Hamilton Spectator
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 1
A HUGE $180 million wind farm has been proposed for Glenthompson giving the drought hit district a timely boost.
If the wind farm goes ahead - which is highly likely given the State Government's enthusiastic support generally for wind farms - it will easily be the second largest development in Southern Grampians shire, only behind the $270 million lluka development in Hamilton and Balmoral.
It would also be the first wind farm totally sited in the shire - currently there is a proposed small wind farm at Woodhouse but Southern Grampians and Moyne Shires share the planning responsibility.
The proponents of the wind farm, which is 3- 5kms south of Glenthompson, are Investec Bank (Australia) and Windlab Systems. They say it will `revitalise the district providing numerous jobs and a huge economic boost at a time when the area is being hit hard by ongoing drought'. Called Oaklands Hill wind farm, they claim it will provide up to 60 jobs - mostly local - during the 12-18 month design and construction phase.
State Government decision
The wind towers will generate about 80 Mw, so the decision on a planning permit will be made by the State Government rather than Southern Grampians shire. Two layouts are being considered - one with 42 turbines, the other with 43. It's intended to begin construction onsite in 2008 with the aim of commissioning the wind farm by the first quarter of 2009.
Detailed studies into the impact on flora and fauna, landscape, visual impact and noise have already been undertaken as part of initial planning. "Once these studies and the consultation process have been completed, a development application will be lodged with the Minister for Planning (Justin Madden)," Investec Bank and joint venture spokesman, Mark Headland, said. Mr Madden ruled last month that an environmental effects statement for the wind farm wasn't needed.
An open day explaining the project will be held in the Glenthompson Memorial Hall on Saturday, March 3, from 10am-4pm.
Windlab Systems was established by staff from the former CSIRO wind energy research unit.
High winds recorded
Their research identified the Oaklands Hill site as one of the best locations for a wind farm in inland Victoria, registering wind speeds usually associated with coastal areas. Investec Bank and Windlab Systems say the proposed wind farm will: cut carbon dioxide emissions by 364,000 tonnes a year; produce enough power to service 52,000 homes; and produce 280,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually. The slashing of carbon dioxide emissions would be the equivalent of taking 84,000 cars off the road annually or by locking up the carbon of 543,000 trees.
Mr Headland said the proponents would visit neighbouring property owners and shire representatives, starting mid- February, to discuss the wind farm. "Victoria's electricity generation is responsible for more than 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Victoria.
"This wind farm will be a clean, emissions-free source of generation which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions," he said. "So while the people of Glenthompson will feel the immediate economic benefits. Oaklands Hill wind farm will ultimately benefit all Victorians."
$50,000 donation
The partners have also said they will donate $50,000 to be spent on local projects.
"At this time (during construction) we will work with the shire council to identify opportunities to use this money to benefit the Glenthompson community," Mr Headland added. Southern Grampians Shire mayor, Cr Mick Leeming, said it was a tremendous development for Glenthompson.
"Probably the good part about it is that magnificent view of the Grampians will be preserved," Cr Leeming said. "I hadn't heard about the $50,000 donation - that will be fantastic for the Glenthompson community. They always have projects on the go so no doubt they will find a good use for that," Cr Leeming added.
It's proposed to connect the wind farm to the 66KV line from Hamilton to Terang, which is located about 17.5 kms south of the site. The project has already been referred to the previous Federal Environment Minister. Ian Campbell, who ruled the project didn't have an impact on matters of national environmental significance.
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
Bega Valley Shire Council goes green
Eurobodalla Shire Independent
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 4
Bega Valley Shire Council has been recognised as the first NSW local council to purchase renewable energy from Country Energy for 100 per cent of their sites, taking a strong lead in combating climate change.
Over the next five years, the council will power all 197 of their sites - including water and sewerage facilities, sporting grounds, buildings, swimming pool and streetlights - with renewable energy.
"There are all sorts of pressures in the community, and worldwide, to do something about global warming, so as a council we have committed to making improvements. We decided to take charge," Mayor Tony Allen said.
Prior to the new 'green deal', council consumed almost seven million kilowatt hours of energy each year, emitting more than 7000 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. By purchasing renewable energy for 100 per cent of their sites, their operations will effectively be carbon neutral, having no impact on global warming.
Country Energy's regional general manager south eastern David Bellew congratulated council on leading the way in environmental conservation, and encouraged locals to follow council's lead by also purchasing renewable energy from Country Energy.
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 4
Bega Valley Shire Council has been recognised as the first NSW local council to purchase renewable energy from Country Energy for 100 per cent of their sites, taking a strong lead in combating climate change.
Over the next five years, the council will power all 197 of their sites - including water and sewerage facilities, sporting grounds, buildings, swimming pool and streetlights - with renewable energy.
"There are all sorts of pressures in the community, and worldwide, to do something about global warming, so as a council we have committed to making improvements. We decided to take charge," Mayor Tony Allen said.
Prior to the new 'green deal', council consumed almost seven million kilowatt hours of energy each year, emitting more than 7000 tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. By purchasing renewable energy for 100 per cent of their sites, their operations will effectively be carbon neutral, having no impact on global warming.
Country Energy's regional general manager south eastern David Bellew congratulated council on leading the way in environmental conservation, and encouraged locals to follow council's lead by also purchasing renewable energy from Country Energy.
Council sets renewable energy benchmark
Eden Imlay Magnet
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 10
Bega Valley Shire Council was recognised yesterday as the first New South Wales local council to purchase renewable energy from Country Energy for 100 per cent of its sites.
Believed to be the first in the state to undertake such a substantial environmental commitment, the council will power all 197 of its sites - including water and sewerage facilities, sporting grounds, buildings, swimming pool and streetlights - with renewable energy over the next five years.
"There are all sorts of pressures in the community, and worldwide, to do something about global warming, so as a council we have committed to making improvements. We decided to take charge," Mayor Tony Allen said.
Country Energy's regional general manager south eastern David Bellew presented council with a plaque in recognition of their efforts to combat climate change. Country Energy and council have also formed an environmental partnership that includes energy audits of all major sites.
The aim is to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and ultimately reduce council's operating costs, benefiting ratepayers through financial and environmental savings.
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 10
Bega Valley Shire Council was recognised yesterday as the first New South Wales local council to purchase renewable energy from Country Energy for 100 per cent of its sites.
Believed to be the first in the state to undertake such a substantial environmental commitment, the council will power all 197 of its sites - including water and sewerage facilities, sporting grounds, buildings, swimming pool and streetlights - with renewable energy over the next five years.
"There are all sorts of pressures in the community, and worldwide, to do something about global warming, so as a council we have committed to making improvements. We decided to take charge," Mayor Tony Allen said.
Country Energy's regional general manager south eastern David Bellew presented council with a plaque in recognition of their efforts to combat climate change. Country Energy and council have also formed an environmental partnership that includes energy audits of all major sites.
The aim is to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and ultimately reduce council's operating costs, benefiting ratepayers through financial and environmental savings.
Decisions for the broader public good
Goulburn Post
Friday 16/2/2007 Page: 8
WHILE debate still rages as to what - or who - is responsible for causing it, there's no denying that the climate is changing. Even locally, according to research findings in the recently released 2004 State of the Environment Report for ACT region, there is strong evidence the district is warming and drying up.
Again, whether this is due to human activity or not, is not particularly the point we're trying to make in this column. Our point here is that by not acknowledging these ever increasing erratic and extreme patterns of weather - as purported by an overwhelming stream of evidence - we are taking a great risk.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council last week accepted the State of the Environment Report's findings without question and has agreed to place even greater emphasis on addressing climate change in its planning policies.
Even the courts - supposedly the last bastion of truth and justice in our society - acknowledge the existence of climate change and its potential threat to humanity. In allowing the Taralga wind farm to go ahead, Judge Preston in the Land and Environment Court this week adjudicated that the broader public good of increasing the supply of renewable energy would prevail over the "geographically narrower concerns of the Taralga Landscape Guardians" "It is a widely recognised fact that the state of the global environment is in rapid decline, requiring an urgent response if the current quality of life enjoyed by Australians is to continue," he said.
His Honour has set an unequivocal precedent, which many - the vast majority of Australians, we would argue - would subscribe to.
Friday 16/2/2007 Page: 8
WHILE debate still rages as to what - or who - is responsible for causing it, there's no denying that the climate is changing. Even locally, according to research findings in the recently released 2004 State of the Environment Report for ACT region, there is strong evidence the district is warming and drying up.
Again, whether this is due to human activity or not, is not particularly the point we're trying to make in this column. Our point here is that by not acknowledging these ever increasing erratic and extreme patterns of weather - as purported by an overwhelming stream of evidence - we are taking a great risk.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council last week accepted the State of the Environment Report's findings without question and has agreed to place even greater emphasis on addressing climate change in its planning policies.
Even the courts - supposedly the last bastion of truth and justice in our society - acknowledge the existence of climate change and its potential threat to humanity. In allowing the Taralga wind farm to go ahead, Judge Preston in the Land and Environment Court this week adjudicated that the broader public good of increasing the supply of renewable energy would prevail over the "geographically narrower concerns of the Taralga Landscape Guardians" "It is a widely recognised fact that the state of the global environment is in rapid decline, requiring an urgent response if the current quality of life enjoyed by Australians is to continue," he said.
His Honour has set an unequivocal precedent, which many - the vast majority of Australians, we would argue - would subscribe to.
Energy from the sea
Adelaide Review
Friday 16/2/2007 Page: 29
A company behind the eco-village is planning to harness the waves in SA.
The company co-developing the visionary Aldinga Arts EcoVillage is planning to bring leading-edge wave technology to South Australia. The technology makes use of ocean waves to generate electricity, which is then sent to the mainland. Eventually there could be a series of wave farms located five to 10 kilometres offshore from Adelaide, according to Andrew Dickson, development manager for Wind Prospect, which spawned Sustainable Property Developments, the company co-developing Aldinga Arts EcoVillage.
"We've been closely monitoring the technology, it's emerging technology," he says.
"Ultimately, we're renewable energy developers, in the same way that we've developed wind energy projects, we're interested in developing wave and tidal energy in SA. There is significant energy available in waves. There's a higher energy density available in waves than wind and it's more predictable and consistent.
"At the moment the technology is still very expensive but obviously these costs would fall as the technology is further developed and implemented." Wind Prospect has developed and got planning approval for eight wind farms in SA, four of which have gone to construction. That represents almost 300 megawatts of renewable energy, which supplies the national electricity grid.
He says wave technology is environmentally friendly, produces no emissions, doesn't kill birds and is not harmful to sea creatures. The farms would not necessarily be visible from shore: they would be made up of a series of pelamis. A pelami is like a giant metal snake, 120 metres long in four cylindrical sections, which is anchored. Waves make the snake pitch and yaw. This drives hydraulic rams, which in turn drive high-pressure hydraulic fluid through a generator. Electricity is fed to shore via a submarine cable.
Dickson says much of the technology is from the UK, particularly Scotland. He says the wave farms will be vital to maintaining power supply to South Australian homes via the national electricity grid. "The more you distribute the generation sources and have different technologies, the more robust the electricity grid can be," Dickson says.
Dickson's company and its various offshoots are dedicated to environmentally friendly solutions to living including housing and energy supply.
The first commercial wave farm in the world was installed last year near Povoa de Varzim off northern Portugal. The first stage, consisting of three pelamis, costs over $A13 million and supplies the power for 1500 households. Portugal has already put in a preliminary order for another 28 pelamis, to supply more than 15,000 households.
Aldinga Arts EcoVillage is 16 hectares of residential development, all of which is architecturally designed to be environmentally friendly. The entire village, including a community farm, covers 35 hectares.
Features such as solar hot water and rainwater tanks are mandated into the development, which reserves 44 per cent of land as open space. Smoking is banned on community land at the development; however, you can smoke on your own property.
Sustainable Property Developments joined Aldinga Arts EcoVillage as co-developer last year to develop the final stage - 25 water- and energy efficient terrace houses. The village is not sold out: there still are opportunities to buy blocks of land.
Friday 16/2/2007 Page: 29
A company behind the eco-village is planning to harness the waves in SA.
The company co-developing the visionary Aldinga Arts EcoVillage is planning to bring leading-edge wave technology to South Australia. The technology makes use of ocean waves to generate electricity, which is then sent to the mainland. Eventually there could be a series of wave farms located five to 10 kilometres offshore from Adelaide, according to Andrew Dickson, development manager for Wind Prospect, which spawned Sustainable Property Developments, the company co-developing Aldinga Arts EcoVillage.
"We've been closely monitoring the technology, it's emerging technology," he says.
"Ultimately, we're renewable energy developers, in the same way that we've developed wind energy projects, we're interested in developing wave and tidal energy in SA. There is significant energy available in waves. There's a higher energy density available in waves than wind and it's more predictable and consistent.
"At the moment the technology is still very expensive but obviously these costs would fall as the technology is further developed and implemented." Wind Prospect has developed and got planning approval for eight wind farms in SA, four of which have gone to construction. That represents almost 300 megawatts of renewable energy, which supplies the national electricity grid.
He says wave technology is environmentally friendly, produces no emissions, doesn't kill birds and is not harmful to sea creatures. The farms would not necessarily be visible from shore: they would be made up of a series of pelamis. A pelami is like a giant metal snake, 120 metres long in four cylindrical sections, which is anchored. Waves make the snake pitch and yaw. This drives hydraulic rams, which in turn drive high-pressure hydraulic fluid through a generator. Electricity is fed to shore via a submarine cable.
