tonne would effectively double the price of retail electricity in Australia. Ross Garnaut, who is heading an independent review of emissions-trading schemes for the Rudd Government, declined to comment yesterday, although he will be addressing the issue of international integration of emissions-trading schemes later this month at a climate change conference in Adelaide.
Treasury has enlisted the assistance of Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics and Reserve Bank economist Warwick McKibbin in modelling the economic impacts of different carbon prices to guide price-setting when the design of a domestic scheme is finalised later this year. Professor McKibbin said he could not speculate on the potential price of emissions in Australia, but said the risk of being forced to adopt higher world prices for carbon would be addressed if the Rudd Government implemented his own hybrid trading model.
He said his model framed a national emissions-trading scheme more like a currency than a commodity, allowing countries to set and manage their own price for emissions just as currencies trade at different values rather than creating a single world price. "We argue you don't want to trade your permits internationally except in specific circumstances, for the same reason you want to have independent monetary policies," Professor McKibbin said.
It just seems to me better to have a series of national systems that are co-ordinated. You can always map it on to a global trading system by having the same price if you want to." Earlier this week, Professor Garnaut suggested the Government consider setting a budget for total greenhouse emissions until 2050 and then let the market determine the rate at which it wanted to make cuts. A working group to discuss how the NSW Government's Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme would be incorporated into a national regime will meet for the first time in Sydney today.
Friday, 1 February 2008
Joint Shire Citizen of the Year
Bega District News
Friday 25/1/2008 Page: 15
MATTHEW Nott was well-known and respected in the Bega Valley Shire long before his climate change "Eureka" moment on Tathra beach two years ago. Dr Nott moved to the shire in 2000 to set up an orthopaedic practice, a dream he had held since he was 15 years old. He was born in Canberra and would have been the third generation Canberra doctor in his family had he remained there. His grandfather, Dr Lewis Nott, was the first Member for Canberra in the Federal Parliament.
Dr Matthew Nott trained at Sydney University and then moved to New Zealand to study orthopaedics and "very nearly stayed." What drew him back to Australia was the possibility of practising in the Bega Valley. He said it was very tough to start because the only contract Southern Area Health Service would offer required him to be on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a week and 12 to 16 joint replacements a year. This was later reduced to 12 joint replacements a year. "The only thing that kept us here was that we were in love with the area," he said. "It was very hard on our family life because I was always on call and working long hours" In very short time he had a 6 year waiting list for joint replacement surgery and a very sympathetic community that was worried about losing him.
Public meetings were held in centres across the shire demanding that Southern Area Health Service provide him with help and, eventually, Dr Gareth Long was offered an orthopaedic contract. This effectively halved the workload and Dr Nott settled in to enjoying life on the coast. Then, on New Year's Day 2006, came that "Eureka" moment. On duty at the Tathra Surf Club on the hottest day on record, he was reading one of his Christmas presents, Tim Flannery's "The Weather Makers" when it all fell into place. A few weeks later he was in the Canadian ski resort, Whistler, where there were real concerns that there would not be enough snow cover for the 2010 Winter Olympics. "They were furiously creating snow-making machines and I realised that they were adapting to the climate change problem, not fixing it," Dr Nott said.
He says the biggest problem in addressing global warming is "human inertia." "Human beings are individually brilliant but collectively stupid. "Our gut reaction is that if we can't see it then it's not a problem. "But the solution is so obvious - stop burning coal! " Over the next two years Dr Nott's life changed dramatically. He began with activities to draw attention to climate change - a human sign on Tathra beach spelling out the slogan that was to become the name of his organisation - "Clean Energy for Eternity" - and a swim in the freezing waters of Lake Jindabyne in midwinter.
He also began talking - and he hasn't stopped since. He has attended meetings and rallies around the Bega, Eurobodalla, Cooma Monaro and Snowy Mountains Shires, convincing communities to adopt the CEFE targets of 50/50 by 2020 - a 50 per cent reduction in use of fossil fuels and a 50 per cent increase in renewable energy by 2020. He also took his message to politicians in Sydney and Canberra. His next project was Life Saving Energy in which he hopes to get every surf lifesaving club converted to alternative power sources.
"We started at Tathra putting a small wind turbine and a few solar panels on the surf club roof and we hoped to duplicate that effort throughout the country but that hasn't happened yet so we will be redoubling our efforts this year." Dr Nott says 2008 is the year to get things going on the ground - starting with a 30-acre solar farm, which would be a first for Australia.
"It would be community- owned, in a partnership with government. "Once we get the first one up and running then we can start to export and just one a year would meet our 50/50 by 2020 target. "I have already had 15 farmers from around the region approach me to talk about land that may be suitable," he said. "Setting it up would only take about two months and just two megawatts would provide almost enough energy to power the whole of Bega" However, while solar power is effective it is not the cheapest option - that's wind energy.
Dr Nott says there are a lot of myths and rumours surrounding wind energy but he believes the biggest hurdle is that wind is a threat to the coal industry. He says CEFE has had some wind mapping done in the south east and has come up with a couple of sites suitable for wind farms. "Now we need to talk to the communities and help them overcome their fear of the unknown. "There are several issues such as bird strike, property values and noise levels. "Wind farm technology would provide enormous opportunities for the region, both employment and environmental.
