www.ecoseed.org
15 May 2013
Morocco has officially commenced the construction of a 160 MW concentrated solar power plant near the desert city of Ouarzazate.
The 7 billion dirhams ($817.55 million) project is expected to become the world's largest solar facility of its kind when finished by 2015, surpassing the 100 MW Shams 1 solar thermal plant in the United Arab Emirates (see related story).
A consortium led by Saudi developer ACWA Power, won the contract to develop the plant last September. Construction of the project will employ around 1,000 employees while operation will generate 60 permanent jobs.
The Noor 1 C.S.P, project is part of the two-phase Noor 1 Solar Complex, due for completion by 2020. The complex is expected to cover 3,000 hectares and have an overall capacity of 500 MW-enough to provide electricity for Ouarzazate's 1.5 million people.
The Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy is developing the Noor 1 C.S.P, project as well as several other utility-scale solar power projects using various solar technologies at the Noor 1 Solar Complex. In addition, they have already identified five sites for solar power stations including Ouarzazate, Ain Bni Mathar, Foum Al Oued, Boujdour and Sebkhat Tah.
In its bid to ease dependence on fossil fuel imports, the Morocco is exploring the use renewable energy sources particularly solar power. It has one of the highest rates of solar insulation of any country, amounting to around 3,000 hours per year of sunshine.
In 2009, the North African nation launched what has been touted as the world's largest solar power plan costing around $9 billion. It aims to generate 2,000 MW of solar capacity by 2020 and contribute 18% to the country's annual electricity generation. Significantly, the entire solar plan will help the country save 1 million ton oil equivalent per year and prevent 3.7 emissions of CO₂ equivalent.
According to the International Energy Agency, Morocco is the "largest energy importer in North Africa with limited resources of its own". It is already spending more than $3 billion a year on fuel on electricity imports and is experiencing power demand growth of 6.5% average a year.
Showing posts with label Installation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Installation. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Saturday, 2 February 2008
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.
Monday, 7 January 2008
Green thumbs up
Comment News
02/01/2008 Page: 1
A COLLABORATION between the cities of Armadale and Gosnells and the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale to tackle climate change is achieving positive results, with the three councils collectively saving 45,268 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07. The results are reported in the latest annual tracking survey of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia program, which helps councils to implement greenhouse action.
The program, a joint initiative of the Federal Government and Local Governments for Sustainability, reports each year on the progress of councils in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and the initiatives they are putting in place to achieve their targets. The three councils are partners in the South East Regional Energy Group and established the award-winning regional environmental project Switch Your Thinking to educate the community about practical greenhouse action.
According to the latest report, the City of Gosnells saved 31,244 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07. Mayor Olwen Searle said initiatives such as the construction of energy efficient buildings like the Agonis, converting utility vehicles to LPG, purchasing a pool blanket for Leisure World and encouraging recycling had been the key to the result. The Switch Your Thinking program and an initiative to capture and flare methane at the old Kelvin Road tip site had also contributed to the greenhouse savings.
The City of Armadale saved 13,700 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07 through a range of corporate and community initiatives, including purchasing Green Power for council buildings, installing a new efficient air-conditioning system at the administration building and installing a pool blanket at the Armadale Aquatic Centre.
The council commissioned a solar hybrid wind turbine at the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Recreation Centre in Byford, purchased Green Power for the administration building, installed energy-efficient lighting and computers.
02/01/2008 Page: 1
A COLLABORATION between the cities of Armadale and Gosnells and the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale to tackle climate change is achieving positive results, with the three councils collectively saving 45,268 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07. The results are reported in the latest annual tracking survey of the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Australia program, which helps councils to implement greenhouse action.
The program, a joint initiative of the Federal Government and Local Governments for Sustainability, reports each year on the progress of councils in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and the initiatives they are putting in place to achieve their targets. The three councils are partners in the South East Regional Energy Group and established the award-winning regional environmental project Switch Your Thinking to educate the community about practical greenhouse action.
According to the latest report, the City of Gosnells saved 31,244 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07. Mayor Olwen Searle said initiatives such as the construction of energy efficient buildings like the Agonis, converting utility vehicles to LPG, purchasing a pool blanket for Leisure World and encouraging recycling had been the key to the result. The Switch Your Thinking program and an initiative to capture and flare methane at the old Kelvin Road tip site had also contributed to the greenhouse savings.
The City of Armadale saved 13,700 tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2006/07 through a range of corporate and community initiatives, including purchasing Green Power for council buildings, installing a new efficient air-conditioning system at the administration building and installing a pool blanket at the Armadale Aquatic Centre.
The council commissioned a solar hybrid wind turbine at the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Recreation Centre in Byford, purchased Green Power for the administration building, installed energy-efficient lighting and computers.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Hybrid battery plan
Age
Tuesday 27/11/2007 Page: 6
THE CSIRO will help develop a hybrid battery able to store electricity from renewable sources. With a venture capital company, Cleantech Ventures, the CSIRO will join a new outfit, Smart Storage, to work on a low-cost battery capable of high-performance stationary energy sto rage. The CSIRO says current batteries capable of storing energy from solar and wind energy are expensive and unable to meet high power demands. "The Smart Storage technology is based on CSIRO's Ultrabattery, which has been successfully trialled in hybrid vehicles," a CSIRO director, John Wright, said. The battery will be 50% more powerful and last three times longer than the conventional ones.
Tuesday 27/11/2007 Page: 6
THE CSIRO will help develop a hybrid battery able to store electricity from renewable sources. With a venture capital company, Cleantech Ventures, the CSIRO will join a new outfit, Smart Storage, to work on a low-cost battery capable of high-performance stationary energy sto rage. The CSIRO says current batteries capable of storing energy from solar and wind energy are expensive and unable to meet high power demands. "The Smart Storage technology is based on CSIRO's Ultrabattery, which has been successfully trialled in hybrid vehicles," a CSIRO director, John Wright, said. The battery will be 50% more powerful and last three times longer than the conventional ones.
Smart Storage: CSIRO sets up battery firm
Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 27/11/2007 Page: 10
CSIRO will help develop a hybrid battery which can store electricity from renewable energy sources. The government science agency and venture capital company Cleantech Ventures will be joint partners in Smart Storage. The new company aims to develop existing technology to deliver a low cost battery capable of high performance stationary energy storage. CSIRO says current batteries capable of storing energy from solar and wind energy are expensive and unable to meet high power demands.
Tuesday 27/11/2007 Page: 10
CSIRO will help develop a hybrid battery which can store electricity from renewable energy sources. The government science agency and venture capital company Cleantech Ventures will be joint partners in Smart Storage. The new company aims to develop existing technology to deliver a low cost battery capable of high performance stationary energy storage. CSIRO says current batteries capable of storing energy from solar and wind energy are expensive and unable to meet high power demands.
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Act now or face global disaster: UN report
Adelaide Advertiser
Monday 19/11/2007 Page: 4
GLOBAL warming is an unavoidable reality and Australia faces water shortages, higher than expected sea level rises and extensive species extinction unless the world's greenhouse gases are severely curtailed. The warning is contained in the United Nation's final Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, prompting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call on governments to unite.
Australian scientists said the next federal government needed to act urgently to address the dire situation, and urged voters to think of the environment. "Whichever party is elected next Saturday has to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, set strong 2020 targets to reduce emissions, boost renewable energy and dramatically improve the efficiency of turning energy into services," Professor Ian Lowe, president of the Australian Conservation Foundation said.
The fourth IPCC report, released in Spain, details what can and should be done to counter the climate change impacts detailed in its previous reports. It said temperatures had risen 0.74C in the last 100 years, sea levels have increased 1.8mm a year since 1961 and the past decade has been the warmest in recorded history. Without action, global warming will spread hunger and disease, put further stress on water resources, cause fiercer storms, more frequent droughts and kill or threaten up to 70 per cent of plant and animal species.
The report suggested a range of measures for avoiding the worst catastrophes - at a cost of less than 0.12 per cent of the global economy annually until 2050 if taken together. They ranged from switching to nuclear and gas-fired power stations, developing hybrid cars, using more efficient electrical appliances.
Labor leader Kevin Rudd says the Government had buried its heading the sand and had been "economically irresponsible" by failing to outline a future plan to deal with climate change. He said Labor had committed to the Kyoto Protocol, a carbon target and increased renewable energy. Prime Minister John Howard said climate change was a serious challenge, but "the world is not coming to an end tomorrow." "Like all of these things, we have to get a common sense, balanced approach," he said yesterday.
Under the toughest scenario considered by the IPCC, greenhouse gases would have to peak by 2015 to limit global temperature rises to 2-2.4C over pre-industrial times. This would entail cuts of 50-85 per cent in emissions, but there could still be 30 per cent species loss, major coastal flooding, most corals bleached and world-wide water problems, said Professor Barry Brook, director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Adelaide.
He said sea level rises would be much worse than the 18-59cm predicted by 2100 because of the difficulty of modelling the unexpectedly rapid degree of melting at the poles. "It is a damning indictment on our collective vacillation, inaction and deliberate stalling to date, in facing up to this problem that we are now facing the stark choice between a bad situation, a catastrophic situation, or a civilisation terminating situation," he said. "There is one bit of good news, if policy makers will just take heed."
Monday 19/11/2007 Page: 4
GLOBAL warming is an unavoidable reality and Australia faces water shortages, higher than expected sea level rises and extensive species extinction unless the world's greenhouse gases are severely curtailed. The warning is contained in the United Nation's final Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, prompting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call on governments to unite.