Dickson says much of the technology is from the UK, particularly Scotland. He says the wave farms will be vital to maintaining power supply to South Australian homes via the national electricity grid. "The more you distribute the generation sources and have different technologies, the more robust the electricity grid can be," Dickson says.
Dickson's company and its various offshoots are dedicated to environmentally friendly solutions to living including housing and energy supply.
The first commercial wave farm in the world was installed last year near Povoa de Varzim off northern Portugal. The first stage, consisting of three pelamis, costs over $A13 million and supplies the power for 1500 households. Portugal has already put in a preliminary order for another 28 pelamis, to supply more than 15,000 households.
Aldinga Arts EcoVillage is 16 hectares of residential development, all of which is architecturally designed to be environmentally friendly. The entire village, including a community farm, covers 35 hectares.
Features such as solar hot water and rainwater tanks are mandated into the development, which reserves 44 per cent of land as open space. Smoking is banned on community land at the development; however, you can smoke on your own property.
Sustainable Property Developments joined Aldinga Arts EcoVillage as co-developer last year to develop the final stage - 25 water- and energy efficient terrace houses. The village is not sold out: there still are opportunities to buy blocks of land.
Wind farm shire's call
Warrnambool Standard
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 15
A DECISION on a $63 million wind farm three kilometres north of Purnim might be made before the same company hears from the State Government about plans for a 25-turbine farm in Woolsthorpe. Wind Farm Developments is planning to construct a 13 to 15-turbine farm across 800 hectares of cleared land west of Ballangeich.
The company's development manager Jonathan Upson yesterday said the plans for the Drysdale Wind Farm, named after the creek on the project's eastern boundary, would produce electricity for up to 17,000 households each year.
Power generated would be transferred into a 66,000-volt line which runs between the Koroit substation and the Terang terminal station.
Tower locations and pictures of the 90-metre towers on the landscape will be displayed at the Purnim Hall next month at a date to be announced. Mr Upson said the western side of the project had rises of up to 40 metres over a creek, which captured the southerly ocean breezes.
The company is also planning a wind farm for Woolsthorpe and expected plans for that project to go on display within weeks.
Mr Upton said Moyne Shire was the planning authority to consider the Drysdale project because it fell under the 30-megawatt capacity that required the planning minister's consent. He said it was possible the council would determine the future of the Drysdale farm before the planning minister made an announcement on the Woolsthorpe farm.
The company hopes work on the Woolsthorpe farm will begin in 2008.
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 15
A DECISION on a $63 million wind farm three kilometres north of Purnim might be made before the same company hears from the State Government about plans for a 25-turbine farm in Woolsthorpe. Wind Farm Developments is planning to construct a 13 to 15-turbine farm across 800 hectares of cleared land west of Ballangeich.
The company's development manager Jonathan Upson yesterday said the plans for the Drysdale Wind Farm, named after the creek on the project's eastern boundary, would produce electricity for up to 17,000 households each year.
Power generated would be transferred into a 66,000-volt line which runs between the Koroit substation and the Terang terminal station.
Tower locations and pictures of the 90-metre towers on the landscape will be displayed at the Purnim Hall next month at a date to be announced. Mr Upson said the western side of the project had rises of up to 40 metres over a creek, which captured the southerly ocean breezes.
The company is also planning a wind farm for Woolsthorpe and expected plans for that project to go on display within weeks.
Mr Upton said Moyne Shire was the planning authority to consider the Drysdale project because it fell under the 30-megawatt capacity that required the planning minister's consent. He said it was possible the council would determine the future of the Drysdale farm before the planning minister made an announcement on the Woolsthorpe farm.
The company hopes work on the Woolsthorpe farm will begin in 2008.
Brazilian buy
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 41
RENEWABLE energy group Pacific Hydro plans to invest more than $500 million in "the coming years" to build plants in Brazil after acquiring that country's wind energy company, SES.
Chief executive Rob Grant said the Melbourne wind energy and hydropower producer intended to develop more than 300 megawatts of clean energy generation projects in Brazil, which is targeting 10 per cent renewable energy use by 2020.
Pacific, bought for $788 million in July 2005 by pension funds manager Industry Funds Management, is spending about $1.5 billion on projects between 2005 and 2010 to double the value of the company and take advantage of increasing demand for nonpolluting forms of electricity generation.
"While the Brazilian market is currently hydro dominated, it has excellent wind resources," Mr Grant said. Pacific Hydro did not say how much it paid for SES, a unit of Germany's renergys GmbH.
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 41
RENEWABLE energy group Pacific Hydro plans to invest more than $500 million in "the coming years" to build plants in Brazil after acquiring that country's wind energy company, SES.
Chief executive Rob Grant said the Melbourne wind energy and hydropower producer intended to develop more than 300 megawatts of clean energy generation projects in Brazil, which is targeting 10 per cent renewable energy use by 2020.
Pacific, bought for $788 million in July 2005 by pension funds manager Industry Funds Management, is spending about $1.5 billion on projects between 2005 and 2010 to double the value of the company and take advantage of increasing demand for nonpolluting forms of electricity generation.
"While the Brazilian market is currently hydro dominated, it has excellent wind resources," Mr Grant said. Pacific Hydro did not say how much it paid for SES, a unit of Germany's renergys GmbH.
More wind power
Adelaide Advertiser
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 85
STAMFORD, Connecticut: GE Energy Financial Services intends investing $A344 million in six wind farms - in California, Illinois, New Mexico and Pennsylvania - owned by affiliates of global investment and advisory firm Babcock and Brown. All the farms have either been completed or will be this year.
The announcement is the latest in a series of deals to expand GE's foothold in wind power. On Thursday it said it would sell wind farms in Germany for shares in Theolia, a French wind power generator.
Saturday 17/2/2007 Page: 85
STAMFORD, Connecticut: GE Energy Financial Services intends investing $A344 million in six wind farms - in California, Illinois, New Mexico and Pennsylvania - owned by affiliates of global investment and advisory firm Babcock and Brown. All the farms have either been completed or will be this year.
The announcement is the latest in a series of deals to expand GE's foothold in wind power. On Thursday it said it would sell wind farms in Germany for shares in Theolia, a French wind power generator.
Clean energy more than an impulse
Australian
Monday 19/2/2007, Page: 29
GERRY McGowan reckons he added to the hole in the ozone layer as he ran Impulse Airlines.
Now, as executive chairman of the ASX-listed renewable energy company CBD Energy, the former airline chief is doing his best to fix the problem. McGowan's company is working with Hydro Tasmania to develop a storage technology for its five wind turbines on remote King Island.
He is also teaming up with German-based solar energy company Solon AG, which is buying 20 per cent of CBD, to develop solar energy projects in Australia. "These sorts of businesses are important for the country," McGowan says. "We are developing intellectual property. We are trying to produce clean energy. Australia has huge natural resources in solar and wind and it is our responsibility to make the most of them." McGowan signed a five-year non-compete agreement with Qantas when he sold it Impulse Airlines in 2001.
He spent nine years building the airline and believes it could have been viable if some of his backers had been able to hang in for the long haul. But while he still keeps in touch with some people he used to know at Impulse (which turned into Jetstar), he has no more interest in going back into airlines.
His new passion is for renewable energy, which he sees as being on a roll around the world particularly in Europe and California with Australia finally starting to catch up. McGowan says his interest in renewable energy started when he bought a bee farm in the NSW Hunter Valley a few years ago.
He wanted to develop it as a sustainable farm with its own power. Approached by many different people after being bought out of Impulse, McGowan chose to invest $3.5 million in CBD Energy in 2004, attracted by its work in developing storage technology for renewable energy.
Storing the power from wind or solar energy beyond the immediate generation has always been one of the big problems with renewable energy. King Island gets a lot of its wind during the day but needs power at night.
CBD is trying to commercialise a carbon block technology developed by Lloyd Energy Systems, working with Hydro Tasmania to use wind power to replace about a third of the diesel fuel used for the island's power station. The process involves converting the wind power into steam at 800C and storing it in graphite blocks which can be used to run steam turbines later.
"The technology stores heat for long periods of time," says McGowan, who was with transporters TNT and Mayne Nickless before starting Impulse in 1992.
While the wind energy experiment at King Island power station gets under way, McGowan is pressing ahead with plans for the company's first solar power operation in the northern NSW town of Moree. Solon, spending $5 million for a 20 per cent stake in CBD, is keen to use its solar power technology in Australia. "We are actively looking for solar sites," McGowan says.
He says there are several potential sites for solar power in NSW, including Cobar and Dubbo. The company will complete a feasibility study within months on the best site and plans to finance its first solar power operation with a rights issue. McGowan says he is looking forward to working with regional communities again, in the same way he did with his airline business.
He says development of a strong renewable energy industry will depend on more proactive government policies. "In countries where renewable energy has progressed fairly aggressively there has been government incentivisation of the industry." He argues that the cost of coalfired power in Australia has been understated because there is no costing of the long-term environmental damage caused by greenhouse gases it produces.
McGowan says Australia should be leading the world in the development of solar energy technology. He is worried that Australian-based solar energy experts such as Canadian-born David Mills are leaving the country attracted by better opportunities. Mills is going to California where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has launched a $4 billion initiative providing generous incentives for people to install solar panels in their homes.
"It's tragic for the country," McGowan says. "I have always admired the Americans' ability to create their own industries. "They are leading the world in an area where we should be leading because we have so much natural resources here such as renewable energy." McGowan's last appearance in the headlines was when he gave evidence against the late stockbroker Rene Rivkin, who was accused of insider trading in Qantas shares.
Wanting to buy Rivkin's house in Sydney's eastern suburbs in 2001, McGowan told him that he was expecting funds to come through from his proposed sale of Impulse to Qantas. But the deal was confidential at that stage and McGowan warned Rivkin he should not trade on what was inside information about Qantas.
It was a brief telephone conversation that eventually resulted in an inquiry by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission looking for reasons behind the rise in Qantas shares before the announcement. McGowan was required by ASIC to testify against Rivkin, who was found guilty of insider trading and sentenced to weekend jail.
He says he is still deeply saddened that the process eventually led to Rivkin's death. "I had no idea he had traded (in Qantas shares as a result of the phone call)," McGowan says. "I found it very distressing. "Do I wish it had never occurred? Of course I do. It was a very sad episode. I never met the man. I only spoke to him for a couple of minutes over the phone." Looking back, McGowan is also disappointed that he was forced to sell Impulse to Qantas when some of his major investors got cold feet. "They were getting worried about the severity of the price war. They were taking a short-term view rather than a long-term view." He says the subsequent success of Virgin Blue shows that Impulse could have been a viable carrier.
"Virgin have proved it," he says. "We certainly had better market share than our main competitors had." McGowan still has some interests in the airline industry. He runs Pacific Aviation, which he founded in 1982. Its business includes delivering newspapers across regional Australia for the Fairfax group.
He also has an investment in a US light aircraft manufacturer in Texas which he and some others bought out of bankruptcy. But his major focus is the commercialisation of renewable energy in Australia.
"The momentum is building and it's going to continue to build," he says. "You are even seeing people like (US department store operator) Wal-Mart taking this seriously. "It's the biggest retailer in the world and every one of their stores has solar panels on the roof. "They have plasma displays in the stores saying how much green energy they are creating per hour. It's going to become mainstream," he says.
It's not a question of whether people want to. We are going to have to. Green energy is affordable now and it will become even more affordable in the future."
Monday 19/2/2007, Page: 29
GERRY McGowan reckons he added to the hole in the ozone layer as he ran Impulse Airlines.Now, as executive chairman of the ASX-listed renewable energy company CBD Energy, the former airline chief is doing his best to fix the problem. McGowan's company is working with Hydro Tasmania to develop a storage technology for its five wind turbines on remote King Island.
He is also teaming up with German-based solar energy company Solon AG, which is buying 20 per cent of CBD, to develop solar energy projects in Australia. "These sorts of businesses are important for the country," McGowan says. "We are developing intellectual property. We are trying to produce clean energy. Australia has huge natural resources in solar and wind and it is our responsibility to make the most of them." McGowan signed a five-year non-compete agreement with Qantas when he sold it Impulse Airlines in 2001.
He spent nine years building the airline and believes it could have been viable if some of his backers had been able to hang in for the long haul. But while he still keeps in touch with some people he used to know at Impulse (which turned into Jetstar), he has no more interest in going back into airlines.
His new passion is for renewable energy, which he sees as being on a roll around the world particularly in Europe and California with Australia finally starting to catch up. McGowan says his interest in renewable energy started when he bought a bee farm in the NSW Hunter Valley a few years ago.
He wanted to develop it as a sustainable farm with its own power. Approached by many different people after being bought out of Impulse, McGowan chose to invest $3.5 million in CBD Energy in 2004, attracted by its work in developing storage technology for renewable energy.
Storing the power from wind or solar energy beyond the immediate generation has always been one of the big problems with renewable energy. King Island gets a lot of its wind during the day but needs power at night.
CBD is trying to commercialise a carbon block technology developed by Lloyd Energy Systems, working with Hydro Tasmania to use wind power to replace about a third of the diesel fuel used for the island's power station. The process involves converting the wind power into steam at 800C and storing it in graphite blocks which can be used to run steam turbines later.