Dr Nott believes the Bega Valley Shire has a great opportunity to lead Australia in coming up with solutions to climate change. He tries hard to practise what he preaches but realises he is an easy target. "I drive a hybrid car but there are limits to what it can do so we also have a four-wheel drive that tows a camping trailer. "We try to use only the hybrid car around town and limit the 4WD to camping trips." Dr Nott has also installed solar panels on his Tathra roof and says it was very satisfying to receive his first cheque - for $950 - from Country Energy for the power the system fed back into the grid over the past 12 months. "It's a great feeling to be producing more energy than you need," he said.
His next immediate project will be an endurance swim in Lake Jindabyne on February 10. He has already extracted commitments to participate from the Federal Member for Eden- Monaro, Mike Kelly, and the State Member for Monaro, Steve Whan. He also hopes to get the Korean Olympic triathlon team along. The aim is to raise $20,000, on the day, to install solar and windpower generators on the Lake Jindabyne Surf Club building so donations will be grateful received.
Dr Nott is married to solicitor Kylie Dummer who works for Legal Aid, specialising in family law, and they have three sons, Lewis (12), Henry (10) and Finley (8). He is joint Shire Citizen of the Year with Noel Watson.
Friday 25/1/2008 Page: 15
MATTHEW Nott was well-known and respected in the Bega Valley Shire long before his climate change "Eureka" moment on Tathra beach two years ago. Dr Nott moved to the shire in 2000 to set up an orthopaedic practice, a dream he had held since he was 15 years old. He was born in Canberra and would have been the third generation Canberra doctor in his family had he remained there. His grandfather, Dr Lewis Nott, was the first Member for Canberra in the Federal Parliament.Dr Matthew Nott trained at Sydney University and then moved to New Zealand to study orthopaedics and "very nearly stayed." What drew him back to Australia was the possibility of practising in the Bega Valley. He said it was very tough to start because the only contract Southern Area Health Service would offer required him to be on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a week and 12 to 16 joint replacements a year. This was later reduced to 12 joint replacements a year. "The only thing that kept us here was that we were in love with the area," he said. "It was very hard on our family life because I was always on call and working long hours" In very short time he had a 6 year waiting list for joint replacement surgery and a very sympathetic community that was worried about losing him.
Public meetings were held in centres across the shire demanding that Southern Area Health Service provide him with help and, eventually, Dr Gareth Long was offered an orthopaedic contract. This effectively halved the workload and Dr Nott settled in to enjoying life on the coast. Then, on New Year's Day 2006, came that "Eureka" moment. On duty at the Tathra Surf Club on the hottest day on record, he was reading one of his Christmas presents, Tim Flannery's "The Weather Makers" when it all fell into place. A few weeks later he was in the Canadian ski resort, Whistler, where there were real concerns that there would not be enough snow cover for the 2010 Winter Olympics. "They were furiously creating snow-making machines and I realised that they were adapting to the climate change problem, not fixing it," Dr Nott said.
He says the biggest problem in addressing global warming is "human inertia." "Human beings are individually brilliant but collectively stupid. "Our gut reaction is that if we can't see it then it's not a problem. "But the solution is so obvious - stop burning coal! " Over the next two years Dr Nott's life changed dramatically. He began with activities to draw attention to climate change - a human sign on Tathra beach spelling out the slogan that was to become the name of his organisation - "Clean Energy for Eternity" - and a swim in the freezing waters of Lake Jindabyne in midwinter.
He also began talking - and he hasn't stopped since. He has attended meetings and rallies around the Bega, Eurobodalla, Cooma Monaro and Snowy Mountains Shires, convincing communities to adopt the CEFE targets of 50/50 by 2020 - a 50 per cent reduction in use of fossil fuels and a 50 per cent increase in renewable energy by 2020. He also took his message to politicians in Sydney and Canberra. His next project was Life Saving Energy in which he hopes to get every surf lifesaving club converted to alternative power sources.
"We started at Tathra putting a small wind turbine and a few solar panels on the surf club roof and we hoped to duplicate that effort throughout the country but that hasn't happened yet so we will be redoubling our efforts this year." Dr Nott says 2008 is the year to get things going on the ground - starting with a 30-acre solar farm, which would be a first for Australia.
"It would be community- owned, in a partnership with government. "Once we get the first one up and running then we can start to export and just one a year would meet our 50/50 by 2020 target. "I have already had 15 farmers from around the region approach me to talk about land that may be suitable," he said. "Setting it up would only take about two months and just two megawatts would provide almost enough energy to power the whole of Bega" However, while solar power is effective it is not the cheapest option - that's wind energy.
Dr Nott says there are a lot of myths and rumours surrounding wind energy but he believes the biggest hurdle is that wind is a threat to the coal industry. He says CEFE has had some wind mapping done in the south east and has come up with a couple of sites suitable for wind farms. "Now we need to talk to the communities and help them overcome their fear of the unknown. "There are several issues such as bird strike, property values and noise levels. "Wind farm technology would provide enormous opportunities for the region, both employment and environmental.