Australian scientists said the next federal government needed to act urgently to address the dire situation, and urged voters to think of the environment. "Whichever party is elected next Saturday has to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, set strong 2020 targets to reduce emissions, boost renewable energy and dramatically improve the efficiency of turning energy into services," Professor Ian Lowe, president of the Australian Conservation Foundation said.
The fourth IPCC report, released in Spain, details what can and should be done to counter the climate change impacts detailed in its previous reports. It said temperatures had risen 0.74C in the last 100 years, sea levels have increased 1.8mm a year since 1961 and the past decade has been the warmest in recorded history. Without action, global warming will spread hunger and disease, put further stress on water resources, cause fiercer storms, more frequent droughts and kill or threaten up to 70 per cent of plant and animal species.
The report suggested a range of measures for avoiding the worst catastrophes - at a cost of less than 0.12 per cent of the global economy annually until 2050 if taken together. They ranged from switching to nuclear and gas-fired power stations, developing hybrid cars, using more efficient electrical appliances.
Labor leader Kevin Rudd says the Government had buried its heading the sand and had been "economically irresponsible" by failing to outline a future plan to deal with climate change. He said Labor had committed to the Kyoto Protocol, a carbon target and increased renewable energy. Prime Minister John Howard said climate change was a serious challenge, but "the world is not coming to an end tomorrow." "Like all of these things, we have to get a common sense, balanced approach," he said yesterday.
Under the toughest scenario considered by the IPCC, greenhouse gases would have to peak by 2015 to limit global temperature rises to 2-2.4C over pre-industrial times. This would entail cuts of 50-85 per cent in emissions, but there could still be 30 per cent species loss, major coastal flooding, most corals bleached and world-wide water problems, said Professor Barry Brook, director of the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Adelaide.
He said sea level rises would be much worse than the 18-59cm predicted by 2100 because of the difficulty of modelling the unexpectedly rapid degree of melting at the poles. "It is a damning indictment on our collective vacillation, inaction and deliberate stalling to date, in facing up to this problem that we are now facing the stark choice between a bad situation, a catastrophic situation, or a civilisation terminating situation," he said. "There is one bit of good news, if policy makers will just take heed."
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Scientists say energy supply humanity's biggest threat
Weekend Australian
Saturday 27/10/2007 Page: 21
ENERGY supply poses one of the greatest threats facing humanity, the world's leading academies of science have warned, highlighting the peril of oil wars and climate change driven by addiction to fossil fuelss. Nations must provide power for the 1.6 billion people who live without electricity and wean themselves off energy sources that stoke global warming and geopolitical conflict, the scientists demanded. "Making the transition to a sustainable energy future is one of the central challenges humankind faces in this century," they said.
Their report, Lighting the Way: Toward A Sustainable Energy Future, is published by the InterAcademy Council, whose 15 members include the national science academies of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Brazil, China and India. It was written by a 15-member panel whose co-chair was 1997 Nobel Physics laureate Steven Chu of the US.
"Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that current energy trends are unsustainable," the report said bluntly. Its authors sounded a special alarm over the surge in the building of conventional coal-fired power plants in China and other developing countries, as such infrastructure will doubtless be entrenched for decades to come. "The substantial expansion of coal capacity that is now under way around the world may pose the single greatest challenge to future efforts aimed at stabilising carbon dioxide (CO) levels in the atmosphere," the report warned.
Managing the greenhouse-gas "footprint" of these plants while encouraging a conversion to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will be a mighty technological and economic challenge, it said. CCS means piping off CO' at a plant and then pumping it into geological chambers deep underground, such as disused oilfields, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. Many scientists view this pilot technology warily, waiting to be convinced that CCS is safe, for a chamber breach could have potentially catastrophic consequences for the climate.
The report also appealed for a planet-wide drive in favour of energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions. And it spoke loudly in favour of renewable energy, describing its potential as "untapped" and offering "immense opportunities" for poor countries that are rich in sunlight and wind but poor in cash to buy oil and gas. Nuclear energy as a low-carbon resource "can continue to make a significant contribution to the world's energy portfolio in the future, but only if major concerns related to capital cost, safety and weapons proliferation are addressed".
Turning to biofuels, the scientist said that these sources hold "great promise", but only through a switch to second-generation sources. At present, feedstocks such as sugarcane and corn are the main source for biofuels, which is effecting on global food prices. A more promising but uncommercialised goal is using lignocellulose stocks from timber chips and agricultural residues. Other dawning technologies, such as plug-in hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel-cells for energy storage, can make an important niche contribution.
But they cautioned that the move to sustainable energy could only happen if nations work together to free up the necessary financial resources and expertise -and setting a price for carbon to punish pollution and waste and reward clean energy was a key part of the mix. A 2006 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested world oil consumption would rise by nearly 40 per cent by 2030 as compared with 2005 levels, and CO, emissions would increase by 50 per cent over 1-004 levels, under a "business-as-usual" scenario.
Saturday 27/10/2007 Page: 21
ENERGY supply poses one of the greatest threats facing humanity, the world's leading academies of science have warned, highlighting the peril of oil wars and climate change driven by addiction to fossil fuelss. Nations must provide power for the 1.6 billion people who live without electricity and wean themselves off energy sources that stoke global warming and geopolitical conflict, the scientists demanded. "Making the transition to a sustainable energy future is one of the central challenges humankind faces in this century," they said.
Their report, Lighting the Way: Toward A Sustainable Energy Future, is published by the InterAcademy Council, whose 15 members include the national science academies of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Brazil, China and India. It was written by a 15-member panel whose co-chair was 1997 Nobel Physics laureate Steven Chu of the US.
"Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that current energy trends are unsustainable," the report said bluntly. Its authors sounded a special alarm over the surge in the building of conventional coal-fired power plants in China and other developing countries, as such infrastructure will doubtless be entrenched for decades to come. "The substantial expansion of coal capacity that is now under way around the world may pose the single greatest challenge to future efforts aimed at stabilising carbon dioxide (CO) levels in the atmosphere," the report warned.
Managing the greenhouse-gas "footprint" of these plants while encouraging a conversion to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will be a mighty technological and economic challenge, it said. CCS means piping off CO' at a plant and then pumping it into geological chambers deep underground, such as disused oilfields, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. Many scientists view this pilot technology warily, waiting to be convinced that CCS is safe, for a chamber breach could have potentially catastrophic consequences for the climate.
The report also appealed for a planet-wide drive in favour of energy efficiency to reduce carbon emissions. And it spoke loudly in favour of renewable energy, describing its potential as "untapped" and offering "immense opportunities" for poor countries that are rich in sunlight and wind but poor in cash to buy oil and gas. Nuclear energy as a low-carbon resource "can continue to make a significant contribution to the world's energy portfolio in the future, but only if major concerns related to capital cost, safety and weapons proliferation are addressed".
Turning to biofuels, the scientist said that these sources hold "great promise", but only through a switch to second-generation sources. At present, feedstocks such as sugarcane and corn are the main source for biofuels, which is effecting on global food prices. A more promising but uncommercialised goal is using lignocellulose stocks from timber chips and agricultural residues. Other dawning technologies, such as plug-in hybrid cars and hydrogen fuel-cells for energy storage, can make an important niche contribution.
But they cautioned that the move to sustainable energy could only happen if nations work together to free up the necessary financial resources and expertise -and setting a price for carbon to punish pollution and waste and reward clean energy was a key part of the mix. A 2006 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested world oil consumption would rise by nearly 40 per cent by 2030 as compared with 2005 levels, and CO, emissions would increase by 50 per cent over 1-004 levels, under a "business-as-usual" scenario.
Monday, 17 September 2007
The first renewable-energy outside broadcast for Victoria
www.abc.net.au/
Monday, September 17, 2007
If the best radio takes chances, then the morning show today was great radio. Rather than our usual safe studio environment, Dave Lennon went to View Street, outside the Bendigo Art Gallery, for an outside broadcast marking the occasion of the Renewable Energy and Regional Australia conference. And, appropriately for the conference subject, instead of drawing power from the mains, our outside broadcast set-up was powered entirely by renewable energy.
While ABC Darwin might have beaten us to the title of Australia's - or even the world's - first solar-powered broadcast, it was Victoria's first and a world second, as far as we know.
The main source was direct solar energy, with four solar cells on top of a specially-built trailer; the two backup sources were the trailer's batteries, charged earlier by solar power, and a couple of reclining bikes that Weeroona College students use to generate power for their test vehicles in events like the Energy Breakthrough at Maryborough.
State Premier John Brumby was the opening keynote speaker for the conference, which has drawn speakers and attendees from across the country. He also paid a visit to our outside broadcast site, talking with ABC Victoria mornings presenter Dave Lennon about research and development in battery development.
"We are doing some great research in Victoria in battery technology," he says. "The key of course to why batteries are so important is, the sun doesn't shine all the time, and the wind doesn't blow all the time. If you can develop better batteries to store energy, then you overcome many of the challenges that normally push up the cost of renewable and intermittent energy sources.
"New technology R and D, of which Victoria is a national leader, is part of the solution as well. "You're seeing [battery improvement] with motor vehicles...with the hybrid vehicles. You can get extraordinary fuel economy - but every three or four years, you have to trade in all the batteries. "I think the best example is mobile phones - 15 years ago, 20 years ago, they were like a housebrick and the batteries were that large. They're now a very small lithium battery and you can have a mobile phone that, depending on how much you talk, will last for days and days and days.