"The technology stores heat for long periods of time," says McGowan, who was with transporters TNT and Mayne Nickless before starting Impulse in 1992.
While the wind energy experiment at King Island power station gets under way, McGowan is pressing ahead with plans for the company's first solar power operation in the northern NSW town of Moree. Solon, spending $5 million for a 20 per cent stake in CBD, is keen to use its solar power technology in Australia. "We are actively looking for solar sites," McGowan says.
He says there are several potential sites for solar power in NSW, including Cobar and Dubbo. The company will complete a feasibility study within months on the best site and plans to finance its first solar power operation with a rights issue. McGowan says he is looking forward to working with regional communities again, in the same way he did with his airline business.
He says development of a strong renewable energy industry will depend on more proactive government policies. "In countries where renewable energy has progressed fairly aggressively there has been government incentivisation of the industry." He argues that the cost of coalfired power in Australia has been understated because there is no costing of the long-term environmental damage caused by greenhouse gases it produces.
McGowan says Australia should be leading the world in the development of solar energy technology. He is worried that Australian-based solar energy experts such as Canadian-born David Mills are leaving the country attracted by better opportunities. Mills is going to California where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has launched a $4 billion initiative providing generous incentives for people to install solar panels in their homes.
"It's tragic for the country," McGowan says. "I have always admired the Americans' ability to create their own industries. "They are leading the world in an area where we should be leading because we have so much natural resources here such as renewable energy." McGowan's last appearance in the headlines was when he gave evidence against the late stockbroker Rene Rivkin, who was accused of insider trading in Qantas shares.
Wanting to buy Rivkin's house in Sydney's eastern suburbs in 2001, McGowan told him that he was expecting funds to come through from his proposed sale of Impulse to Qantas. But the deal was confidential at that stage and McGowan warned Rivkin he should not trade on what was inside information about Qantas.
It was a brief telephone conversation that eventually resulted in an inquiry by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission looking for reasons behind the rise in Qantas shares before the announcement. McGowan was required by ASIC to testify against Rivkin, who was found guilty of insider trading and sentenced to weekend jail.
He says he is still deeply saddened that the process eventually led to Rivkin's death. "I had no idea he had traded (in Qantas shares as a result of the phone call)," McGowan says. "I found it very distressing. "Do I wish it had never occurred? Of course I do. It was a very sad episode. I never met the man. I only spoke to him for a couple of minutes over the phone." Looking back, McGowan is also disappointed that he was forced to sell Impulse to Qantas when some of his major investors got cold feet. "They were getting worried about the severity of the price war. They were taking a short-term view rather than a long-term view." He says the subsequent success of Virgin Blue shows that Impulse could have been a viable carrier.
"Virgin have proved it," he says. "We certainly had better market share than our main competitors had." McGowan still has some interests in the airline industry. He runs Pacific Aviation, which he founded in 1982. Its business includes delivering newspapers across regional Australia for the Fairfax group.
He also has an investment in a US light aircraft manufacturer in Texas which he and some others bought out of bankruptcy. But his major focus is the commercialisation of renewable energy in Australia.
"The momentum is building and it's going to continue to build," he says. "You are even seeing people like (US department store operator) Wal-Mart taking this seriously. "It's the biggest retailer in the world and every one of their stores has solar panels on the roof. "They have plasma displays in the stores saying how much green energy they are creating per hour. It's going to become mainstream," he says.
It's not a question of whether people want to. We are going to have to. Green energy is affordable now and it will become even more affordable in the future."
Friday, 16 February 2007
Whan congratulates Expo organisers
Cooma Monaro Express
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 6
MEMBER for Monaro Steve Whan has congratulated the organisers of the Snowy Mountains' Renewable Energy and Climate Change Expo for doing a terrific job.
"Congratulations to Rashida and the committee who put the Expo together - it was very informative," said Mr Whan.
"The Expo helped people understand what global warming means for our region and the great thing is that there are several things they could do themselves to address the problem. "There was a good slide show based on Al Gore's film, which gives you strong food for thought and enhances the need for all governments in Australia to take action immediately," he said.
Mr Whan added the Expo and slide show reinforced what he'd already said about climate change and why he'd been pushing for a national carbon trading scheme.
"We need to do things now - if we'd been investing in research before now commercial prices for solar installations wouldn't be so high. "It's important to get to the stage where the average person when building a house can afford to install solar or more importantly, when they can't afford not to." he said.
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 6
MEMBER for Monaro Steve Whan has congratulated the organisers of the Snowy Mountains' Renewable Energy and Climate Change Expo for doing a terrific job."Congratulations to Rashida and the committee who put the Expo together - it was very informative," said Mr Whan.
"The Expo helped people understand what global warming means for our region and the great thing is that there are several things they could do themselves to address the problem. "There was a good slide show based on Al Gore's film, which gives you strong food for thought and enhances the need for all governments in Australia to take action immediately," he said.
Mr Whan added the Expo and slide show reinforced what he'd already said about climate change and why he'd been pushing for a national carbon trading scheme.
"We need to do things now - if we'd been investing in research before now commercial prices for solar installations wouldn't be so high. "It's important to get to the stage where the average person when building a house can afford to install solar or more importantly, when they can't afford not to." he said.
Help make a human sign
Narooma News
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 25
ON Saturday, March 17 the Eurobodalla branch of `Clean Energy for Eternity' (CEFE) campaign is creating a human sign on South Broulee beach. This is the third human sign for Clean Energy following the inaugural sign last year on Tathra Beach and the second sign in Canberra on October 8.
The aim of the human sign is to involve the community in raising awareness of global warming and climate change at a local level. A good turnout of people are expected on the day to create the human sign.
As part of our climate awareness program, CEFE is working together with Far South Coast Surf Life Saving Clubs to install photovoltaic cells, solar hot water and a wind turbine onto club roofs. Any proceeds on the day will go directly to the four Eurobodalla Surf Clubs towards this project.
If you want to be part of this electrifying event, just turn up, with friends and family at South Broulee Beach on Saturday, March 17 around 12:30pm for main photo at about 1pm. There will be a big media presence and your chance to feature in the big Sydney papers as well as barbecues, entertainers and more.
Please allow plenty of time to park your car and walk to the beach and remember to bring hats, sunscreen, umbrellas and water in case of hot weather. Come and join us and make a statement and at the same time have a great fun day out.
Information. Leslie Braman 4471-8850.
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 25
ON Saturday, March 17 the Eurobodalla branch of `Clean Energy for Eternity' (CEFE) campaign is creating a human sign on South Broulee beach. This is the third human sign for Clean Energy following the inaugural sign last year on Tathra Beach and the second sign in Canberra on October 8.
The aim of the human sign is to involve the community in raising awareness of global warming and climate change at a local level. A good turnout of people are expected on the day to create the human sign.
As part of our climate awareness program, CEFE is working together with Far South Coast Surf Life Saving Clubs to install photovoltaic cells, solar hot water and a wind turbine onto club roofs. Any proceeds on the day will go directly to the four Eurobodalla Surf Clubs towards this project.
If you want to be part of this electrifying event, just turn up, with friends and family at South Broulee Beach on Saturday, March 17 around 12:30pm for main photo at about 1pm. There will be a big media presence and your chance to feature in the big Sydney papers as well as barbecues, entertainers and more.
Please allow plenty of time to park your car and walk to the beach and remember to bring hats, sunscreen, umbrellas and water in case of hot weather. Come and join us and make a statement and at the same time have a great fun day out.
Information. Leslie Braman 4471-8850.
Ready to think globally, act locally
Great Lakes Advocate
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 6
THINK globally, act locally has long been the mantra of the environmental movement. But now Great Lakes Council is also leading by example and tackling climate change head on with council managers not at the coal face, but rather the solar panel.
Council launched its Climate Change and GreenPower Education Program on Thursday which has been developed in conjunction with the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability.
"The program will look at reducing council's greenhouse gas emissions, how energy is used in so many facets of our organisation and what can be done to improve, reduce and overcome it," Great Lakes mayor John Chadban said.
"The program will also explain to the community the importance of GreenPower options and discuss other ways in which they can play a part in reducing climate change by reducing their greenhouse emiscinnc " Cr Chadban said the $15,000 program would be implemented over the next six months and was funded by a $7500 grant from the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability which has been matched by Great Lakes Council.
As part of the education campaign, council will soon send out a survey to homes and businesses across the local government area regarding climate change and the ways in which people feel they can do something in their community to combat the problem.
While climate change has been in the spotlight in recent days in both the Federal and State Election campaigns, the mayor said when it comes to thinking globally we should act locally.
"We have sat back for a long time waiting for the Federal Government and the State Government to take action on climate change, and for whatever reason you could say they have not really until now. "But we all need to play a role in combating and reducing climate change.
"We all have a responsibility of advancing and maintaining our environment. "We are delighted as a council to take one small step for mankind." Great Lakes Council's manager of natural systems, Gerard Tuckerman echoed the mayor's sentiments. "It is a small step, but it is an important step," Mr Tuckerman said. "Climate change is now proven, although depending upon what you read and who you listen to you could say it has been proven for some time now.
"Here in the Great Lakes we are already starting to see some of the signs of climate change and can expect to see even more like the sea level rising, an increase in temperatures and increases in runoff. "Individuals might feel that they are insignificant in all of this, but a lot of insignificant people together becomes a major force that can start a major change:' he said.
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 6
THINK globally, act locally has long been the mantra of the environmental movement. But now Great Lakes Council is also leading by example and tackling climate change head on with council managers not at the coal face, but rather the solar panel.
Council launched its Climate Change and GreenPower Education Program on Thursday which has been developed in conjunction with the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability.
"The program will look at reducing council's greenhouse gas emissions, how energy is used in so many facets of our organisation and what can be done to improve, reduce and overcome it," Great Lakes mayor John Chadban said.
"The program will also explain to the community the importance of GreenPower options and discuss other ways in which they can play a part in reducing climate change by reducing their greenhouse emiscinnc " Cr Chadban said the $15,000 program would be implemented over the next six months and was funded by a $7500 grant from the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability which has been matched by Great Lakes Council.
As part of the education campaign, council will soon send out a survey to homes and businesses across the local government area regarding climate change and the ways in which people feel they can do something in their community to combat the problem.
While climate change has been in the spotlight in recent days in both the Federal and State Election campaigns, the mayor said when it comes to thinking globally we should act locally.
"We have sat back for a long time waiting for the Federal Government and the State Government to take action on climate change, and for whatever reason you could say they have not really until now. "But we all need to play a role in combating and reducing climate change.
"We all have a responsibility of advancing and maintaining our environment. "We are delighted as a council to take one small step for mankind." Great Lakes Council's manager of natural systems, Gerard Tuckerman echoed the mayor's sentiments. "It is a small step, but it is an important step," Mr Tuckerman said. "Climate change is now proven, although depending upon what you read and who you listen to you could say it has been proven for some time now.
"Here in the Great Lakes we are already starting to see some of the signs of climate change and can expect to see even more like the sea level rising, an increase in temperatures and increases in runoff. "Individuals might feel that they are insignificant in all of this, but a lot of insignificant people together becomes a major force that can start a major change:' he said.
Push for clean, green surf clubs
Bay Post
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 12
Clean Energy for Eternity is pushing for every surf club in the country to be running on renewable energy before the end of 2007. The South Coast group is planning to fit out all surf clubs in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Shires with renewable energy before moving on to other NSW surf clubs.
Organiser Matthew Nott said Clean Energy for Eternity would be meeting with Surf Lifesaving Australia shortly. The Tathra Surf Lifesaving Club is the first cab off the rank, and its revamp includes a wind turbine and solar photovoltaic cells on the roof. "The next stage is to add a solar hot water service, which will see the surf club running with a negligible carbon footprint," Mr Nott said.
"The benefit of renewable energy for the surf club is threefold. Firstly, the installation will save the surf club about $1000 per year. More will be saved following the installation of solar hot water. "Secondly, education and awareness are important. We are showing people that renewable energy can work."
The Tathra project was funded dollar-for-dollar by Bega council and the community and Eurobodalla members of Clean Energy for Eternity are hoping Eurobodalla Shire Council will show the same support.
The next clubs to be fitted out with renewable energy will be Narooma Surf Lifesaving Club, with Broulee, Moruya and Batemans Bay to follow.
Clean Energy for Eternity is looking for local businesses and community members to support this initiative.
For more information contact Julia Mayo- Ramsay on 0419 848 057 or email surfclubproject@ yahoo.com.au.
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 12
Clean Energy for Eternity is pushing for every surf club in the country to be running on renewable energy before the end of 2007. The South Coast group is planning to fit out all surf clubs in the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla Shires with renewable energy before moving on to other NSW surf clubs.
Organiser Matthew Nott said Clean Energy for Eternity would be meeting with Surf Lifesaving Australia shortly. The Tathra Surf Lifesaving Club is the first cab off the rank, and its revamp includes a wind turbine and solar photovoltaic cells on the roof. "The next stage is to add a solar hot water service, which will see the surf club running with a negligible carbon footprint," Mr Nott said.
"The benefit of renewable energy for the surf club is threefold. Firstly, the installation will save the surf club about $1000 per year. More will be saved following the installation of solar hot water. "Secondly, education and awareness are important. We are showing people that renewable energy can work."
The Tathra project was funded dollar-for-dollar by Bega council and the community and Eurobodalla members of Clean Energy for Eternity are hoping Eurobodalla Shire Council will show the same support.