Dr Nott believes the Bega Valley Shire has a great opportunity to lead Australia in coming up with solutions to climate change. He tries hard to practise what he preaches but realises he is an easy target. "I drive a hybrid car but there are limits to what it can do so we also have a four-wheel drive that tows a camping trailer. "We try to use only the hybrid car around town and limit the 4WD to camping trips." Dr Nott has also installed solar panels on his Tathra roof and says it was very satisfying to receive his first cheque - for $950 - from Country Energy for the power the system fed back into the grid over the past 12 months. "It's a great feeling to be producing more energy than you need," he said.
His next immediate project will be an endurance swim in Lake Jindabyne on February 10. He has already extracted commitments to participate from the Federal Member for Eden- Monaro, Mike Kelly, and the State Member for Monaro, Steve Whan. He also hopes to get the Korean Olympic triathlon team along. The aim is to raise $20,000, on the day, to install solar and windpower generators on the Lake Jindabyne Surf Club building so donations will be grateful received.
Dr Nott is married to solicitor Kylie Dummer who works for Legal Aid, specialising in family law, and they have three sons, Lewis (12), Henry (10) and Finley (8). He is joint Shire Citizen of the Year with Noel Watson.
Cape Nelson wind farm approved
Portland Observer
Friday 25/1/2008 Page: 1
THE third stage of Pacific Hydro's Portland Wind Energy Project has received State Government approval. The Cape Nelson South Wind Energy Facility will include 22 wind turbines that will generate 44 megawatts of power, according to Acting Planning Minister Peter Batchelor. The wind farm will be at Cape Nelson Rd, on both sides of Cape Nelson Rd. Mr Batchelor described the PWEP as "Australia's largest wind farm development," saying the Yambuk and Cape Bridgewater farms formed the first two stages of the program.
The four-stage project is expected to generate up to 195MW of power and cost $330 million to build. "Pacific Hydro undertook a comprehensive Environmental Effects Statement process which included extensive public consultation and assessment of the project's environmental, economic and social benefits," he said. Planning Minister Justin Madden formally signed off on the approval, according to the State Government.
Friday 25/1/2008 Page: 1
THE third stage of Pacific Hydro's Portland Wind Energy Project has received State Government approval. The Cape Nelson South Wind Energy Facility will include 22 wind turbines that will generate 44 megawatts of power, according to Acting Planning Minister Peter Batchelor. The wind farm will be at Cape Nelson Rd, on both sides of Cape Nelson Rd. Mr Batchelor described the PWEP as "Australia's largest wind farm development," saying the Yambuk and Cape Bridgewater farms formed the first two stages of the program.
The four-stage project is expected to generate up to 195MW of power and cost $330 million to build. "Pacific Hydro undertook a comprehensive Environmental Effects Statement process which included extensive public consultation and assessment of the project's environmental, economic and social benefits," he said. Planning Minister Justin Madden formally signed off on the approval, according to the State Government.
Lessons take on renewed energy
Warrnambool Standard
Thursday 31/1/2008 Page: 1
THE answer to fixing climate change is blowing in the wind at Port Fairy Consolidated School where a $110,000 wind turbine and solar panels are helping to power classrooms.
When pupils returned to school yesterday they not only found new classrooms - part of the $3.8 million redevelopment of the school - but also discovered the renewable energy project was under way.
Principal Lindy Sharp said the wind turbine and solar panels would provide about 30 per cent of the school's power and any excess energy would be put into the electricity grid.
She said the solar panels produced up to 3000 watts of energy, depending on the weather, while the wind turbine generated up to 1200 watts. Pupils will be able to monitor power generation on new computers and lessons on renewable energy will be incorporated into the curriculum.
Grade 6 pupils Millie Kewley and Sophie Lewis said they were excited about the project. "You can't ignore what's happening with climate change. Animals are dying and the icecaps are melting and this is just a step closer," Millie said. Sophie said the project would use a big screen to let the community know how much power had been saved.
Thursday 31/1/2008 Page: 1
THE answer to fixing climate change is blowing in the wind at Port Fairy Consolidated School where a $110,000 wind turbine and solar panels are helping to power classrooms.When pupils returned to school yesterday they not only found new classrooms - part of the $3.8 million redevelopment of the school - but also discovered the renewable energy project was under way.
Principal Lindy Sharp said the wind turbine and solar panels would provide about 30 per cent of the school's power and any excess energy would be put into the electricity grid.
She said the solar panels produced up to 3000 watts of energy, depending on the weather, while the wind turbine generated up to 1200 watts. Pupils will be able to monitor power generation on new computers and lessons on renewable energy will be incorporated into the curriculum.
Grade 6 pupils Millie Kewley and Sophie Lewis said they were excited about the project. "You can't ignore what's happening with climate change. Animals are dying and the icecaps are melting and this is just a step closer," Millie said. Sophie said the project would use a big screen to let the community know how much power had been saved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)