"So it's R and D that's going to drive this, and I mentioned in my speech this morning the importance of research and development, and it is through research and development that you'll get the technology that converts these intermittent sources of power into sustainable, 24/7 power sources going forward."
Having done the interview, the Premier moved from the radio desk that consumes power to the trailer that generates it over to the reclining bikes that generate it. He and ABC Victoria State Director Randal Mathieson hopped on the bikes, putting out about 17 amps initially. There was one small problem though - a chain on the Premier's bike broke at just under 20 volts of power output.
The broadcast was a success, and the conference continues, wrapping up at 4.30pm tomorrow, 18 September 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
If the best radio takes chances, then the morning show today was great radio. Rather than our usual safe studio environment, Dave Lennon went to View Street, outside the Bendigo Art Gallery, for an outside broadcast marking the occasion of the Renewable Energy and Regional Australia conference. And, appropriately for the conference subject, instead of drawing power from the mains, our outside broadcast set-up was powered entirely by renewable energy.While ABC Darwin might have beaten us to the title of Australia's - or even the world's - first solar-powered broadcast, it was Victoria's first and a world second, as far as we know.
The main source was direct solar energy, with four solar cells on top of a specially-built trailer; the two backup sources were the trailer's batteries, charged earlier by solar power, and a couple of reclining bikes that Weeroona College students use to generate power for their test vehicles in events like the Energy Breakthrough at Maryborough.
State Premier John Brumby was the opening keynote speaker for the conference, which has drawn speakers and attendees from across the country. He also paid a visit to our outside broadcast site, talking with ABC Victoria mornings presenter Dave Lennon about research and development in battery development.
"We are doing some great research in Victoria in battery technology," he says. "The key of course to why batteries are so important is, the sun doesn't shine all the time, and the wind doesn't blow all the time. If you can develop better batteries to store energy, then you overcome many of the challenges that normally push up the cost of renewable and intermittent energy sources.
"New technology R and D, of which Victoria is a national leader, is part of the solution as well. "You're seeing [battery improvement] with motor vehicles...with the hybrid vehicles. You can get extraordinary fuel economy - but every three or four years, you have to trade in all the batteries. "I think the best example is mobile phones - 15 years ago, 20 years ago, they were like a housebrick and the batteries were that large. They're now a very small lithium battery and you can have a mobile phone that, depending on how much you talk, will last for days and days and days.
"So it's R and D that's going to drive this, and I mentioned in my speech this morning the importance of research and development, and it is through research and development that you'll get the technology that converts these intermittent sources of power into sustainable, 24/7 power sources going forward."
Having done the interview, the Premier moved from the radio desk that consumes power to the trailer that generates it over to the reclining bikes that generate it. He and ABC Victoria State Director Randal Mathieson hopped on the bikes, putting out about 17 amps initially. There was one small problem though - a chain on the Premier's bike broke at just under 20 volts of power output.
The broadcast was a success, and the conference continues, wrapping up at 4.30pm tomorrow, 18 September 2007
Sunday, 9 September 2007
Blowin' in the wind
Illawarra Mercury
Thursday 6/9/2007 Page: 20
HOME wind turbines may never become as ubiquitous as satellite dishes, but their popularity is steadily gaining momentum in America and they are appearing in Australia. To give an idea of their increasing popularity, in 2000 the American Wind Energy Association in Washington DC reported small wind system sales rang in at $US19.26 million. In 2006, the number rose to $US52 million, a 170 per cent increase, and while some homeowners find the allure in projected energy bill savings, many others are out to save the planet.
The numbers are nothing like that in Australia yet, and although Auswind (The Australian Wind Energy Association), admits some of their members are looking at home turbines, it says "the cheapest, simplest and best way of making a difference for everybody" at the moment is to buy accredited green power from the grid. Often people with wind turbines in Australia include them in solar/wind hybrid systems, while small wind turbines can also supplement solar-powered systems for cabins, campervans and boats.
Turbines work by taking energy produced by the wind and converting it into electricity for a home's power needs. Most turbines look a bit like an airplane propeller atop a flagpole or affixed to the side of a house. The blades are typically made of fiberglass and epoxy or carbon fibre, and are mounted on steel structures that can reach up more than 36 metres. Usually a home is connected to both a turbine and a local power grid. When the turbine cannot produce enough power, the home draws from the utility company. If a system produces more electricity than it uses, the excess can be sold back to many utility companies, which is called net-metering.
In Australia, according to Solar Online Australia managing director Brett Sutherland, wind turbines are usually used in remote areas and areas with unreliable power supply. He explains that a one-kilowatt turbine would produce about four to five kilowatt hours per day, and an average home in NSW would draw about 15 kilowatt hours of power, so the turbine would produce a little less than one-third of a home's electricity. "It would take a three to five-kilowatt turbine to fully power a house and in reality this would probably be too big for suburbia," he said.
Sutherland added that the installation of the turbines had to be council approved and they did make some noise, and his company lent more towards solar power for similar results. Earlier generators, he said, were usually connected to batteries and then the batteries used to provide power, but now there were grid-feed turbine systems that went straight into the power grid. The typical cost for a one-kilowatt wind turbine unit was about $4900, plus tower construction of about $2000, a grid-feed inverter, $3000, plus cabling, protection and installation.
In the US, according to retailer New England Breeze, the average price of a wind turbine sufficient to power a 1500-square-foot home that used 9000 kilowatt-hours a year would be between $US11,000 and $US14,000. But a saving that's of equal or greater importance to those purchasing turbines is the amount of clean air preserved.
Thursday 6/9/2007 Page: 20
HOME wind turbines may never become as ubiquitous as satellite dishes, but their popularity is steadily gaining momentum in America and they are appearing in Australia. To give an idea of their increasing popularity, in 2000 the American Wind Energy Association in Washington DC reported small wind system sales rang in at $US19.26 million. In 2006, the number rose to $US52 million, a 170 per cent increase, and while some homeowners find the allure in projected energy bill savings, many others are out to save the planet.
The numbers are nothing like that in Australia yet, and although Auswind (The Australian Wind Energy Association), admits some of their members are looking at home turbines, it says "the cheapest, simplest and best way of making a difference for everybody" at the moment is to buy accredited green power from the grid. Often people with wind turbines in Australia include them in solar/wind hybrid systems, while small wind turbines can also supplement solar-powered systems for cabins, campervans and boats.
Turbines work by taking energy produced by the wind and converting it into electricity for a home's power needs. Most turbines look a bit like an airplane propeller atop a flagpole or affixed to the side of a house. The blades are typically made of fiberglass and epoxy or carbon fibre, and are mounted on steel structures that can reach up more than 36 metres. Usually a home is connected to both a turbine and a local power grid. When the turbine cannot produce enough power, the home draws from the utility company. If a system produces more electricity than it uses, the excess can be sold back to many utility companies, which is called net-metering.
In Australia, according to Solar Online Australia managing director Brett Sutherland, wind turbines are usually used in remote areas and areas with unreliable power supply. He explains that a one-kilowatt turbine would produce about four to five kilowatt hours per day, and an average home in NSW would draw about 15 kilowatt hours of power, so the turbine would produce a little less than one-third of a home's electricity. "It would take a three to five-kilowatt turbine to fully power a house and in reality this would probably be too big for suburbia," he said.
Sutherland added that the installation of the turbines had to be council approved and they did make some noise, and his company lent more towards solar power for similar results. Earlier generators, he said, were usually connected to batteries and then the batteries used to provide power, but now there were grid-feed turbine systems that went straight into the power grid. The typical cost for a one-kilowatt wind turbine unit was about $4900, plus tower construction of about $2000, a grid-feed inverter, $3000, plus cabling, protection and installation.
In the US, according to retailer New England Breeze, the average price of a wind turbine sufficient to power a 1500-square-foot home that used 9000 kilowatt-hours a year would be between $US11,000 and $US14,000. But a saving that's of equal or greater importance to those purchasing turbines is the amount of clean air preserved.
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Carbon neutral bid a bold plan
Port Macquarie News
Monday 27/8/2007 Page: 9
COUNCILLORS will be asked to support a move to make Port Macquarie-Hastings Council carbon neutral by 2010. This would involve purchasing electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro and solar and converting the council's fleet of cars to hybrid electric cars and using bio-diesel in heavy vehicles. "I think it's realistic but it will need the support of the councillors," Cr Cameron Price said. "I'll put forward the motion that a report come back from council staff on the feasibility and mechanisms of becoming carbon neutral. "Having achieved most and exceeded some of the goals in the old Greenhouse Abatement Strategy, it is time to move to the next level," he said.
The council already had reduced carbon emissions from electricity by 79 per cent, Cr Price said. Cr Price launched his vision for a carbon neutral council at the Climate Change Australia Hastings Branch annual general meeting at Sea Acres on Saturday. "I'll be talking in detail about my vision at the meeting before putting it to the council," Cr Price said last week. "We can capture carbon from the atmosphere by revegetating cleared areas such as the banks of all waterways and increase the capacity of the Cairncross Waste treatment facility to compost food scraps and garden waste to reduce methane gas." The proposal will go to the vote today.