The next clubs to be fitted out with renewable energy will be Narooma Surf Lifesaving Club, with Broulee, Moruya and Batemans Bay to follow.
Clean Energy for Eternity is looking for local businesses and community members to support this initiative.
For more information contact Julia Mayo- Ramsay on 0419 848 057 or email surfclubproject@ yahoo.com.au.
12th wind farm for south-west
Warrnambool Standard
Friday 16/2/2007 Page: 9
HUNDREDS of wind turbines will dot south-west Victoria's landscape with another company announcing yesterday it wanted to develop a $180 million wind farm near Glenthompson.
The proposal for a 43-turbine development by private investment bank Investec Bank and Windlab Systems will be at least the 12th wind energy development either operating, approved or in the pipeline for south-west Victoria. The developer yesterday said the farm would revitalise the district by providing up to 60 jobs.
But state Opposition planning spokesman Matthew Guy said national wind energy guidelines were urgently needed. Mr Guy told The Standard the Liberal Party supported wind energy but only where the technology was accepted by the community. "It is vital for the (Planning) minister to reflect the community's opinion and values," Mr Guy said. "After speaking to local MPs in the region it is apparent there is community support.
"However, development should not happen in sensitive landscapes or where the community does not want them." Oaklands Hill wind farm is set on a series of ridges about 5km south of Glenthompson, bordered by Monument Lane, Glenthompson Caramut Road, Balbeggie Lane and Back Bushy Creek Road.
Detailed studies of its likely impact on flora and fauna, the landscape, visual impacts and noise were undertaken during planning.
The company suggested the project would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 364,000 tonnes a year and produce enough power for 52,000 homes. Consulting with residents and the Southern Grampians shire and Ararat Rural Shire councils will commence this month before a planning application is lodged to Planning Minister Justin Madden, the project's spokesman Mark Headland said yesterday. "This wind farm will be a clean, emissions-free source of generation which will reduce Victoria's carbon dioxide emissions," Mr Headland said.
"While the people of Glenthompson will feel the immediate economic benefits, Oaklands Hill wind farm will ultimately benefit all Victorians." The project would connect to the Powercor 66 kilovolt Hamilton-to-Terang network, which is located approximately
17.5km south of the site.
The company expected construction to start in 2008 and aimed to commission the wind farm by the first quarter of 2009. The developer said it would spend $50,000 on community projects during construction.
A public open day for the project will be held at the Glenthompson War Memorial Hall between Main and 4pin on March 3.
Friday 16/2/2007 Page: 9
HUNDREDS of wind turbines will dot south-west Victoria's landscape with another company announcing yesterday it wanted to develop a $180 million wind farm near Glenthompson.
The proposal for a 43-turbine development by private investment bank Investec Bank and Windlab Systems will be at least the 12th wind energy development either operating, approved or in the pipeline for south-west Victoria. The developer yesterday said the farm would revitalise the district by providing up to 60 jobs.
But state Opposition planning spokesman Matthew Guy said national wind energy guidelines were urgently needed. Mr Guy told The Standard the Liberal Party supported wind energy but only where the technology was accepted by the community. "It is vital for the (Planning) minister to reflect the community's opinion and values," Mr Guy said. "After speaking to local MPs in the region it is apparent there is community support.
"However, development should not happen in sensitive landscapes or where the community does not want them." Oaklands Hill wind farm is set on a series of ridges about 5km south of Glenthompson, bordered by Monument Lane, Glenthompson Caramut Road, Balbeggie Lane and Back Bushy Creek Road.
Detailed studies of its likely impact on flora and fauna, the landscape, visual impacts and noise were undertaken during planning.
The company suggested the project would cut carbon dioxide emissions by 364,000 tonnes a year and produce enough power for 52,000 homes. Consulting with residents and the Southern Grampians shire and Ararat Rural Shire councils will commence this month before a planning application is lodged to Planning Minister Justin Madden, the project's spokesman Mark Headland said yesterday. "This wind farm will be a clean, emissions-free source of generation which will reduce Victoria's carbon dioxide emissions," Mr Headland said.
"While the people of Glenthompson will feel the immediate economic benefits, Oaklands Hill wind farm will ultimately benefit all Victorians." The project would connect to the Powercor 66 kilovolt Hamilton-to-Terang network, which is located approximately
17.5km south of the site.
The company expected construction to start in 2008 and aimed to commission the wind farm by the first quarter of 2009. The developer said it would spend $50,000 on community projects during construction.
A public open day for the project will be held at the Glenthompson War Memorial Hall between Main and 4pin on March 3.
Fresh BREAZE in Ballarat
Ballarat Courier
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 19
By Nick Higgins
MASS solar hot water installations are among ideas being considered by a new Ballarat sustainable living group. Last week the Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions group, or BREAZE, was officially formed.
BREAZE president Nick Lanyon said the group was inspired by Daylesford's Hepburn Renewable Energy Association.
If 2500 people can do that, Ballarat, with 90,000 people, should be able to pull something together," Mr Lanyon said. The group also plans to take part in a Clean Up Australia Day project.
"We're working on the concept that we have to take responsibility for our own patch of the planet first before we can call others like India and China to account for their rising energy expenditure," Mr Lanyon said.
We need to put our own climatic and environmental house in order first and then we can work outwards.
"Clean Up Australia Day is a great way of taking direct responsibility for the degradation of our local environment. The clean up will be followed by a picnic, as a reward for all of that hard work." BREAZE is community-based group that takes climate change science seriously and isn't prepared to sit around on our hands while governments dither.
"For ordinary people and businesses who think that climate change is too big a challenge and don't know where to start, BREAZE aims to be a local launching pad for education, research and advice about how to go about reducing emissions to zero." The group formed last Thursday before a talk at the Australia Catholic University by environmentalist John Seed.
About 170 people attended the BREAZE meeting and the talk. Mr Lanyon said other issues the group could explore were transport, organic food and sustainable hones.
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 19
By Nick Higgins
MASS solar hot water installations are among ideas being considered by a new Ballarat sustainable living group. Last week the Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions group, or BREAZE, was officially formed.
BREAZE president Nick Lanyon said the group was inspired by Daylesford's Hepburn Renewable Energy Association.
If 2500 people can do that, Ballarat, with 90,000 people, should be able to pull something together," Mr Lanyon said. The group also plans to take part in a Clean Up Australia Day project.
"We're working on the concept that we have to take responsibility for our own patch of the planet first before we can call others like India and China to account for their rising energy expenditure," Mr Lanyon said.
We need to put our own climatic and environmental house in order first and then we can work outwards.
"Clean Up Australia Day is a great way of taking direct responsibility for the degradation of our local environment. The clean up will be followed by a picnic, as a reward for all of that hard work." BREAZE is community-based group that takes climate change science seriously and isn't prepared to sit around on our hands while governments dither.
"For ordinary people and businesses who think that climate change is too big a challenge and don't know where to start, BREAZE aims to be a local launching pad for education, research and advice about how to go about reducing emissions to zero." The group formed last Thursday before a talk at the Australia Catholic University by environmentalist John Seed.
About 170 people attended the BREAZE meeting and the talk. Mr Lanyon said other issues the group could explore were transport, organic food and sustainable hones.
Wind plans go on show
Warrnambool Standard
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 6
PLANS for a proposed wind farm 10 kilometres north-west of Port Fairy are on exhibit for public comment. The 68-turbine project would be on properties bounding Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, Fingerboard Road and Shaw River and would produce a maximum of 136 megawatts of energy.
A company report on the project said the turbines would stand 121.5 metres high. Output from the Ryans Corner farm would be transferred to the electricity grid through a 32-kilometre overhead power line. It would be connected to a high voltage substation at the site of the proposed Hawkesdale wind farm before connecting into the Moorabool- Heywood 500 kilovolt line.
A yet-to-be-appointed planning panel will hold a hearing on the project before making a recommendation to Planning Minister Justin Madden. Plans and the application for a planning permit can be viewed at Moyne Shire's Port Fairy office and the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Warrnambool office.
Moyne Shire Council planning and environment director Greg Anders yesterday said the council would seek submissions from the community about the Ryans Corner project before forwarding the shire's submission to the Planning Minister by March 26.
Residents will receive a copy of the planning application from the shire this week and have until March 5 to make a submission to council. A submission hearing will be held on March 13 at the Port Fairy Yacht Club before councillors decide on the shire's position at a special meeting on March 20.
Submissions will be forwarded to an independent planning panel which will conduct a hearing and make a recommendation on the project's future.
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 6
PLANS for a proposed wind farm 10 kilometres north-west of Port Fairy are on exhibit for public comment. The 68-turbine project would be on properties bounding Hamilton-Port Fairy Road, Fingerboard Road and Shaw River and would produce a maximum of 136 megawatts of energy.
A company report on the project said the turbines would stand 121.5 metres high. Output from the Ryans Corner farm would be transferred to the electricity grid through a 32-kilometre overhead power line. It would be connected to a high voltage substation at the site of the proposed Hawkesdale wind farm before connecting into the Moorabool- Heywood 500 kilovolt line.
A yet-to-be-appointed planning panel will hold a hearing on the project before making a recommendation to Planning Minister Justin Madden. Plans and the application for a planning permit can be viewed at Moyne Shire's Port Fairy office and the Department of Sustainability and Environment's Warrnambool office.
Moyne Shire Council planning and environment director Greg Anders yesterday said the council would seek submissions from the community about the Ryans Corner project before forwarding the shire's submission to the Planning Minister by March 26.
Residents will receive a copy of the planning application from the shire this week and have until March 5 to make a submission to council. A submission hearing will be held on March 13 at the Port Fairy Yacht Club before councillors decide on the shire's position at a special meeting on March 20.
Submissions will be forwarded to an independent planning panel which will conduct a hearing and make a recommendation on the project's future.
Wind farm decision encourages developers
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 7
A LANDMARK decision to allow a controversial wind farm at Taralga could mean a proliferation of wind farms in NSW, with at least 18 under development and a further 15 being mooted, say wind energy groups. So far, NSW has only two large wind farms.
The Taralga judgement, handed down on Monday in the NSW Land and Environment Court, upheld a decision by the Planning Minister, Frank Sartor, to approve the $185 million wind farm, despite concerns from residents about wildlife, noise and visual pollution.
The company that will build it, RES Southern Cross, has restarted investment in at least six more NSW sites along the Great Dividing Range. "It's been very difficult to justify investing in those sites because of the uncertainty with Taralga," said the company's commercial director, Colin Liebmann, said yesterday. "It is absolutely true that a decision like this creates a precedent, it makes a big difference.
[Our projects] will happen sooner. We are able to go back to our shareholders and ask them to commit the funds." Mr Liebmann said the Taralga judgement clarified many issues for the planning development, which would make it easier for projects to be assessed. "It means they can make their decisions quicker, process the developments more rapidly, I would hope." Taurus Energy, which has at least three NSW wind farms at various stages of development, expects the Planning Minister to assess its application to build a 15-turbine farm at Cullerin Range in the Southern Tablelands soon.
"It's going toward Sartor on the next couple of days," said its executive director, Martin Poole, adding that the company was now investing in a further nine NSW wind farms.
But the Australian Wind Energy Association's chief executive, Dominique La Fontaine, was cautious. "You can't presume that because of this particular finding that suddenly there will be wind farms everywhere," she said, adding that state and federal renewable energy targets were a more important factor driving the wind energy industry. The Taralga Landscape Guardians, who took the case to the Land and Environment Court, said other rural communities should expect wind farms in their backyard any day now.
"We believe that is was the worst sited wind farm of all the proposals put forward in the last couple of years. If this was can go ahead, not just through the Department of Planning but also through the courts, then everything is fair game," said the Guardians secretary, Martha Grahame.
Pacific Hydro, which is looking to build a 50-turbine farm at Rock Flat Creek, said such comments were "scare-mongering". "These objector groups try to make out there's this goldrush mentality and we're running round trying to get all the land we can, but more often than not it's farmers coming to us looking for ways to make their land more profitable," said a spokesman, Andrew Richards.
Mr Sartor said all development applications would be assessed on their merits, and that the Taralga decision would not speed up the assessment process.
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 7
A LANDMARK decision to allow a controversial wind farm at Taralga could mean a proliferation of wind farms in NSW, with at least 18 under development and a further 15 being mooted, say wind energy groups. So far, NSW has only two large wind farms.
The Taralga judgement, handed down on Monday in the NSW Land and Environment Court, upheld a decision by the Planning Minister, Frank Sartor, to approve the $185 million wind farm, despite concerns from residents about wildlife, noise and visual pollution.
The company that will build it, RES Southern Cross, has restarted investment in at least six more NSW sites along the Great Dividing Range. "It's been very difficult to justify investing in those sites because of the uncertainty with Taralga," said the company's commercial director, Colin Liebmann, said yesterday. "It is absolutely true that a decision like this creates a precedent, it makes a big difference.
[Our projects] will happen sooner. We are able to go back to our shareholders and ask them to commit the funds." Mr Liebmann said the Taralga judgement clarified many issues for the planning development, which would make it easier for projects to be assessed. "It means they can make their decisions quicker, process the developments more rapidly, I would hope." Taurus Energy, which has at least three NSW wind farms at various stages of development, expects the Planning Minister to assess its application to build a 15-turbine farm at Cullerin Range in the Southern Tablelands soon.
