The Canberra Times, Page: 3
Tuesday, 30 May 2006
Australia's renewable energy researchers are operating in a "climate of fear", causing loss of expertise and tipping a former worldleading industry into decline, a leading scientist says. Murdoch University Professor of Energy Studies Dr Phillip Jennings said scientists were fearful of losing research grants if they were perceived as criticising Federal Government policies on renewable energy or climate change "They're afraid of being victimised because they have seen it happen to colleagues who have spoken up about government funding cuts to renewables research, " he said. Former federal energy policy adviser and whistleblower Guy Pearce has also called for "independent and credible economic research" to inform the Government's policy on energy options and climate change. "It's important to understand that some of the same interests who have persuaded our government to avoid emission cuts domestically also have an interest in domestic nuclear power.
Our two biggest uranium producers are also in the coal and aluminium business, " Professor Pearce told a coastal environment forum in Queensland last week. Professor Jennings said Australia had been a pioneer and world leader in solar technology since the 1940s, but was rapidly losing its leadership status as research programs were closed and scientists moved overseas to take up lucrative research opportunities in Europe, China and Japan. "Australia has already lost solar thermal technology to China because there were no funds for its commercialisation. It would have created an industry worth at least $1 billion, but that's gone now.
"Because of the work that was being done at CSIRO, we led the world in solar water heater technology. Their design was the base for subsequent heaters, but because of the Government's short-sighted views on renewable energy, we've lost that lead now to Israel and Greece. "Professor Jennings said the Federal Government had progressively stripped solar energy of research funding, closing the Energy Research and Development Corporation and the Cooperative Research Centre for Renewable Energy. There were now only two solar energy research centres - at the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales - despite Australia's strong international track record of innovative solar technology.
Federal Environment Minister Senator Ian Campbell was travelling in Western Australia yesterday and unavailable for comment. Science Minister Julie Bishop was also unavailable. Greens energy spokeswoman Senator Christine Milne said solar energy researchers had been progressively shut out of national debate on climate change by the Government because "there are thought to be not enough dollars for the big end of town in solar energy". She said Australia was already losing ground to China, which had set a 15 per cent target for achieving uptake of renewable energy.
China's first billionaire, Dr Zhengrong Shi, a graduate of the University of NSW's renewable energy centre, had recently donated funds to help support renewable energy research at the university "because he felt it was not getting an appropriate level of government support", Senator Milne said. The Chinese billionaire and founder of Suntech Power returned to China in 2001 to set up a company to make photovoltaic cells for use in solar panels. In 2005, he listed his $296 million company on the New York stock exchange, and its market cap has since soared to $7.2 billion.
A recent report to the World Bank by six leading scientists has recommended active and continued support for solar thermal technology claiming it could play "a more significant role" than wind farms in achieving deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. The World Bank report supports claims made in a confidential report by the Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development that solar thermal technology is capable of producing Australia's entire electricity demand.
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