Monday 27/8/2007 Page: 9
COUNCILLORS will be asked to support a move to make Port Macquarie-Hastings Council carbon neutral by 2010. This would involve purchasing electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro and solar and converting the council's fleet of cars to hybrid electric cars and using bio-diesel in heavy vehicles. "I think it's realistic but it will need the support of the councillors," Cr Cameron Price said. "I'll put forward the motion that a report come back from council staff on the feasibility and mechanisms of becoming carbon neutral. "Having achieved most and exceeded some of the goals in the old Greenhouse Abatement Strategy, it is time to move to the next level," he said.
The council already had reduced carbon emissions from electricity by 79 per cent, Cr Price said. Cr Price launched his vision for a carbon neutral council at the Climate Change Australia Hastings Branch annual general meeting at Sea Acres on Saturday. "I'll be talking in detail about my vision at the meeting before putting it to the council," Cr Price said last week. "We can capture carbon from the atmosphere by revegetating cleared areas such as the banks of all waterways and increase the capacity of the Cairncross Waste treatment facility to compost food scraps and garden waste to reduce methane gas." The proposal will go to the vote today.
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
On renewable energy trail in a day's work
Southern Gazette
Tuesday 21/8/2007 Page: 2
MANNING resident Daniel Thompson wants to make renewable energy more affordable and accessible to remote towns and communities. The Verve Energy project development manager has received a 2007 Churchill Fellowship for study into hybrid power systems, particularly wind energy.
"There are thousands of remote communities in the world that rely on diesel power generation," Mr Thompson said. "Diesel power is expensive and as a fossil fuel consumer it creates greenhouse gas emissions. "Putting wind turbines on those diesel stations has the ability to offset greenhouse gas emissions and bring the cost of distribution down." Mr Thompson will use the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust funding to spend two months studying in Alaska, the United States, France, Norway and the UK.
He said there were about 10,000 diesel power stations throughout the world releasing greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuel. "There's a lot of good reasons to put wind turbines on the systems and Verve Energy saw that back in 1997, and as a result now have about eight wind diesel systems," he said. "My project is about finding out what other people are doing throughout the world in wind diesel so that we can gauge whether what is happening in Australia is comparable. "It is also to bring back new ideas about where the future lies for that part of the industry." Mr Thompson (29) has been studying wind energy for almost 10 years.
He said he was confident renewable energy would continue to develop and integrate with contemporary fossil fuel-burning stations. He will leave for Alaska in October.
Tuesday 21/8/2007 Page: 2
MANNING resident Daniel Thompson wants to make renewable energy more affordable and accessible to remote towns and communities. The Verve Energy project development manager has received a 2007 Churchill Fellowship for study into hybrid power systems, particularly wind energy."There are thousands of remote communities in the world that rely on diesel power generation," Mr Thompson said. "Diesel power is expensive and as a fossil fuel consumer it creates greenhouse gas emissions. "Putting wind turbines on those diesel stations has the ability to offset greenhouse gas emissions and bring the cost of distribution down." Mr Thompson will use the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust funding to spend two months studying in Alaska, the United States, France, Norway and the UK.
He said there were about 10,000 diesel power stations throughout the world releasing greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuel. "There's a lot of good reasons to put wind turbines on the systems and Verve Energy saw that back in 1997, and as a result now have about eight wind diesel systems," he said. "My project is about finding out what other people are doing throughout the world in wind diesel so that we can gauge whether what is happening in Australia is comparable. "It is also to bring back new ideas about where the future lies for that part of the industry." Mr Thompson (29) has been studying wind energy for almost 10 years.
He said he was confident renewable energy would continue to develop and integrate with contemporary fossil fuel-burning stations. He will leave for Alaska in October.
Friday, 3 August 2007
Renewable energy for regions
Ballarat News
Wednesday 1/8/2007 Page: 28
Renewable energy will underpin sustainability in-regional Australia in the future, a La Trobe University regional development specialist says. Professor John Martin, who heads La Trobe University's Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, said the rising price of coal generated electricity and petrol would drive regional communities to look towards solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources in the future.
Prof Martin was speaking ahead of a conference, Renewable Energy and Regional Australia: Creating Local Economic Development Opportunities, to be held in Bendigo September 17-18. The conference will examine what's viable in solar, wind, wave, timber, biomass, gasification and hydrogen fuel-cell energy production for regions and the business opportunities likely to follow. The conference is the brainchild of the City of Greater Bendigo and La Trobe University.
Prof Martin said businesses were already emerging in country areas to supply renewable energy at a regional level. "We have the solar tower at Mildura, wind farms, biofuel plants such as the one at Barnawartha now in construction and feeder businesses such as wind turbine and renewable energy regulator manufacturers and others emerging," Prof Martin said. City of Greater Bendigo Cr Keith Reynard said: "This conference is all about showing how companies and communities are doing this and carving a future that will help sustain them in terms of energy and income.
"This is a great opportunity for business developers, planners and regional leaders to hear about the opportunities, challenges and scenario ahead including how renewable energy will be created, distributed and regulated." Speakers include a central Victorian man who has invented a regulator for hybrid solar and wind energy generating systems and who is now building a plant to make them, a company that's building a factory to create biofuel out of tallow to another that's creating large scale solar systems big enough to power entire towns.
For details and to register, check www.renewableenerqyconference.com.au or phone (03) 5434 6001.
Wednesday 1/8/2007 Page: 28
Renewable energy will underpin sustainability in-regional Australia in the future, a La Trobe University regional development specialist says. Professor John Martin, who heads La Trobe University's Centre for Sustainable Regional Communities, said the rising price of coal generated electricity and petrol would drive regional communities to look towards solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources in the future.
Prof Martin was speaking ahead of a conference, Renewable Energy and Regional Australia: Creating Local Economic Development Opportunities, to be held in Bendigo September 17-18. The conference will examine what's viable in solar, wind, wave, timber, biomass, gasification and hydrogen fuel-cell energy production for regions and the business opportunities likely to follow. The conference is the brainchild of the City of Greater Bendigo and La Trobe University.
Prof Martin said businesses were already emerging in country areas to supply renewable energy at a regional level. "We have the solar tower at Mildura, wind farms, biofuel plants such as the one at Barnawartha now in construction and feeder businesses such as wind turbine and renewable energy regulator manufacturers and others emerging," Prof Martin said. City of Greater Bendigo Cr Keith Reynard said: "This conference is all about showing how companies and communities are doing this and carving a future that will help sustain them in terms of energy and income.
"This is a great opportunity for business developers, planners and regional leaders to hear about the opportunities, challenges and scenario ahead including how renewable energy will be created, distributed and regulated." Speakers include a central Victorian man who has invented a regulator for hybrid solar and wind energy generating systems and who is now building a plant to make them, a company that's building a factory to create biofuel out of tallow to another that's creating large scale solar systems big enough to power entire towns.
For details and to register, check www.renewableenerqyconference.com.au or phone (03) 5434 6001.
Monday, 23 July 2007
Local residents form clean energy branch
Milton Ulladulla Times
Wednesday 18/7/2007 Page: 17
A GROUP of local residents concerned about the impact of climate change have formed the Shoalhaven branch of Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE). The group believes that to help our children have a bright future, we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Members of the group are exploring ways they can reduce their energy consumption and looking at ways they can support alternative energy sources such as solar and wind powered energy.
The first step the group has taken is to audit their personal energy use, including a waste audit organised by Shoalhaven City Council. They will use the results as a benchmark and look at ways to reduce their energy use over the coming year. The group believes there are lots of simple things that individuals can do, such as change over to 100 per cent accredited Greenpower, change their light globes to compact fluoros, wherever possible buy locally produced food and walk instead of drive the car for short distances.
CEFE was formed in Bega in May 2006 after local orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Matthew Nott, invited the community of Bega Shire Valley to make a human sign on Tathra Beach spelling out 'Clean Energy for Eternity'. CEFE then set a target of 50/50 by 2020, meaning a 50 per cent reduction in energy produced and 50 per cent use of renewable energy by the year 2020. CEFE now operates in Bega Valley Shire, Eurobodalla Shire and Snowy Mountains. Both Bega and Eurobodalla Councils have taken on the 50/50 by 2020 target with much support from the business communities in those areas.
Evidence shows that to mitigate the effects of global warming people need to act quickly and act collectively as a community. There can be benefits to acting quickly on climate change. We can be supporting emerging renewable energy industries, creating a healthier local environment and strengthening our community. Many local businesses will be able to benefit, for example, in providing services to help people retrofit their houses to make them more energy efficient. If you would like to know more about Shoalhaven CEFE email group convenor Kim Thompson at littleearth@ shoal.net.au
You Can Make A Difference:
Wednesday 18/7/2007 Page: 17
A GROUP of local residents concerned about the impact of climate change have formed the Shoalhaven branch of Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE). The group believes that to help our children have a bright future, we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Members of the group are exploring ways they can reduce their energy consumption and looking at ways they can support alternative energy sources such as solar and wind powered energy.
The first step the group has taken is to audit their personal energy use, including a waste audit organised by Shoalhaven City Council. They will use the results as a benchmark and look at ways to reduce their energy use over the coming year. The group believes there are lots of simple things that individuals can do, such as change over to 100 per cent accredited Greenpower, change their light globes to compact fluoros, wherever possible buy locally produced food and walk instead of drive the car for short distances.