"It's going toward Sartor on the next couple of days," said its executive director, Martin Poole, adding that the company was now investing in a further nine NSW wind farms.
But the Australian Wind Energy Association's chief executive, Dominique La Fontaine, was cautious. "You can't presume that because of this particular finding that suddenly there will be wind farms everywhere," she said, adding that state and federal renewable energy targets were a more important factor driving the wind energy industry. The Taralga Landscape Guardians, who took the case to the Land and Environment Court, said other rural communities should expect wind farms in their backyard any day now.
"We believe that is was the worst sited wind farm of all the proposals put forward in the last couple of years. If this was can go ahead, not just through the Department of Planning but also through the courts, then everything is fair game," said the Guardians secretary, Martha Grahame.
Pacific Hydro, which is looking to build a 50-turbine farm at Rock Flat Creek, said such comments were "scare-mongering". "These objector groups try to make out there's this goldrush mentality and we're running round trying to get all the land we can, but more often than not it's farmers coming to us looking for ways to make their land more profitable," said a spokesman, Andrew Richards.
Mr Sartor said all development applications would be assessed on their merits, and that the Taralga decision would not speed up the assessment process.
Solar Sales heats up
Business News
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 9
Solar Sales chief executive Bob Blakiston believes the time for harnessing the true potential of solar power is near.
In 2007-08, the 25-year old renewable energy company is predicting the trickle of interest in solar power will become a tide in Australia, as both federal and state governments up the ante on greenhouse gas emissions and seek alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels.
Mr Blakiston said the high capital costs of producing solar photovoltaic energy systems would start to come down as early as July, when American PV manufacturer Sun Power Corporation releases a new module which will increase the power of a traditional cell from 210 watts to 315 watts.
The cost of silica, the ingredient used to make the cells, may also come down this year off a high of $230/kilo, due to producers doubling the capacity of operations in the Philippines and China, he said.
"The [solar power] market is not mature enough yet, but the technology is here now. The European, Japanese and US markets are far more advanced in their thinking and have really embraced solar PV as their own." Mr Blakiston said every year the efficiency and output of PV technology improved, but come July the new module would make a significant difference.
Already tapping into the power of solar energy in WA is the Carnarvon solar farm, which last week commissioned Solar Sales to supply the expansion of its facility.
The project will triple the farm's output from its existing 100 kilowatt hours per day to over 300kw hours per day, significantly boosting the levels of power it delivers to Carnarvon's electricity grid from July 2007.
On comparison, one kilowatt of solar PV electricity is believed to be roughly equivalent to a 375ml can of diesel fuel.
Besides supplying solar energy systems to major pastoral, mining and international clients, Solar Sales also designs hybrid renewable energy systems that convert solar and wind energy into electricity.
Business is certainly looking up, to the point where the company is moving to new purpose built 1,300 square metre office and wholesale showroom in Belmont this week. It is also considering establishing a divisional office in Kuala Lumpur. Mr Blakiston said the company was also looking into third party logistics, where it would outsource its warehousing and supply activities.
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 9
Solar Sales chief executive Bob Blakiston believes the time for harnessing the true potential of solar power is near.In 2007-08, the 25-year old renewable energy company is predicting the trickle of interest in solar power will become a tide in Australia, as both federal and state governments up the ante on greenhouse gas emissions and seek alternative sources of energy to fossil fuels.
Mr Blakiston said the high capital costs of producing solar photovoltaic energy systems would start to come down as early as July, when American PV manufacturer Sun Power Corporation releases a new module which will increase the power of a traditional cell from 210 watts to 315 watts.
The cost of silica, the ingredient used to make the cells, may also come down this year off a high of $230/kilo, due to producers doubling the capacity of operations in the Philippines and China, he said.
"The [solar power] market is not mature enough yet, but the technology is here now. The European, Japanese and US markets are far more advanced in their thinking and have really embraced solar PV as their own." Mr Blakiston said every year the efficiency and output of PV technology improved, but come July the new module would make a significant difference.
Already tapping into the power of solar energy in WA is the Carnarvon solar farm, which last week commissioned Solar Sales to supply the expansion of its facility.
The project will triple the farm's output from its existing 100 kilowatt hours per day to over 300kw hours per day, significantly boosting the levels of power it delivers to Carnarvon's electricity grid from July 2007.
On comparison, one kilowatt of solar PV electricity is believed to be roughly equivalent to a 375ml can of diesel fuel.
Besides supplying solar energy systems to major pastoral, mining and international clients, Solar Sales also designs hybrid renewable energy systems that convert solar and wind energy into electricity.
Business is certainly looking up, to the point where the company is moving to new purpose built 1,300 square metre office and wholesale showroom in Belmont this week. It is also considering establishing a divisional office in Kuala Lumpur. Mr Blakiston said the company was also looking into third party logistics, where it would outsource its warehousing and supply activities.
When it comes to carbon, prevention is better than cure
Age
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 10
We should look at work and lifestyle changes to reduce our impact on the environment, writes James Norman.
AMONG the buzz words of our new carbon-conscious world,"carbon offsetting" and the notion of going "carbon neutral" are gaining prolific currency. A whole range of businesses have started in Australia, including Easy Being Green and Green Fleet. They provide frameworks for people and businesses wishing to lower or even neutralise their "carbon footprint".
If the recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is anything to go by, the jury is in that climate change is now indisputably the biggest and most urgent environmental problem the world is facing.
Households, industry and governments should be looking at maximising energy efficiency and using renewable energy. Carbon-neutral programs can, if well designed, promote efficiency and renewable energy by offsetting emissions that we are unable to personally reduce.
Carbon offsetting works by reducing emissions from our lifestyles or work patterns through investments in projects that save energy, such as a technology that allows industry to be more efficient, increasing the generation of renewable energy or planting trees to store carbon dioxide.
In Europe, some commentators have compared carbon offset schemes with the Catholic Church's papal indulgences of the Middle Ages - the notion that it is OK to keep sinning as long as a compensation is paid. The difference with carbon offsets is that, if they are properly administered, the impacts are more tangible in terms of carbon reductions.
But carbon offsets should not be seen as a way of outsourcing guilt - they are only useful as a supplementary measure to more fundamental work and lifestyle changes geared at lowering our overall Ecological Footprint.
Last year, the Australian Conservation Foundation led the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change, calling for a price on carbon to produce cost-effective emission reductions. But until we have the national leadership needed to legislate for this, we can demonstrate personal leadership by voluntarily participating in such programs.
For business and individuals, the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse contributions is to reduce energy use. It's a good deal for the planet and your wallet. On top of limiting our energy use, switching to accredited green power is the next most significant step to reduce carbon emissions. It's easy and inexpensive to switch, and such schemes promote investment in renewable energy such as wind and solar. The more people who make the switch, the cheaper green power will become and the more the technology will be produced in Australia.
ACF, with other environment organisations, has commissioned independent research into electricity products claiming to be green power. The research exposed some products as not contributing to reducing greenhouse emissions or making more clean energy.
Beyond this, carbon offsetting of office or household gas use, and car and plane travel is a positive step to take. If the offsetting schemes are properly audited for their effectiveness with verifiable data, such schemes are a good way of supplementing more fundamental lifestyle changes.
Experience has taught us that carbon-offsetting schemes should be considered individually on their merit. They should not be used to replace one problem with another. For example, buying the most carbon-polluting vehicle on the market and then justifying it through offsetting schemes is problematic, because it is in effect adding to our carbon problem despite making short-term commitments to offset that damage.
It is important to remember that even if we offset the purchase of such vehicles, there is no guarantee that its ongoing use by a different owner will be offset into the future if the vehicle is sold on the secondhand market. The better alternative is to buy vehicles that are energy efficient from the outset.
The wider economic equity issues associated with carbon offsetting are not so clear-cut. There is a natural cap on the number of people who will invest in carbon offset schemes because of their cost. Moreover, while a flat carbon tax may be economically regressive on social equity grounds, a voluntary scheme may provide a good pathway for a mandatory scheme in the future that factors in economic disparities.
The bigger point here is that governments should be helping mainstream consumers to reduce their energy consumption, and helping all socio-economic groups to move towards a carbon-constrained world.
The Australian Conservation Foundation broadly supports offsetting schemes as a positive step towards overall carbon emissions reduction - but it is important to qualify that support. ACF has always argued that in regard to carbon and pollution levels, prevention is better than cure.
James Norman is communications adviser with the Australian Conservation Foundation.
ACF will host a free public debate at the BMW Edge at Federation Square from 6-7.30pm tomorrow. Speakers include:
Thursday 15/2/2007 Page: 10
We should look at work and lifestyle changes to reduce our impact on the environment, writes James Norman.
AMONG the buzz words of our new carbon-conscious world,"carbon offsetting" and the notion of going "carbon neutral" are gaining prolific currency. A whole range of businesses have started in Australia, including Easy Being Green and Green Fleet. They provide frameworks for people and businesses wishing to lower or even neutralise their "carbon footprint".
If the recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is anything to go by, the jury is in that climate change is now indisputably the biggest and most urgent environmental problem the world is facing.
Households, industry and governments should be looking at maximising energy efficiency and using renewable energy. Carbon-neutral programs can, if well designed, promote efficiency and renewable energy by offsetting emissions that we are unable to personally reduce.
Carbon offsetting works by reducing emissions from our lifestyles or work patterns through investments in projects that save energy, such as a technology that allows industry to be more efficient, increasing the generation of renewable energy or planting trees to store carbon dioxide.
In Europe, some commentators have compared carbon offset schemes with the Catholic Church's papal indulgences of the Middle Ages - the notion that it is OK to keep sinning as long as a compensation is paid. The difference with carbon offsets is that, if they are properly administered, the impacts are more tangible in terms of carbon reductions.
But carbon offsets should not be seen as a way of outsourcing guilt - they are only useful as a supplementary measure to more fundamental work and lifestyle changes geared at lowering our overall Ecological Footprint.
Last year, the Australian Conservation Foundation led the Australian Business Roundtable on Climate Change, calling for a price on carbon to produce cost-effective emission reductions. But until we have the national leadership needed to legislate for this, we can demonstrate personal leadership by voluntarily participating in such programs.
For business and individuals, the cheapest way to reduce greenhouse contributions is to reduce energy use. It's a good deal for the planet and your wallet. On top of limiting our energy use, switching to accredited green power is the next most significant step to reduce carbon emissions. It's easy and inexpensive to switch, and such schemes promote investment in renewable energy such as wind and solar. The more people who make the switch, the cheaper green power will become and the more the technology will be produced in Australia.
ACF, with other environment organisations, has commissioned independent research into electricity products claiming to be green power. The research exposed some products as not contributing to reducing greenhouse emissions or making more clean energy.
Beyond this, carbon offsetting of office or household gas use, and car and plane travel is a positive step to take. If the offsetting schemes are properly audited for their effectiveness with verifiable data, such schemes are a good way of supplementing more fundamental lifestyle changes.
Experience has taught us that carbon-offsetting schemes should be considered individually on their merit. They should not be used to replace one problem with another. For example, buying the most carbon-polluting vehicle on the market and then justifying it through offsetting schemes is problematic, because it is in effect adding to our carbon problem despite making short-term commitments to offset that damage.
It is important to remember that even if we offset the purchase of such vehicles, there is no guarantee that its ongoing use by a different owner will be offset into the future if the vehicle is sold on the secondhand market. The better alternative is to buy vehicles that are energy efficient from the outset.
The wider economic equity issues associated with carbon offsetting are not so clear-cut. There is a natural cap on the number of people who will invest in carbon offset schemes because of their cost. Moreover, while a flat carbon tax may be economically regressive on social equity grounds, a voluntary scheme may provide a good pathway for a mandatory scheme in the future that factors in economic disparities.
The bigger point here is that governments should be helping mainstream consumers to reduce their energy consumption, and helping all socio-economic groups to move towards a carbon-constrained world.
The Australian Conservation Foundation broadly supports offsetting schemes as a positive step towards overall carbon emissions reduction - but it is important to qualify that support. ACF has always argued that in regard to carbon and pollution levels, prevention is better than cure.
James Norman is communications adviser with the Australian Conservation Foundation.
ACF will host a free public debate at the BMW Edge at Federation Square from 6-7.30pm tomorrow. Speakers include:
- Don Henry (ACT executive director),
- Alan Pears (adjunct professor, environment and planning, RMIT University),
- Petrea Bradford (manager, carbon market, Origin Energy),
- Philip Sutton (president, sustainable living foundation),
- Tosh Szatow (policy officer, Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre),
- Tim Cadman (researcher, school of government, University of Tasmania).
Environment a fresh focus
Great Southern Star
Tuesday 6/2/2007 Page: 13
Bruce Beatson has been a dairy farmer in Toora for 40 years and has now moved into beef and alpacas. He says that he has come to a point where he can see the environmental impact on the world by humans. He believes this new approach to environmental issues would have begun to change only within the past 20 years.
Since childhood Bruce has subscribed to National Geographic and yet he says his concerns for the environment have grown only recently.
On his farm in Toora, Bruce had barely planted a tree until 10 years ago and today has planted around 32,000 trees in areas that he saw as less productive as others. This is something he says other farmers could do with land that is perhaps not as financially productive: that is, utilise the land from an environmental aspect.
Bruce has been highly involved in the community, being a director of Bonlac Foods from 1988 until 2000, has been president of the United Dairy Farmers Victoria and is a director of the Bendigo Community Bank in Toora. He is also manager of the Dollar Wind Farm Information Centre.