CEFE was formed in Bega in May 2006 after local orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Matthew Nott, invited the community of Bega Shire Valley to make a human sign on Tathra Beach spelling out 'Clean Energy for Eternity'. CEFE then set a target of 50/50 by 2020, meaning a 50 per cent reduction in energy produced and 50 per cent use of renewable energy by the year 2020. CEFE now operates in Bega Valley Shire, Eurobodalla Shire and Snowy Mountains. Both Bega and Eurobodalla Councils have taken on the 50/50 by 2020 target with much support from the business communities in those areas.
Evidence shows that to mitigate the effects of global warming people need to act quickly and act collectively as a community. There can be benefits to acting quickly on climate change. We can be supporting emerging renewable energy industries, creating a healthier local environment and strengthening our community. Many local businesses will be able to benefit, for example, in providing services to help people retrofit their houses to make them more energy efficient. If you would like to know more about Shoalhaven CEFE email group convenor Kim Thompson at littleearth@ shoal.net.au
You Can Make A Difference:
- Switch off the lights you don't need, replace old globes with compact fluorescent.
- Take shorter showers, install a water efficient showerhead, buy a rainwater tank.
- Buy Greenpower, support/invest in renewable energy projects, install renewable energy on your house, understand your electricity bill.
- Buy energy efficient appliances, install a solar hot water system when your old one retires, turn-off standby appliances.
- Walk and cycle more, drive less, car pool, take public transport if you can, look into bio-'diesel and hybrid vehicles.
- Renovate and build energy efficient houses, insulate your home, make use of passive solar design and save money every year on your domestic running costs.
- Consume less, don't buy over-packaged items, support your local food producers, buy Australian and reduce the 'food miles'.
- Support business that is rising to the challenge of climate change, take responsibility for your carbon footprint.
- Talk about it with friends, write a letter to your local representatives, join a climate action group, support a climate action group.
- Vote for the politicians who are willing to tackle the most serious issue of our time and who demonstrate their commitment to acting on climate change.
Friday, 20 July 2007
Sunbeam me up, the future is here
Byron Shire Echo
Tuesday 17/7/2007 Page: 14
To wait or not to wait to install solar panels? That is the question. Syd Welling, of Sunbeam Solar Systems, will urge anyone who asks not to wait. The time is right to educate yourself about your energy requirements in your home and/or office and the appropriate solar system to accommodate them. With an increase in the government contribution (each household is now entitled to an $8,000 rebate) and with efficient and reliable grid interactive solar technology available, there is greater incentive than ever to reduce your carbon emissions and eradicate electrical bills for good.
With some households whispering about waiting for new solar cell technology, Welling has a compelling argument, too in-depth for this article, for would-be procrastinators. Syd explains, `The current grid interactive system is reliable, efficient and now more affordable. Think of all the carbon emissions we could be saving as a country while we all sit and wait for another five years for new systems such as sliver cell and other non-silicon based technologies which don't have advantages over the conventional and available system in any case. The grid interactive system is the most efficient use of solar technology.
`Did you know if Australian households switched to solar hot water and renewable energy sources we could reduce Australia's dependency on coal fired power stations by 50% straight up? Unfortunately the powers that be have vested interests in us remaining on the grid day and night.' Syd gets fired up when people question the efficiency of solar power, he says, `There is 1kW (kilowatt) of energy per square metre in sunlight. A solar panel extracts about 15.5%-16.5% of that energy from the sun.
A coal fired power grid is not even 1% efficient.' In a nutshell, the grid uses old sun inefficiently and a solar interactive panel on your roof uses new sun efficiently. Syd continues, `All of the energy that exists on Earth has come from the sun at one point or other. Coal fired power stations use energy from sun that fell on the earth eons ago, growing trees and carboniferous forests, which decayed over eons and eons forming coal. We now dig up that coal with a mining system that is about 50% efficient.
`Out of all the product that comes out of the mine about 30% ends up as recycled waste. So you end up with 70% of the mined product being burned in a process that's only 30% efficient. By the time you get through all the inefficiencies in the process, including those in the power plant to household journey, we get down to the fact that it's a fraction of I% efficient.' Add to that the obvious carbon emissions from the grid system and the fact that the power plant itself consumes an unimaginable amount of water for cooling and lubrication and you have a shocking and simple cycle of power plants inflaming the greenhouse effect, in turn compounding widespread drought worsened further by the water guzzled by the grid, resulting in less water in the natural land cycle to potentially relieve drought via rain.
By comparison, solar cells on the roof directly convert energy from the sun at the point of source into usable energy, comparatively as a dry compost toilet deals with waste at the point of source rather than piping it off elsewhere for someone else to worry about. Syd believes that it is important that consumers begin to focus on systems which offer solutions at the point of use. He believes it is up to us to localise responsibility. By decentralising consumer needs we become responsible for ourselves, taking the power back, so to speak. Syd adds, `When we take the initiative ourselves people in actuality take the lead.
Then it is true leadership. It comes back to individual responsibility - we can't wait for the government to make the changes necessary or anyone else. Besides, the government will only do what big business will do and big business will only do what there is demand to do.' If you are someone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint but perhaps is unsure as to which method is most cost effective and efficient, read on. Buying a hybrid car, for example, would cost $36,000-$44,000 and will save about two tonnes of CO2 per year. By comparison a 1kW grid interactive solar system will cost you $6,000 after the rebate and will save about seven tonnes of CO2 per year. Additionally, while a car depreciates in value, a solar system will only add value to your home, so it is always worth thinking on the bigger, longer term picture.
It is also worth noting that some solar panel manufacturers, although not all, use solar energy to produce their products, making the entire process clean. So by choosing wisely, the energy you will use in your home will have never polluted nor required water, will not produce noise, smoke or carbon emissions and will be free! Talk about peace of mind.
For any unanswered questions about renewables and the coal industry, Syd Welling is a boundless source of facts and fascinations. He will be running an ACE course, Solar Power System for Home and Business, on Saturday August 11, 9.30am - 12.30pm for only $25 for those who are interested in being a part of solutions for climate change. Contact ACE on 6684 3374 or download an enrolment form from www.acemullum.com.
If you want to arrange a consultation and quote with Syd Welling you can contact him on 6679 7228, 0428 320 262 or email sunbeamsolarsys@optusnet.com.au.
Tuesday 17/7/2007 Page: 14
To wait or not to wait to install solar panels? That is the question. Syd Welling, of Sunbeam Solar Systems, will urge anyone who asks not to wait. The time is right to educate yourself about your energy requirements in your home and/or office and the appropriate solar system to accommodate them. With an increase in the government contribution (each household is now entitled to an $8,000 rebate) and with efficient and reliable grid interactive solar technology available, there is greater incentive than ever to reduce your carbon emissions and eradicate electrical bills for good.With some households whispering about waiting for new solar cell technology, Welling has a compelling argument, too in-depth for this article, for would-be procrastinators. Syd explains, `The current grid interactive system is reliable, efficient and now more affordable. Think of all the carbon emissions we could be saving as a country while we all sit and wait for another five years for new systems such as sliver cell and other non-silicon based technologies which don't have advantages over the conventional and available system in any case. The grid interactive system is the most efficient use of solar technology.
`Did you know if Australian households switched to solar hot water and renewable energy sources we could reduce Australia's dependency on coal fired power stations by 50% straight up? Unfortunately the powers that be have vested interests in us remaining on the grid day and night.' Syd gets fired up when people question the efficiency of solar power, he says, `There is 1kW (kilowatt) of energy per square metre in sunlight. A solar panel extracts about 15.5%-16.5% of that energy from the sun.
A coal fired power grid is not even 1% efficient.' In a nutshell, the grid uses old sun inefficiently and a solar interactive panel on your roof uses new sun efficiently. Syd continues, `All of the energy that exists on Earth has come from the sun at one point or other. Coal fired power stations use energy from sun that fell on the earth eons ago, growing trees and carboniferous forests, which decayed over eons and eons forming coal. We now dig up that coal with a mining system that is about 50% efficient.
`Out of all the product that comes out of the mine about 30% ends up as recycled waste. So you end up with 70% of the mined product being burned in a process that's only 30% efficient. By the time you get through all the inefficiencies in the process, including those in the power plant to household journey, we get down to the fact that it's a fraction of I% efficient.' Add to that the obvious carbon emissions from the grid system and the fact that the power plant itself consumes an unimaginable amount of water for cooling and lubrication and you have a shocking and simple cycle of power plants inflaming the greenhouse effect, in turn compounding widespread drought worsened further by the water guzzled by the grid, resulting in less water in the natural land cycle to potentially relieve drought via rain.
By comparison, solar cells on the roof directly convert energy from the sun at the point of source into usable energy, comparatively as a dry compost toilet deals with waste at the point of source rather than piping it off elsewhere for someone else to worry about. Syd believes that it is important that consumers begin to focus on systems which offer solutions at the point of use. He believes it is up to us to localise responsibility. By decentralising consumer needs we become responsible for ourselves, taking the power back, so to speak. Syd adds, `When we take the initiative ourselves people in actuality take the lead.
Then it is true leadership. It comes back to individual responsibility - we can't wait for the government to make the changes necessary or anyone else. Besides, the government will only do what big business will do and big business will only do what there is demand to do.' If you are someone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint but perhaps is unsure as to which method is most cost effective and efficient, read on. Buying a hybrid car, for example, would cost $36,000-$44,000 and will save about two tonnes of CO2 per year. By comparison a 1kW grid interactive solar system will cost you $6,000 after the rebate and will save about seven tonnes of CO2 per year. Additionally, while a car depreciates in value, a solar system will only add value to your home, so it is always worth thinking on the bigger, longer term picture.
It is also worth noting that some solar panel manufacturers, although not all, use solar energy to produce their products, making the entire process clean. So by choosing wisely, the energy you will use in your home will have never polluted nor required water, will not produce noise, smoke or carbon emissions and will be free! Talk about peace of mind.
For any unanswered questions about renewables and the coal industry, Syd Welling is a boundless source of facts and fascinations. He will be running an ACE course, Solar Power System for Home and Business, on Saturday August 11, 9.30am - 12.30pm for only $25 for those who are interested in being a part of solutions for climate change. Contact ACE on 6684 3374 or download an enrolment form from www.acemullum.com.
If you want to arrange a consultation and quote with Syd Welling you can contact him on 6679 7228, 0428 320 262 or email sunbeamsolarsys@optusnet.com.au.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Renewable Energy Conference
Bendigo Advertiser
Tuesday 19/6/2007 Page: 15
Renewable energy and global warming will be the topic of a major conference organised by the City of Greater Bendigo and La Trobe University, Bendigo. Councillor Keith Reynard says the conference is a pro-active step at a time when the world is seeking answers to the growing energy crisis. "Some of the best ideas and initiatives have come from regional Australia, and we are expecting to see more good ideas come out of this important conference," Cr Reynard said. The economic development opportunities that should arise from the shift towards renewables are viewed as a major positive for the region's economy.
"Both the CoGB and the University recognise that support and investment is essential to the growth of new technology, and believe now is the time for innovation, ingenuity and vision." "It is becoming clearer that local communities will play an important role in the adoption of renewable energy technology and I believe the strength and commitment of local communities to take positive action will drive government policy in this issue."
Speakers will address a wide range of topics including the Hepburn community wind farm, timber as a renewable, converting waste to energy, creating "energy wedges" in regional Australia, linking renewables through hybrid technology and solar powered desalination. Keynote speakers include State Treasurer John Brumby, weather presenter and environmentalist Rob Gell and Bendigo Bank CEO Rob Hunt.
The Renewable Energy & Regional Australia Conference is at the Capital Performing Arts Centre in View Street on September 17 and 18. For Program details contact Pat Ibbotson, Conference Manager on (03) 5444 7859 or p.lbbotson@latrobe.edu.au.
Tuesday 19/6/2007 Page: 15
Renewable energy and global warming will be the topic of a major conference organised by the City of Greater Bendigo and La Trobe University, Bendigo. Councillor Keith Reynard says the conference is a pro-active step at a time when the world is seeking answers to the growing energy crisis. "Some of the best ideas and initiatives have come from regional Australia, and we are expecting to see more good ideas come out of this important conference," Cr Reynard said. The economic development opportunities that should arise from the shift towards renewables are viewed as a major positive for the region's economy."Both the CoGB and the University recognise that support and investment is essential to the growth of new technology, and believe now is the time for innovation, ingenuity and vision." "It is becoming clearer that local communities will play an important role in the adoption of renewable energy technology and I believe the strength and commitment of local communities to take positive action will drive government policy in this issue."
Speakers will address a wide range of topics including the Hepburn community wind farm, timber as a renewable, converting waste to energy, creating "energy wedges" in regional Australia, linking renewables through hybrid technology and solar powered desalination. Keynote speakers include State Treasurer John Brumby, weather presenter and environmentalist Rob Gell and Bendigo Bank CEO Rob Hunt.
The Renewable Energy & Regional Australia Conference is at the Capital Performing Arts Centre in View Street on September 17 and 18. For Program details contact Pat Ibbotson, Conference Manager on (03) 5444 7859 or p.lbbotson@latrobe.edu.au.
Monday, 11 June 2007
City aims to be model for other municipalities
Bendigo Advertiser
Friday 8/6/2007 Page: 12
CITY of Greater Bendigo council will attempt to set itself up as a model for other municipalities in combating climate change with a new benchmark green plan to guide its activities.
Bendigo council has adopted a new draft Natural Environment Strategy for 2007 to 2010 aiming to incorporate maximum climate changes response, natural conservation and improved resource management into its services and operations. The plan's objectives are making a 50 per cent reduction in corporate greenhouse emissions by 2020, utilising hybrid fleet cars and biodiesel truck trials.
It also includes alternative energy trials for landfill methane gas, solar cells on council buildings and extensive use of low energy council buildings and street lighting, to influence planning strategies to encourage alternative transport use to cars, ensure alignment with other major conservation bodies such as the North Central Catchment Management Authority and Department of Sustainability and Environment as well as investigate clearer potential impacts of climate change on Bendigo.
Cr Keith Reynard said while they had met 85 per cent of the 2001- 2006 plan's targets, the new plan had set standards and objectives even higher because the community awareness. "This is about reflecting a major change of focus in the community," Cr Reynard said. "We have shown leadership in this area and it is recognised by many councils around Australia." Cr Reynard argued that where federal leadership had failed on the climate change issue, the council could regain the initiative for change with a level of community consultation and interaction.
"15 years ago we led the world in solar energy, research and development and since then we have seen that innovation stifled." He said Bendigo's solar city bid, the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance and the renewable Energy conference to be held in Bendigo in September could set new benchmarks and ideas other regions could follow.
Cr Rod Fyffe said the new strategy followed the fact that Bendigo +25 Plan had nominated climate as the number one issue concerning the community.
"This EP blueprint will influence every part of the council's planning and assets management officers' thinking and indeed every member of our community." Cr Kevin Gibbons said the focus of the strategy was ensuring Bendigo was and continued to be a great place to live. "We want Bendigo to be a really lovely place to be, we want the best water to drink, the best air to breathe and to do that we need this plan," Cr Gibbins said.
Council's Green Plan, which has gained input from an umber of partners including Bendigo schools and community forums, will now be open for community comment before being releasing its final strategy.
Friday 8/6/2007 Page: 12
CITY of Greater Bendigo council will attempt to set itself up as a model for other municipalities in combating climate change with a new benchmark green plan to guide its activities.
Bendigo council has adopted a new draft Natural Environment Strategy for 2007 to 2010 aiming to incorporate maximum climate changes response, natural conservation and improved resource management into its services and operations. The plan's objectives are making a 50 per cent reduction in corporate greenhouse emissions by 2020, utilising hybrid fleet cars and biodiesel truck trials.
It also includes alternative energy trials for landfill methane gas, solar cells on council buildings and extensive use of low energy council buildings and street lighting, to influence planning strategies to encourage alternative transport use to cars, ensure alignment with other major conservation bodies such as the North Central Catchment Management Authority and Department of Sustainability and Environment as well as investigate clearer potential impacts of climate change on Bendigo.
Cr Keith Reynard said while they had met 85 per cent of the 2001- 2006 plan's targets, the new plan had set standards and objectives even higher because the community awareness. "This is about reflecting a major change of focus in the community," Cr Reynard said. "We have shown leadership in this area and it is recognised by many councils around Australia." Cr Reynard argued that where federal leadership had failed on the climate change issue, the council could regain the initiative for change with a level of community consultation and interaction.
"15 years ago we led the world in solar energy, research and development and since then we have seen that innovation stifled." He said Bendigo's solar city bid, the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance and the renewable Energy conference to be held in Bendigo in September could set new benchmarks and ideas other regions could follow.
Cr Rod Fyffe said the new strategy followed the fact that Bendigo +25 Plan had nominated climate as the number one issue concerning the community.
"This EP blueprint will influence every part of the council's planning and assets management officers' thinking and indeed every member of our community." Cr Kevin Gibbons said the focus of the strategy was ensuring Bendigo was and continued to be a great place to live. "We want Bendigo to be a really lovely place to be, we want the best water to drink, the best air to breathe and to do that we need this plan," Cr Gibbins said.
Council's Green Plan, which has gained input from an umber of partners including Bendigo schools and community forums, will now be open for community comment before being releasing its final strategy.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Big crowd at Clean Energy meeting
Bega District News
Tuesday 5/6/2007 Page: 5
THE Bermagui Country Club auditorium was packed to overflowing on Sunday afternoon for a Clean Air for Energy meeting.
President for Clean Energy for Eternity, Matthew Nott, said the Bega Valley and neighbouring shires should set themselves up as centres of excellence for renewable energy with their aims of 50 per cent reduction in energy use from renewable sources by 2020. He said the small town of Ararat in Victoria had embraced wind farming and now had a factory producing wind turbine blades that employed 700 people.
In Austria, the town of Guessing with a population of 4,000 in 1989 was now the home to the European Centre of Renewable Energy and 1,000 new jobs had come on line in 15 years in the renewable energy projects there.
Phillipa Rowland, Derek Povel and Bill Caldicott from the Clean Energy working group showed in graphs and pie charts how much power we use and the effects this consumption had on the atmosphere. On a positive note they then explained what people could do to change the situation that day, the next month and the next year.
That day they could contact their energy supplier and sign on to Greenpower; they could check their tyres to make sure that were pumped up properly; and then drive home at a slower pace. Once home they could be economical with lights, cooking and heating. They were told 20 per cent of their energy consumption was on hot water so they should have shorter showers, not only to save water but to save power.
Dr Nott asked those in the hall whether they had low energy lighting in their homes and a sea of hands went up. On a monthly basis people could check the design of their houses, their insulation and their curtains. Energy saving devices could be retro-fitted to make homes more sustainable, they were told.