Tuesday 6/2/2007 Page: 13
Bruce Beatson has been a dairy farmer in Toora for 40 years and has now moved into beef and alpacas. He says that he has come to a point where he can see the environmental impact on the world by humans. He believes this new approach to environmental issues would have begun to change only within the past 20 years.
Since childhood Bruce has subscribed to National Geographic and yet he says his concerns for the environment have grown only recently.
On his farm in Toora, Bruce had barely planted a tree until 10 years ago and today has planted around 32,000 trees in areas that he saw as less productive as others. This is something he says other farmers could do with land that is perhaps not as financially productive: that is, utilise the land from an environmental aspect.
Bruce has been highly involved in the community, being a director of Bonlac Foods from 1988 until 2000, has been president of the United Dairy Farmers Victoria and is a director of the Bendigo Community Bank in Toora. He is also manager of the Dollar Wind Farm Information Centre.
Climate change hots up
Great Southern Star
Tuesday 6/2/2007 Page: 13
Toora farmer Bruce Beatson says climate change is something we need to take action against now. Presenting on climate change at a South Gippsland Shire Council public briefing on Wednesday, Mr Beatson said changes to managing environmental conditions are vital and overdue.
"I have been a farmer for 40 years and in that time I have had a blatant disregard for environmental issues and concerns, but I have come to a point in my life where I see the devastating effects of such attitudes," Mr Beatson said. Having come full circle on environmental ideas and issues, Mr Beatson has spent three days in Sydney as part of a workshop with former American politician and environmental campaigner Al Gore.
The council briefing was organised as part of the Australian Conservation Foundation's Al Gore Climate Project. The project will see the Toora farmer travel around the region for the next 12 months to brief communities on the plight of the planet.
The presentation included footage of glaciers showing significant reductions of ice and snow, indicating the planet is warming up. "Ice core temperatures taken by scientific means show a direct link between their temperature and the effects of global warming," Mr Beatson said.
It is our current use of fossil fuels and the build-up of carbon dioxide that he says will lead to a serious global warming problem. "We just have to look at the decline in current rain patterns within our own South Gippsland area to see that there are problems," Mr Beatson said.
A CSIRO rain study has shown that rainfall has dropped due to tree-clearing but Mr Beatson says rain levels are continuing to decline. " South Gippsland was once known to have rain nine year and then rain would drop from trees for the remaining three months, but that kind of reputation just does not equate today," Mr Beatson said.
He doesn't agree with the theory of drought cycles either, and believes there are too many global indicators towards climate change, with serious consequences. "All life forms from the tropics to the arctic regions will be affected," Mr Beatson said. Increased temperatures will increase vector populations contributing to infectious disease spread and water levels will rise, affecting settlements of both low lying cities and island nations.
Renewable energy is something that Mr Beatson feels strongly about and as manager of the Dollar Wind Farm Information Centre he is playing an active role. "Solar energy is something that we were once world leaders in and now we are failing, we should be leaders in it," Mr Beatson said.
Environmental issues can be complicated when a salary is dependent on them but this doesn't have to be the case. "The issues surrounding climate change can be difficult to understand when a salary depends on it, but they do not have to be economically based," Mr Beatson said.
"The solution to global warming will be in our approach to greenhouse gas emissions. "We need to commit ourselves to lowering these levels, and lead the world in solar power and other renewable energies.".
Mr Beatson also believes that more can be done within the household, by extending renewable energy to homes and industry. Homes can be made more energy efficient, with transport also having the potential to be made clean. "CFCs were able to be out-dated in the 1980s so there is great opportunity to go further now:' Mr Beatson said.
With current approaches to renewable energy becoming a public concern, Mr Beatson says there is no reason why in the western world people should be able to refuse a renewable energy source in their area. "Whether it is solar, tidal, geothermal, or wind, these should be all looked at equally for our children's future. Otherwise there will be no future" Mr Beatson said.
Mr Beatson views current problems as being so important that there is no longer time for talking, but for action. "The past 12 years have shown a massive shift in people's ideas towards the environment, so the next 12 months should be an interesting period;' Mr Beatson said.
Mr Beatson also will present an extended version of his slide show to a public audience at the Dakers Centre in Leongatha on Friday, February 16 at 7:30pm.
Costs will be $5 for adults and $2 for children. A Poowong venue will be organised as an upcoming event.
Tuesday 6/2/2007 Page: 13
Toora farmer Bruce Beatson says climate change is something we need to take action against now. Presenting on climate change at a South Gippsland Shire Council public briefing on Wednesday, Mr Beatson said changes to managing environmental conditions are vital and overdue.
"I have been a farmer for 40 years and in that time I have had a blatant disregard for environmental issues and concerns, but I have come to a point in my life where I see the devastating effects of such attitudes," Mr Beatson said. Having come full circle on environmental ideas and issues, Mr Beatson has spent three days in Sydney as part of a workshop with former American politician and environmental campaigner Al Gore.
The council briefing was organised as part of the Australian Conservation Foundation's Al Gore Climate Project. The project will see the Toora farmer travel around the region for the next 12 months to brief communities on the plight of the planet.
The presentation included footage of glaciers showing significant reductions of ice and snow, indicating the planet is warming up. "Ice core temperatures taken by scientific means show a direct link between their temperature and the effects of global warming," Mr Beatson said.
It is our current use of fossil fuels and the build-up of carbon dioxide that he says will lead to a serious global warming problem. "We just have to look at the decline in current rain patterns within our own South Gippsland area to see that there are problems," Mr Beatson said.
A CSIRO rain study has shown that rainfall has dropped due to tree-clearing but Mr Beatson says rain levels are continuing to decline. " South Gippsland was once known to have rain nine year and then rain would drop from trees for the remaining three months, but that kind of reputation just does not equate today," Mr Beatson said.
He doesn't agree with the theory of drought cycles either, and believes there are too many global indicators towards climate change, with serious consequences. "All life forms from the tropics to the arctic regions will be affected," Mr Beatson said. Increased temperatures will increase vector populations contributing to infectious disease spread and water levels will rise, affecting settlements of both low lying cities and island nations.
Renewable energy is something that Mr Beatson feels strongly about and as manager of the Dollar Wind Farm Information Centre he is playing an active role. "Solar energy is something that we were once world leaders in and now we are failing, we should be leaders in it," Mr Beatson said.
Environmental issues can be complicated when a salary is dependent on them but this doesn't have to be the case. "The issues surrounding climate change can be difficult to understand when a salary depends on it, but they do not have to be economically based," Mr Beatson said.
"The solution to global warming will be in our approach to greenhouse gas emissions. "We need to commit ourselves to lowering these levels, and lead the world in solar power and other renewable energies.".
Mr Beatson also believes that more can be done within the household, by extending renewable energy to homes and industry. Homes can be made more energy efficient, with transport also having the potential to be made clean. "CFCs were able to be out-dated in the 1980s so there is great opportunity to go further now:' Mr Beatson said.
With current approaches to renewable energy becoming a public concern, Mr Beatson says there is no reason why in the western world people should be able to refuse a renewable energy source in their area. "Whether it is solar, tidal, geothermal, or wind, these should be all looked at equally for our children's future. Otherwise there will be no future" Mr Beatson said.
Mr Beatson views current problems as being so important that there is no longer time for talking, but for action. "The past 12 years have shown a massive shift in people's ideas towards the environment, so the next 12 months should be an interesting period;' Mr Beatson said.
Mr Beatson also will present an extended version of his slide show to a public audience at the Dakers Centre in Leongatha on Friday, February 16 at 7:30pm.
Costs will be $5 for adults and $2 for children. A Poowong venue will be organised as an upcoming event.
THE time for talk is over.
Bay Post
Friday 9/2/2007 Page: 10
Editorial opinion
After a decade of dire warnings, and with stark evidence now in our faces, we all have to take action on climate change. That means everyone. Individuals can conserve energy by switching off lights and appliances, walking or cycling to the local shops instead of driving, pooling cars and making informed choices when it comes to both spending and voting. Choosing products that have not involved huge amounts of energy to manufacture will, in time, make a difference.
And voting for politicians who can deliver more than hot air on climate change will also make a difference - a lot more quickly. If the best the Prime Minister can come up with as a solution for climate change is nuclear energy - a costly, dangerous and resource-hungry alternative - we really need to ask whether he is the best person to lead us into this time of peril.
The renewable energy sources we have in abundance in this country are sunshine and wind, yet apart from one recent and very hasty commitment to pursue solar power, there has been little by way of Government support.
And it was only last year the Federal Government put the kybosh on a wind farm in Victoria because there was a one-in-100-year chance the rare orange-bellied parrot would fly into its turbines. That decision has since been overturned. We deserve better than this ad hoc approach to what is potentially the biggest threat to our existence in living memory.
If you want to play a part, be on Broulee's South Beach at 12.30pm on March 17 and join the Clean Energy for Eternity campaign. The future is in your hands.
Wind Works
Friday 9/2/2007 Page: 10
Editorial opinion
After a decade of dire warnings, and with stark evidence now in our faces, we all have to take action on climate change. That means everyone. Individuals can conserve energy by switching off lights and appliances, walking or cycling to the local shops instead of driving, pooling cars and making informed choices when it comes to both spending and voting. Choosing products that have not involved huge amounts of energy to manufacture will, in time, make a difference.
And voting for politicians who can deliver more than hot air on climate change will also make a difference - a lot more quickly. If the best the Prime Minister can come up with as a solution for climate change is nuclear energy - a costly, dangerous and resource-hungry alternative - we really need to ask whether he is the best person to lead us into this time of peril.
The renewable energy sources we have in abundance in this country are sunshine and wind, yet apart from one recent and very hasty commitment to pursue solar power, there has been little by way of Government support.
And it was only last year the Federal Government put the kybosh on a wind farm in Victoria because there was a one-in-100-year chance the rare orange-bellied parrot would fly into its turbines. That decision has since been overturned. We deserve better than this ad hoc approach to what is potentially the biggest threat to our existence in living memory.
If you want to play a part, be on Broulee's South Beach at 12.30pm on March 17 and join the Clean Energy for Eternity campaign. The future is in your hands.
Wind Works
- ON the subject of climate change, more or less, it was interesting to find in a UK newspaper a story about the granting by the UK Government of a licence to build the world's largest offshore wind farm in the Thames estuary.
- Twenty kilometres off the coast, it will have 341 turbines. Another, with 100 turbines, is proposed further south. They'll save the atmosphere from a couple of million tonnes of carbon dioxide that would be emitted producing a similar amount of electricity and provide power for two million homes. It is estimated that within 20 years 20 per cent of Britain's electricity will be produced by wind power. It might be added, that 75 per cent of France's electricity is produced by nuclear means, with a lot of the rest coming from water power.
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Wind farm study under way
Bacchus Marsh - Express Telegraph
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 1
Lal Lal farmer Geoff Fisken believes a wind farm - the first in Moorabool Shire - will "drought-proof' his property as the effects of the big dry continue to worsen. Mr Fisken told the Express Telegraph last week he was approached by Westwind Energy last year with plans to build a wind farm that would take up just over one-third of his 2200-hectare farm.
Westwind also wants to build a second farm in Elaine. Mr Fisken would not confirm how many turbines would be built on his property. It would be a "significant number" but less than 50, he said. Mr Fisken said the proposal was "still full of ifs and buts" and environmental studies were being completed.
"My understanding is that if everything goes well and [Westwind] get planning approval from the Government, the earliest we would see [turbines built] would be early next year." The subject of wind farms has been a contentious one in Moorabool. Two wind farm proposals - the most recent in Yaloak near Ballan - were rejected by the community when consultation by an independent panel found little support.
In 2004, Moorabool was identified by the CSIRO as one of 12 municipalities in Victoria with significant areas of high wind speeds.
An independent panel examining the Yaloak proposal found that a 70-generator wind farm should not go ahead because it would endanger the local wedgetail eagle population and affect the landscape and visual amenity.
Mr Fisken said most of his neighbours were "quite supportive" of the wind farm, but admitted there were some who were concerned about views. "I don't think anybody in the country can say that their view is going to stay the same forever.
"You might get a neighbour who builds a house and all of a sudden you have a house in your view." He said that although propping up his decreasing farm income was a big factor in his support for the wind farm proposal, the need for renewable energy was also important.
"It is another source of income for us because the drought has certainly placed pressure on our finances and our ability to earn income. "I just look at it like we farm sheep, cattle and crops - now we are farming the wind. It's another diversification." "In a perfect world, if we were all making plenty of money out of crops and livestock, we might not want to have the wind towers there.
"But its not a perfect world. We need to be looking at renewable energy and we need to be looking to the future of our farms and our farming families," Mr Fisken said. He would not confirm how much he stood to make from the venture, but said it would "more then compensate" for the loss of production due to the turbines and drought.
Westwind will complete environmental studies in the coming months before the proposal goes to the State Government.
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 1
Lal Lal farmer Geoff Fisken believes a wind farm - the first in Moorabool Shire - will "drought-proof' his property as the effects of the big dry continue to worsen. Mr Fisken told the Express Telegraph last week he was approached by Westwind Energy last year with plans to build a wind farm that would take up just over one-third of his 2200-hectare farm.
Westwind also wants to build a second farm in Elaine. Mr Fisken would not confirm how many turbines would be built on his property. It would be a "significant number" but less than 50, he said. Mr Fisken said the proposal was "still full of ifs and buts" and environmental studies were being completed.