What people could do in a year was think very carefully about the car they drove and whether it would be possible to switch to a hybrid. They could also look into installing gas hot water or have a solar hot water system backed by electricity or, ideally, have a complete solar system providing all needed electricity and returning some to the grid.
Sculptor Richard Moffatt said communication and education were a big part of the campaign and explained how this happened through the installation of the Cyclone Eternity sculpture.
Derek Povel said the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Shire Councils were working toward the 50/50 by 2020 solution, subsidising the installation of solar and wind energy at the Bega and Pambula Surf Clubs. Council staff were also looking to use smaller cars and globes in council offices had been changed to light energy globes.
Bill Caldicott called in those in the hall to start using their influence at their schools, their churches or any other organisations to which they belonged to become carbon neutral.
A wind farm could be set up in the shire and this was being examined by those who could measure whether such a development would work. Dr Nott reiterated that going forward with renewable energy would be. a source of jobs and help the economy, not the opposite.
He said that Bermagui could spread the message by having a 50/50 by 2020 sign on its water tower but council said the community would have to agree so he was asking whether people were in favour of that move and they were unanimously.
Students from Bermagui Public School, Lumen Christi Christian College and Moruya High School spoke on what they doing to reduce energy use.
Tuesday 5/6/2007 Page: 5
THE Bermagui Country Club auditorium was packed to overflowing on Sunday afternoon for a Clean Air for Energy meeting.
President for Clean Energy for Eternity, Matthew Nott, said the Bega Valley and neighbouring shires should set themselves up as centres of excellence for renewable energy with their aims of 50 per cent reduction in energy use from renewable sources by 2020. He said the small town of Ararat in Victoria had embraced wind farming and now had a factory producing wind turbine blades that employed 700 people.
In Austria, the town of Guessing with a population of 4,000 in 1989 was now the home to the European Centre of Renewable Energy and 1,000 new jobs had come on line in 15 years in the renewable energy projects there.
Phillipa Rowland, Derek Povel and Bill Caldicott from the Clean Energy working group showed in graphs and pie charts how much power we use and the effects this consumption had on the atmosphere. On a positive note they then explained what people could do to change the situation that day, the next month and the next year.
That day they could contact their energy supplier and sign on to Greenpower; they could check their tyres to make sure that were pumped up properly; and then drive home at a slower pace. Once home they could be economical with lights, cooking and heating. They were told 20 per cent of their energy consumption was on hot water so they should have shorter showers, not only to save water but to save power.
Dr Nott asked those in the hall whether they had low energy lighting in their homes and a sea of hands went up. On a monthly basis people could check the design of their houses, their insulation and their curtains. Energy saving devices could be retro-fitted to make homes more sustainable, they were told.
What people could do in a year was think very carefully about the car they drove and whether it would be possible to switch to a hybrid. They could also look into installing gas hot water or have a solar hot water system backed by electricity or, ideally, have a complete solar system providing all needed electricity and returning some to the grid.
Sculptor Richard Moffatt said communication and education were a big part of the campaign and explained how this happened through the installation of the Cyclone Eternity sculpture.
Derek Povel said the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Shire Councils were working toward the 50/50 by 2020 solution, subsidising the installation of solar and wind energy at the Bega and Pambula Surf Clubs. Council staff were also looking to use smaller cars and globes in council offices had been changed to light energy globes.
Bill Caldicott called in those in the hall to start using their influence at their schools, their churches or any other organisations to which they belonged to become carbon neutral.
A wind farm could be set up in the shire and this was being examined by those who could measure whether such a development would work. Dr Nott reiterated that going forward with renewable energy would be. a source of jobs and help the economy, not the opposite.
He said that Bermagui could spread the message by having a 50/50 by 2020 sign on its water tower but council said the community would have to agree so he was asking whether people were in favour of that move and they were unanimously.
Students from Bermagui Public School, Lumen Christi Christian College and Moruya High School spoke on what they doing to reduce energy use.
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
Jobs thrown on rubbish heap
Sunday Age
Sunday 3/6/2007 Page: 18
The Federal Government's lack of support for eco-technologies is forcing business off-shore.
THE long-awaited Prime Ministerial taskforce on emissions trading may have sounded the death knell for Australia's renewable energy sector. Backing a national emissions trading scheme, it recommended that it be "technology neutral", which means Mandatory Renewable Energy Targets would be abolished in favour of letting the market decide which energy source was most likely to cut carbon emissions. The lack of targets has already relegated Australia, once a global leader in renewable technology, into a "could have been".
As Prime Minister John Howard released the report, China's SunTech Power Holdings company was busily churning out shiny solar panels, ready to soak up all that free energy. Suntech has every reason to love the sunshine: it's said to be hoping for a $135 million profit for 2007 - a 70 per cent increase on last year.
And it might just have been an Australian success story. Suntech's chief executive, Zhengrong Shi, according to Forbes rich list, is Australia's fifth wealthiest man (and China's third) and he learnt the tricks of his solar trade in Sydney. A graduate of the University of New South Wales's School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering and worth a reported $2.8 billion, he lives in China but holds Australian citizenship.
With inadequate Federal Government support and a coal industry that, according to its growing chorus of opponents, is unfairly courted, there are many renewable energy enterprises with Suntech-style potential that have either given up or turned their attention overseas, according to the Greens' climate change spokeswoman, Senator Christine Milne.
She says it's an economic and environmental tragedy. Ms Milne launched her Re-energising Australia report last month and says scant Federal Government support for the renewable industry has also made Australians feel the onus is on them to make changes. "People are feeling guilt-tripped," Ms Milne says. "Wherever I go it's clear to me that the community are way ahead of the politics when it comes to climate change. They are really worried and they want to take whatever action they can." But she says shifting to solar electricity or a hybrid car is often prohibitively expensive.
Ms Milne says renewable energy enterprises frequently tell her they are ready to dive into the local market but the Government's refusal to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) has dried up investment and to varying degrees forced businesses out. Because the Government won't increase the MRET (originally set at 9500 gigawatt hours, equivalent to about 2 per cent, of additional renewable energy generation per year by 2010), Victoria, NSW and South Australia have instead taken the lead with various targets of their own. Victoria is aiming to buy 10 per cent of power from renewable sources by 2016.
Another study, released recently by the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Asia-Pacific and Climate Action Network Australia, said a renewable energy target of 25 per cent by 2020 could deliver 17,000 new jobs and provide enough electricity to power every home in Australia. It said such a target would reduce emissions by about 15 per cent from 2004 levels and bring big savings for Australian households.
Tristan Edis, policy and research manager for the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy, says there is now a global battle to develop renewable technologies and industries that can tackle greenhouse emissions and at the same time end dependence on "unreliable, volatile and often hostile regimes" that supply oil and gas.
Renewables are a $40 billion plus global industry; and while Australia used to be a leader in solar technology, Mr Edis says the world "has flown past us", with Germany now taking the lead, building a solar and wind turbine industry that exports globally and employs 157,000 people, closely followed by Spain. The rest of Europe is following, with the EU setting a 20 per cent renewable energy target for 2020. Even the US, which along with Australia has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse emissions, is in the ascendant, with populous states such as California setting a 33 per cent target for 2020.
Some renewable energy enterprises remain hopeful. After announcing in May last year that it was halting work on its big Australian wind farm projects and focusing overseas, the Roaring 40s company is now taking an optimistic line. Its spokesman, Josh Bradshaw, says he now sees a more buoyant market and, with an approaching federal election, the Howard Government is making "good movements" towards an emissions trading scheme, announcing on Friday that Australia will begin carbon emissions trading by 2012.
Melbourne-based Pacific Hydro, a renewable energy power plant development company owned mainly by an Australian super fund, has had a hard slog locally but is also having great success - overseas. Its director, Andrew Richards, says all its Australian wind projects were stalled for several years due to the Federal Government's refusal to expand MRET.
But in the meantime the company has been busy developing a number of hydro and wind projects in developing countries such as Chile and Brazil (both are $500 million investments). Because Victoria has instituted its own renewable energy target, Pacific Hydro has now revived its local wind projects at Portland (a $300 million investment) and South Australia. It is also investigating a geothermal project in central Australia.
While Mr Richards and others estimate that enormous investment opportunities have been lost while waiting for the Government to take a firm stand, a spokeswoman for the federal Environment and Water Resources Department says it is not true to say that current measures are focused disproportionately on fossil fuels. Renewables are important in Australia's "energy mix", she says. "The Government is supporting a range of low emissions technologies," she says.
This includes the $52 million it has spent on the photovoltaic rebate program, $25 million committed under the Asia- Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate program, plus $75 million on the Solar Cities program. In last month's budget, $741 million of extra funding over the next five years was committed for bigger rebates for solar panels and other climate change measures. "Making coal and coal mining less greenhouse intensive is perhaps the most important contribution Australia can make on climate change," she says.
But Senator Milne and the ACF remain sceptical about "clean" coal (removing the CO2 from its emissions), with few signs that effective technology will be online - or even feasible - within the next decade. The ACF's executive director, Don Henry, insists that the demand for renewables is there already, with people keen to live more sustainably.
Sunday 3/6/2007 Page: 18
The Federal Government's lack of support for eco-technologies is forcing business off-shore.THE long-awaited Prime Ministerial taskforce on emissions trading may have sounded the death knell for Australia's renewable energy sector. Backing a national emissions trading scheme, it recommended that it be "technology neutral", which means Mandatory Renewable Energy Targets would be abolished in favour of letting the market decide which energy source was most likely to cut carbon emissions. The lack of targets has already relegated Australia, once a global leader in renewable technology, into a "could have been".