"My understanding is that if everything goes well and [Westwind] get planning approval from the Government, the earliest we would see [turbines built] would be early next year." The subject of wind farms has been a contentious one in Moorabool. Two wind farm proposals - the most recent in Yaloak near Ballan - were rejected by the community when consultation by an independent panel found little support.
In 2004, Moorabool was identified by the CSIRO as one of 12 municipalities in Victoria with significant areas of high wind speeds.
An independent panel examining the Yaloak proposal found that a 70-generator wind farm should not go ahead because it would endanger the local wedgetail eagle population and affect the landscape and visual amenity.
Mr Fisken said most of his neighbours were "quite supportive" of the wind farm, but admitted there were some who were concerned about views. "I don't think anybody in the country can say that their view is going to stay the same forever.
"You might get a neighbour who builds a house and all of a sudden you have a house in your view." He said that although propping up his decreasing farm income was a big factor in his support for the wind farm proposal, the need for renewable energy was also important.
"It is another source of income for us because the drought has certainly placed pressure on our finances and our ability to earn income. "I just look at it like we farm sheep, cattle and crops - now we are farming the wind. It's another diversification." "In a perfect world, if we were all making plenty of money out of crops and livestock, we might not want to have the wind towers there.
"But its not a perfect world. We need to be looking at renewable energy and we need to be looking to the future of our farms and our farming families," Mr Fisken said. He would not confirm how much he stood to make from the venture, but said it would "more then compensate" for the loss of production due to the turbines and drought.
Westwind will complete environmental studies in the coming months before the proposal goes to the State Government.
Solar farm to set Australian record
Northern Guardian
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 3
THE Carnarvon Solar Farm is to be expanded to become Australia's largest privately owned solar photovoltaic energy utility. The expansion will triple the Carnarvon Solar Farm power output from its existing 100 kilowatt hours a day to more than 300 kilowatt hours a day.
Perth-based renewable energy company Solar Sales Pty Ltd announced last Friday it had been appointed as the major supplier to the innovative expansion project. Solar Sales chief executive officer Bob Blakiston said the project was in line with the State Government's decision to increase usage of renewable energy to lower the State's greenhouse gas emissions.
The project formed part of the company's commitment to developing the State's important renewable energy sector. "The State Government has announced its commitment to purchase 20 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2010 and Solar Sales intends to help the private sector meet this target," Mr Blakiston said.
Solar Sales is one of Australia's longest established solar energy system suppliers and is also involved in the design of hybrid renewable energy systems that convert solar and wind energy into electricity. "Solar Sales has already secured a 55 per cent rebate for the existing installation in Carnarvon and looks forward to maximising opportunities provided by the Government's further commitment," Mr Blakiston said.
The Carnarvon Solar Farm's founding owner Lex Fullarton is enthused that the expansion would triple the facility's existing 15 kilowatt capacity. "Upon completion in July this year, the upgraded 45 kilowatt facility is expected to significantly boost the levels of power it delivers to Carnarvon's electricity grid," he said.
`The Solar Farm is already generating more than 100 kilowatts a day and the expansion will see its output tripled." Mr Fullarton believed the geographical position of Carnarvon made it an ideal location for solar energy and the high uptake of photovoltaic panels in the area reflected that.
"The Carnarvon Shire Council now plans to install solar photovoltaic panels to power its entire depot, and many private residents are also reaping the benefits of solar power. "Not only is it clean, green power, but it makes sense financially."
Renewable energy projects can now compete economically with fossil fuels, dispelling one of the major misconceptions about the sector. "In comparison, one kilowatt of solar photovoltaic electricity is roughly equivalent to a 375ml can of diesel - which means last year my solar farm has saved 30,000 cans of diesel. "The project and its overwhelming State and local government support demonstrate the increasing confidence in the reliability and efficiency of solar energy.
Wednesday 14/2/2007 Page: 3
THE Carnarvon Solar Farm is to be expanded to become Australia's largest privately owned solar photovoltaic energy utility. The expansion will triple the Carnarvon Solar Farm power output from its existing 100 kilowatt hours a day to more than 300 kilowatt hours a day.
Perth-based renewable energy company Solar Sales Pty Ltd announced last Friday it had been appointed as the major supplier to the innovative expansion project. Solar Sales chief executive officer Bob Blakiston said the project was in line with the State Government's decision to increase usage of renewable energy to lower the State's greenhouse gas emissions.
The project formed part of the company's commitment to developing the State's important renewable energy sector. "The State Government has announced its commitment to purchase 20 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2010 and Solar Sales intends to help the private sector meet this target," Mr Blakiston said.
Solar Sales is one of Australia's longest established solar energy system suppliers and is also involved in the design of hybrid renewable energy systems that convert solar and wind energy into electricity. "Solar Sales has already secured a 55 per cent rebate for the existing installation in Carnarvon and looks forward to maximising opportunities provided by the Government's further commitment," Mr Blakiston said.
The Carnarvon Solar Farm's founding owner Lex Fullarton is enthused that the expansion would triple the facility's existing 15 kilowatt capacity. "Upon completion in July this year, the upgraded 45 kilowatt facility is expected to significantly boost the levels of power it delivers to Carnarvon's electricity grid," he said.
`The Solar Farm is already generating more than 100 kilowatts a day and the expansion will see its output tripled." Mr Fullarton believed the geographical position of Carnarvon made it an ideal location for solar energy and the high uptake of photovoltaic panels in the area reflected that.
"The Carnarvon Shire Council now plans to install solar photovoltaic panels to power its entire depot, and many private residents are also reaping the benefits of solar power. "Not only is it clean, green power, but it makes sense financially."
Renewable energy projects can now compete economically with fossil fuels, dispelling one of the major misconceptions about the sector. "In comparison, one kilowatt of solar photovoltaic electricity is roughly equivalent to a 375ml can of diesel - which means last year my solar farm has saved 30,000 cans of diesel. "The project and its overwhelming State and local government support demonstrate the increasing confidence in the reliability and efficiency of solar energy.
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Global warming is here and is real.
Earth & Sky
Guest post from Colin Price, a professor in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University.
The Earth has a fever! When we get a fever our body temperature rise by 1-2 degrees, and we feel pretty rotten. We stay at home, don't want to talk to anyone, we are cranky, and we behave strangely. That fever is relative to our average body temperature of 37C (you will have to translate Celsius to Fahrenheit if you wish). Well, the Earth has a similar fever of 1 C at the moment, relative to its average temperature of 15 C. And similar to our bodies that start acting strange when we have a fever, the Earth is also starting to show signs of irritability, strange behaviour, which we are noticing through changes in the weather and climate.
The facts are that the temperatures observed today and during the last few decades are the highest they have been for at least 1000 years if not longer (we don't have accurate data further than that). Furthermore, the concentration of greenhouse gases that are known to absorb heat emitted from the Earth's surface are now the highest we have seen in at least 600 thousand years, and likely longer (we have no data going back further in time). If you don't trust the temperature data, take a look outside. 95% of all mountain glaciers around the world are melting and receding. The Greenland ice sheet is dramatically losing mass (ice) due to melting, while the summer Arctic sea ice is continuously shrinking every year.
Read more...
Guest post from Colin Price, a professor in the Department of Geophysics and Planetary Science at Tel Aviv University.The Earth has a fever! When we get a fever our body temperature rise by 1-2 degrees, and we feel pretty rotten. We stay at home, don't want to talk to anyone, we are cranky, and we behave strangely. That fever is relative to our average body temperature of 37C (you will have to translate Celsius to Fahrenheit if you wish). Well, the Earth has a similar fever of 1 C at the moment, relative to its average temperature of 15 C. And similar to our bodies that start acting strange when we have a fever, the Earth is also starting to show signs of irritability, strange behaviour, which we are noticing through changes in the weather and climate.
The facts are that the temperatures observed today and during the last few decades are the highest they have been for at least 1000 years if not longer (we don't have accurate data further than that). Furthermore, the concentration of greenhouse gases that are known to absorb heat emitted from the Earth's surface are now the highest we have seen in at least 600 thousand years, and likely longer (we have no data going back further in time). If you don't trust the temperature data, take a look outside. 95% of all mountain glaciers around the world are melting and receding. The Greenland ice sheet is dramatically losing mass (ice) due to melting, while the summer Arctic sea ice is continuously shrinking every year.
Read more...
Go-ahead given for wind farm
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 7
CONSTRUCTION of a wind farm in the historic township of Taralga is due to begin early next year, after the Land and Environment Court yesterday ruled the controversial project may proceed. The judgement upheld the decision of the Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, to approve the $185 million project, 45 kilometres west of Goulburn.
Locals concerned about noise, visual pollution and impact on wildlife appealed against that decision, made in January last year. Martha Graham, of the resident action group Taralga Landscape Guardians, said the town would keep up the fight.
"We still believe this is a completely inappropriate place to put a wind farm," she said. "They shouldn't be in full view of an historic town and right on people's property boundaries and within earshot of people." The judgement is a double defeat for the residents because the court allows for an even bigger wind farm than that originally approved by the minister.
"Ironically, it would appear that the original consent granted, for 54 turbines, is less than what the court has given," Mr Sartor said. Yesterday's judgement allows 69 turbines. "That may be a lesson to people that appeal against wind farms." Justice Preston ruled that the public benefit of a major renewable energy source outweighed residents' private concerns.
The company planning to build the project, RES Southern Cross, expects it will be finished within two years. Its commercial director, Colin Liebmann, said it could produce enough energy to power 40,000 homes.
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 7
CONSTRUCTION of a wind farm in the historic township of Taralga is due to begin early next year, after the Land and Environment Court yesterday ruled the controversial project may proceed. The judgement upheld the decision of the Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor, to approve the $185 million project, 45 kilometres west of Goulburn.
Locals concerned about noise, visual pollution and impact on wildlife appealed against that decision, made in January last year. Martha Graham, of the resident action group Taralga Landscape Guardians, said the town would keep up the fight.
"We still believe this is a completely inappropriate place to put a wind farm," she said. "They shouldn't be in full view of an historic town and right on people's property boundaries and within earshot of people." The judgement is a double defeat for the residents because the court allows for an even bigger wind farm than that originally approved by the minister.
"Ironically, it would appear that the original consent granted, for 54 turbines, is less than what the court has given," Mr Sartor said. Yesterday's judgement allows 69 turbines. "That may be a lesson to people that appeal against wind farms." Justice Preston ruled that the public benefit of a major renewable energy source outweighed residents' private concerns.
The company planning to build the project, RES Southern Cross, expects it will be finished within two years. Its commercial director, Colin Liebmann, said it could produce enough energy to power 40,000 homes.
Moyne calls for layout changes to windfarm
Hamilton Spectator
Tuesday 6/2/2007 Page: 3
Gamesa, the wind farm company wanting to develop the 31-turbine Hawkesdale wind farm, will try to work out whether it can meet a request from Moyne Shire Council to alter the windfarms' layout.
It plans to talk to two neighbouring objectors to see whether a number of planned towers need to - and can be - moved elsewhere on the proposed wind farm site. If they can't, then it will argue for its original proposal before a planning panel expected to he appointed by Planning Minister, Justin Madden, and hope it agrees with a 150 metre setback.
At its January meeting, the majority of shire councillors backed the $145 million wind farm
- but they wanted a 500 metre setback from the two objectors' properties rather than the 150 metre setback originally proposed. A 500 metre setback would affect the siting of six of the 31 towers.
Gamesa's project manager, Neil Weston, told the Spectator his company would give careful thought to the request from Moyne Shire. "We will look at what that means and who we need to work with to ensure the viability of the project," he said.
There were four objectors - but Mr Weston said the six turbines in question would affect only two of them. "We will have to look at whether we can work further with the landowners to resolve some their complaints, or we can look at remodelling the layout," he said on Thursday.
"They (shire) aren't proposing there should be a 500 metre setback all round the proposed wind farm - just on the properties of two objectors. "In my point of view, that's a somewhat interesting way of doing things," Mr West said. "We have had a number of discussions with both the (objecting) neighbours at various times, and we will continue those discussions.
"If nothing has changed between now and when a planning panel sits, then that (setback) will be considered by the panel. The shire's submission will be one of a number of submissions considered by a panel." While disappointed at the move for an increased setback, Mr Weston said Gamesa was delighted it had received the overall backing of the shire.
The 31 turbines will be set on seven properties across 2280 hectares. They are primarily along the Penshurst-Warrnambool Rd four kilometres south of Hawkesdale, and along the Woolsthorpe-Heywood Rd.
The wind farm would inject about $1 million annually into the Hawkesdale and regional economy, while Moyne Shire could expect about $100,000 in rate revenue annually.
Tuesday 6/2/2007 Page: 3
Gamesa, the wind farm company wanting to develop the 31-turbine Hawkesdale wind farm, will try to work out whether it can meet a request from Moyne Shire Council to alter the windfarms' layout.
It plans to talk to two neighbouring objectors to see whether a number of planned towers need to - and can be - moved elsewhere on the proposed wind farm site. If they can't, then it will argue for its original proposal before a planning panel expected to he appointed by Planning Minister, Justin Madden, and hope it agrees with a 150 metre setback.
At its January meeting, the majority of shire councillors backed the $145 million wind farm
- but they wanted a 500 metre setback from the two objectors' properties rather than the 150 metre setback originally proposed. A 500 metre setback would affect the siting of six of the 31 towers.