As Prime Minister John Howard released the report, China's SunTech Power Holdings company was busily churning out shiny solar panels, ready to soak up all that free energy. Suntech has every reason to love the sunshine: it's said to be hoping for a $135 million profit for 2007 - a 70 per cent increase on last year.
And it might just have been an Australian success story. Suntech's chief executive, Zhengrong Shi, according to Forbes rich list, is Australia's fifth wealthiest man (and China's third) and he learnt the tricks of his solar trade in Sydney. A graduate of the University of New South Wales's School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering and worth a reported $2.8 billion, he lives in China but holds Australian citizenship.
With inadequate Federal Government support and a coal industry that, according to its growing chorus of opponents, is unfairly courted, there are many renewable energy enterprises with Suntech-style potential that have either given up or turned their attention overseas, according to the Greens' climate change spokeswoman, Senator Christine Milne.
She says it's an economic and environmental tragedy. Ms Milne launched her Re-energising Australia report last month and says scant Federal Government support for the renewable industry has also made Australians feel the onus is on them to make changes. "People are feeling guilt-tripped," Ms Milne says. "Wherever I go it's clear to me that the community are way ahead of the politics when it comes to climate change. They are really worried and they want to take whatever action they can." But she says shifting to solar electricity or a hybrid car is often prohibitively expensive.
Ms Milne says renewable energy enterprises frequently tell her they are ready to dive into the local market but the Government's refusal to increase the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) has dried up investment and to varying degrees forced businesses out. Because the Government won't increase the MRET (originally set at 9500 gigawatt hours, equivalent to about 2 per cent, of additional renewable energy generation per year by 2010), Victoria, NSW and South Australia have instead taken the lead with various targets of their own. Victoria is aiming to buy 10 per cent of power from renewable sources by 2016.
Another study, released recently by the Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace Asia-Pacific and Climate Action Network Australia, said a renewable energy target of 25 per cent by 2020 could deliver 17,000 new jobs and provide enough electricity to power every home in Australia. It said such a target would reduce emissions by about 15 per cent from 2004 levels and bring big savings for Australian households.
Tristan Edis, policy and research manager for the Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy, says there is now a global battle to develop renewable technologies and industries that can tackle greenhouse emissions and at the same time end dependence on "unreliable, volatile and often hostile regimes" that supply oil and gas.
Renewables are a $40 billion plus global industry; and while Australia used to be a leader in solar technology, Mr Edis says the world "has flown past us", with Germany now taking the lead, building a solar and wind turbine industry that exports globally and employs 157,000 people, closely followed by Spain. The rest of Europe is following, with the EU setting a 20 per cent renewable energy target for 2020. Even the US, which along with Australia has refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse emissions, is in the ascendant, with populous states such as California setting a 33 per cent target for 2020.
Some renewable energy enterprises remain hopeful. After announcing in May last year that it was halting work on its big Australian wind farm projects and focusing overseas, the Roaring 40s company is now taking an optimistic line. Its spokesman, Josh Bradshaw, says he now sees a more buoyant market and, with an approaching federal election, the Howard Government is making "good movements" towards an emissions trading scheme, announcing on Friday that Australia will begin carbon emissions trading by 2012.
Melbourne-based Pacific Hydro, a renewable energy power plant development company owned mainly by an Australian super fund, has had a hard slog locally but is also having great success - overseas. Its director, Andrew Richards, says all its Australian wind projects were stalled for several years due to the Federal Government's refusal to expand MRET.
But in the meantime the company has been busy developing a number of hydro and wind projects in developing countries such as Chile and Brazil (both are $500 million investments). Because Victoria has instituted its own renewable energy target, Pacific Hydro has now revived its local wind projects at Portland (a $300 million investment) and South Australia. It is also investigating a geothermal project in central Australia.
While Mr Richards and others estimate that enormous investment opportunities have been lost while waiting for the Government to take a firm stand, a spokeswoman for the federal Environment and Water Resources Department says it is not true to say that current measures are focused disproportionately on fossil fuels. Renewables are important in Australia's "energy mix", she says. "The Government is supporting a range of low emissions technologies," she says.
This includes the $52 million it has spent on the photovoltaic rebate program, $25 million committed under the Asia- Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate program, plus $75 million on the Solar Cities program. In last month's budget, $741 million of extra funding over the next five years was committed for bigger rebates for solar panels and other climate change measures. "Making coal and coal mining less greenhouse intensive is perhaps the most important contribution Australia can make on climate change," she says.
But Senator Milne and the ACF remain sceptical about "clean" coal (removing the CO2 from its emissions), with few signs that effective technology will be online - or even feasible - within the next decade. The ACF's executive director, Don Henry, insists that the demand for renewables is there already, with people keen to live more sustainably.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
It's easy being green: big profits for GE
Australian, Page: 24
Friday, 25 May 2007
General Electric has doubled sales from environmentally friendly products to $US12 billion ($14.58 billion) over the past two years, in the strongest sign yet that corporate America ’s drive to respond to climate change is beginning to pay off Jeffrey Immelt, GE ’s chief executive, is expected to announce that the company has $US5O billion of projects in the pipeline and is on track to meet its target of $US2O billion in "green" sales by 2010.
According to GE, sales of environmentally friendly products such as wind turbines, water purification systems and energy efficient appliances rose from $US6 billion in 2004 to $US1O billion in 2005 and $US12 billion last year. Over the same period, overall sales at GE grew just more than 20 per cent to $US163 billion.
News of the sharp rise in revenues from "ecoimagination" the marketing campaign launched in 2005 to highlight GE ’s focus on green issues comes as US companies are scrambling to take advantage of opportunities presented by climate change. In recent weeks, News Corp, IBM and Citigroup announced plans to invest billions of dollars on environmental projects to gain a leading position in areas such as alternative energy, carbon emission trading and energy efficiency.
Executives at GE say its "ecoimagination" sales show that, far from being a drag on earnings, such strategies can benefit the bottom line. "I think the idea has traction now. As a business, you have got to be willing to have your own strategy (on the climate change)," Mr Immelt told the FT this week. The focus on driving revenues from greener products is a priority in Mr Immelt ’s plan to reduce GE ’s exposure to low-growth industries and reshape its portfolio towards more profitable sectors. GE will also reveal that last year it invested $US900 million of its $US3.7 billion annual research and development budget on green projects.
Mr Immelt has pledged to raise R&D spending on eco-projects to $US1.5 billion by the end of the decade. It also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 4 per cent in 2006, ahead of its target of lowering them by 1 per cent before 2012. The company was expected overnight to showcase forthcoming products including a prototype for the world ’s first diesel-electric hybrid locomotive. The locomotive saves fuel by storing up energy when it brakes.
The choice of product is significant because GE, which dominates the US market for locomotives, has been attacked by environmental groups for opposing plans by the Environmental Protection Agency to slash smog emissions from locomotives. GE has defended its position but the criticisms highlight the reputational risk it faces as it strives to ditch its traditional image of an old-style industrial conglomerate.
Friday, 25 May 2007
General Electric has doubled sales from environmentally friendly products to $US12 billion ($14.58 billion) over the past two years, in the strongest sign yet that corporate America ’s drive to respond to climate change is beginning to pay off Jeffrey Immelt, GE ’s chief executive, is expected to announce that the company has $US5O billion of projects in the pipeline and is on track to meet its target of $US2O billion in "green" sales by 2010.
According to GE, sales of environmentally friendly products such as wind turbines, water purification systems and energy efficient appliances rose from $US6 billion in 2004 to $US1O billion in 2005 and $US12 billion last year. Over the same period, overall sales at GE grew just more than 20 per cent to $US163 billion.
News of the sharp rise in revenues from "ecoimagination" the marketing campaign launched in 2005 to highlight GE ’s focus on green issues comes as US companies are scrambling to take advantage of opportunities presented by climate change. In recent weeks, News Corp, IBM and Citigroup announced plans to invest billions of dollars on environmental projects to gain a leading position in areas such as alternative energy, carbon emission trading and energy efficiency.
Executives at GE say its "ecoimagination" sales show that, far from being a drag on earnings, such strategies can benefit the bottom line. "I think the idea has traction now. As a business, you have got to be willing to have your own strategy (on the climate change)," Mr Immelt told the FT this week. The focus on driving revenues from greener products is a priority in Mr Immelt ’s plan to reduce GE ’s exposure to low-growth industries and reshape its portfolio towards more profitable sectors. GE will also reveal that last year it invested $US900 million of its $US3.7 billion annual research and development budget on green projects.
Mr Immelt has pledged to raise R&D spending on eco-projects to $US1.5 billion by the end of the decade. It also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 4 per cent in 2006, ahead of its target of lowering them by 1 per cent before 2012. The company was expected overnight to showcase forthcoming products including a prototype for the world ’s first diesel-electric hybrid locomotive. The locomotive saves fuel by storing up energy when it brakes.
The choice of product is significant because GE, which dominates the US market for locomotives, has been attacked by environmental groups for opposing plans by the Environmental Protection Agency to slash smog emissions from locomotives. GE has defended its position but the criticisms highlight the reputational risk it faces as it strives to ditch its traditional image of an old-style industrial conglomerate.
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