Gamesa's project manager, Neil Weston, told the Spectator his company would give careful thought to the request from Moyne Shire. "We will look at what that means and who we need to work with to ensure the viability of the project," he said.
There were four objectors - but Mr Weston said the six turbines in question would affect only two of them. "We will have to look at whether we can work further with the landowners to resolve some their complaints, or we can look at remodelling the layout," he said on Thursday.
"They (shire) aren't proposing there should be a 500 metre setback all round the proposed wind farm - just on the properties of two objectors. "In my point of view, that's a somewhat interesting way of doing things," Mr West said. "We have had a number of discussions with both the (objecting) neighbours at various times, and we will continue those discussions.
"If nothing has changed between now and when a planning panel sits, then that (setback) will be considered by the panel. The shire's submission will be one of a number of submissions considered by a panel." While disappointed at the move for an increased setback, Mr Weston said Gamesa was delighted it had received the overall backing of the shire.
The 31 turbines will be set on seven properties across 2280 hectares. They are primarily along the Penshurst-Warrnambool Rd four kilometres south of Hawkesdale, and along the Woolsthorpe-Heywood Rd.
The wind farm would inject about $1 million annually into the Hawkesdale and regional economy, while Moyne Shire could expect about $100,000 in rate revenue annually.
Wind farm approved
Canberra Times
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 2
The NSW Land and Environment Court of NSW has given the go ahead for the construction of a windfarm at Taralga, north of Goulburn. The court ruled that the overall public benefits of the windfarm outweighed the down sides either to the Taralga community or individual landowners. RES Southern Cross will construct and operate 69 wind turbines.
Tuesday 13/2/2007 Page: 2
The NSW Land and Environment Court of NSW has given the go ahead for the construction of a windfarm at Taralga, north of Goulburn. The court ruled that the overall public benefits of the windfarm outweighed the down sides either to the Taralga community or individual landowners. RES Southern Cross will construct and operate 69 wind turbines.
Saving precious water at the flick of a switch
Age
February 12, 2007
By Tim Flannery
What is the best way to save water? You might be surprised to learn that turning off the light can help. It takes enormous quantities of water to generate Australia's electricity.
That's because we're so dependent on old-fashioned coal-fired power stations. For every megawatt of power they generate, they take two tonnes of water (and produce one to 11/2 tonnes of carbon dioxide and lesser amounts of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide).
For a city such as Sydney, so great is the power demand that a fifth of the city's water needs is consumed by electricity generation. That water is used in steam generation and cooling. Nuclear power uses lots of water too. Those ominous, steaming towers that most of us associate with nuclear power plants are in fact cooling towers, and it is water vapour, not radiation, that they emit.
Coal-fired power stations often have a lake of warm water nearby. That's the residue of water left from cooling the plant. In cold regions such as Gippsland they steam in winter, and as legends of the bunyip abound in the same regions, the warm ponds have an eerie feel about them
There are, of course, technologies that can generate electricity using less water than conventional coal, or no water at all. The newest two of Queensland's coal-fired power plants are air-cooled, so while they still generate greenhouse gases, they don't use precious water. Modern gas-fired power plants use just one tonne of water for each megawatt of electricity generated, and far less carbon dioxide than coal, so switching to them is a great step forward.
But wind, solar and hydro power don't use any water at all, and none of these technologies generates greenhouse gases in producing electricity. Some kinds of geothermal energy (such as that found in central Australia) also use no water, and none generates greenhouse gases. Hastening the uptake of any of these technologies can thus help ease the water crisis.
There's no need to install solar panels to help save water (though that helps significantly). Buying a green energy option can do a great deal, and it is cheaper. Given that it takes around a megawatt of power to provide electricity to 600 homes, by either switching to green power, or by saving electricity, you can do a great deal to save water.
All around Australia our water crisis is growing so desperate that the managers of the old-fashioned, coal-fired clunkers face enormous problems in sourcing water. In NSW, dam levels have fallen so low that the remaining water has become too salty to be used to cool the power plants, so managers are having to invest in a type of desalination.
And everywhere coal-fired power plants are trying to source recycled water for cooling. On the face of it, this sounds like a great idea, but recycled water is valuable stuff, and will become increasingly valuable in future. Should we really allow it to be used in such prodigious quantity to keep the old clunkers going?
In future, the rising price of water, and the need to resort to technologies such as desalination, must drive up the price of the electricity generated using this technology, which will make the renewables more competitive. This means that the old-fashioned, coal-fired power plants are being caught in a pincer movement that must inevitably hasten their decommissioning.
Given the enormous problems we face in managing water, and in combating climate change, it may be best to face the issue of their decommissioning now, rather than wait until the ever-drier heavens forces the issue.
Tim Flannery is the 2007 Australian of the Year.
February 12, 2007
By Tim Flannery
What is the best way to save water? You might be surprised to learn that turning off the light can help. It takes enormous quantities of water to generate Australia's electricity.
That's because we're so dependent on old-fashioned coal-fired power stations. For every megawatt of power they generate, they take two tonnes of water (and produce one to 11/2 tonnes of carbon dioxide and lesser amounts of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide).
For a city such as Sydney, so great is the power demand that a fifth of the city's water needs is consumed by electricity generation. That water is used in steam generation and cooling. Nuclear power uses lots of water too. Those ominous, steaming towers that most of us associate with nuclear power plants are in fact cooling towers, and it is water vapour, not radiation, that they emit.
Coal-fired power stations often have a lake of warm water nearby. That's the residue of water left from cooling the plant. In cold regions such as Gippsland they steam in winter, and as legends of the bunyip abound in the same regions, the warm ponds have an eerie feel about them
There are, of course, technologies that can generate electricity using less water than conventional coal, or no water at all. The newest two of Queensland's coal-fired power plants are air-cooled, so while they still generate greenhouse gases, they don't use precious water. Modern gas-fired power plants use just one tonne of water for each megawatt of electricity generated, and far less carbon dioxide than coal, so switching to them is a great step forward.
But wind, solar and hydro power don't use any water at all, and none of these technologies generates greenhouse gases in producing electricity. Some kinds of geothermal energy (such as that found in central Australia) also use no water, and none generates greenhouse gases. Hastening the uptake of any of these technologies can thus help ease the water crisis.
There's no need to install solar panels to help save water (though that helps significantly). Buying a green energy option can do a great deal, and it is cheaper. Given that it takes around a megawatt of power to provide electricity to 600 homes, by either switching to green power, or by saving electricity, you can do a great deal to save water.
All around Australia our water crisis is growing so desperate that the managers of the old-fashioned, coal-fired clunkers face enormous problems in sourcing water. In NSW, dam levels have fallen so low that the remaining water has become too salty to be used to cool the power plants, so managers are having to invest in a type of desalination.
And everywhere coal-fired power plants are trying to source recycled water for cooling. On the face of it, this sounds like a great idea, but recycled water is valuable stuff, and will become increasingly valuable in future. Should we really allow it to be used in such prodigious quantity to keep the old clunkers going?
In future, the rising price of water, and the need to resort to technologies such as desalination, must drive up the price of the electricity generated using this technology, which will make the renewables more competitive. This means that the old-fashioned, coal-fired power plants are being caught in a pincer movement that must inevitably hasten their decommissioning.
Given the enormous problems we face in managing water, and in combating climate change, it may be best to face the issue of their decommissioning now, rather than wait until the ever-drier heavens forces the issue.
Tim Flannery is the 2007 Australian of the Year.
Monday, 12 February 2007
Council listens to dire warning on climate change
Mirror
Wednesday 7/2/2007 Page: 9
BRUCE Beatson's presentation to South Gippsland Shire Council last Wednesday on the Australian Conservation Foundation's Al Gore Climate Project was timely.
The Toora farmer's presentation coincided with the week in which the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released in Paris the first volume of its fourth assessment report, 'The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change.' According to this significant weather forecast, the world is likely to warm by up to four degrees Celsius by the end of this century as a result of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity.
Mr Beatson, who is currently the Manager of the Dollar Wind Farm Information Centre, spoke eloquently of his changing attitude to life on the land and his deepening concern about global warning and the need for communities to understand it and take action in the interests of future generations.
He attended a threeday seminar/workshop in Sydney last November at which he committed to present the Power Point project featured in former US Vice-President Al Gore's film 'An Inconvenient Truth' across this region during the next twelve months. He is one of 85 presenters of the project.
Mr Beatson began with a photograph of planet Earth taken from space and showing the thin layer of atmosphere encircling the planet, its fragility threatened, he said, by global warming.
"We're slowly and certainly warming the planet," said Mr Beatson, showing photographs depicting changes in climatic features of the Earth over the years, such as fewer glaciers and significantly less snow even on the highest peaks in the fifty years from the 1930s to the 1980s.
As well as providing photographic evidence of global warming, Mr Beatson quoted statistics. He said the hottest years recorded on Earth have all occurred in the last ten years, with 2005 the hottest on record (the figures for 2006 are as yet unavailable, but could well eclipse those of 2005), and said that ocean temperatures have been rising, too.
"As climate changes the impact goes right through to all of us," said Mr Beatson. He explained that hurricanes and tornadoes increased in intensity as oceans heated up and said that the number of hurricanes in the world had increased significantly in recent years, causing havoc where they struck.
He spoke of the threat to polar bears as the ice flows at the North Pole decreased, the bleaching of coral reefs as the oceans warmed, and the rise in sea levels as the world warmed and ice caps melted. "The potential if we do nothing is this," said Mr Beatson, showing a photograph of a half-submerged Melbourne CBD.
He attributed global warming to three major factors - the population explosion the world has seen in recent years, the scientific and technological revolution which has led to a massive increase in power generation and hence damaging emissions and, thirdly, our way of thinking.
Pre-empting the doubters, Mr Beatson said he wished to clear up three misconceptions.
"It's time that we all started taking action," concluded Mr Beatson, hopeful that there will be some massive shifts in opinion and positive ideas for action expressed over the next 12 months as he continues to give his presentation.
Mayor Jennie Deane thanked Mr Beatson for his presentation and assured him that Council took its environmental responsibilities seriously. She said council worked closely with South Gippsland Water on water issues and a staff member was allocated to issues of water, drought and climate change. "We look seriously at environmental issues and are trying to become as informed as possible," she said.
Wednesday 7/2/2007 Page: 9
BRUCE Beatson's presentation to South Gippsland Shire Council last Wednesday on the Australian Conservation Foundation's Al Gore Climate Project was timely.The Toora farmer's presentation coincided with the week in which the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released in Paris the first volume of its fourth assessment report, 'The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change.' According to this significant weather forecast, the world is likely to warm by up to four degrees Celsius by the end of this century as a result of increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by human activity.
Mr Beatson, who is currently the Manager of the Dollar Wind Farm Information Centre, spoke eloquently of his changing attitude to life on the land and his deepening concern about global warning and the need for communities to understand it and take action in the interests of future generations.
He attended a threeday seminar/workshop in Sydney last November at which he committed to present the Power Point project featured in former US Vice-President Al Gore's film 'An Inconvenient Truth' across this region during the next twelve months. He is one of 85 presenters of the project.
Mr Beatson began with a photograph of planet Earth taken from space and showing the thin layer of atmosphere encircling the planet, its fragility threatened, he said, by global warming.
"We're slowly and certainly warming the planet," said Mr Beatson, showing photographs depicting changes in climatic features of the Earth over the years, such as fewer glaciers and significantly less snow even on the highest peaks in the fifty years from the 1930s to the 1980s.
As well as providing photographic evidence of global warming, Mr Beatson quoted statistics. He said the hottest years recorded on Earth have all occurred in the last ten years, with 2005 the hottest on record (the figures for 2006 are as yet unavailable, but could well eclipse those of 2005), and said that ocean temperatures have been rising, too.
"As climate changes the impact goes right through to all of us," said Mr Beatson. He explained that hurricanes and tornadoes increased in intensity as oceans heated up and said that the number of hurricanes in the world had increased significantly in recent years, causing havoc where they struck.
He spoke of the threat to polar bears as the ice flows at the North Pole decreased, the bleaching of coral reefs as the oceans warmed, and the rise in sea levels as the world warmed and ice caps melted. "The potential if we do nothing is this," said Mr Beatson, showing a photograph of a half-submerged Melbourne CBD.
He attributed global warming to three major factors - the population explosion the world has seen in recent years, the scientific and technological revolution which has led to a massive increase in power generation and hence damaging emissions and, thirdly, our way of thinking.
Pre-empting the doubters, Mr Beatson said he wished to clear up three misconceptions.
- He said that contrary to what some people argued, scientists were agreed that the problem of global warming was real. The facts were in all the reputable scientific journals.
- He said that there was no need to make a choice between the environment and the economy, as many company executives were already realising.
- His third point was that the problem was not too big to handle.
"It's time that we all started taking action," concluded Mr Beatson, hopeful that there will be some massive shifts in opinion and positive ideas for action expressed over the next 12 months as he continues to give his presentation.
Mayor Jennie Deane thanked Mr Beatson for his presentation and assured him that Council took its environmental responsibilities seriously. She said council worked closely with South Gippsland Water on water issues and a staff member was allocated to issues of water, drought and climate change. "We look seriously at environmental issues and are trying to become as informed as possible," she said.
State watch
Murray Valley Standard
Thursday 8/2/2007 Page: 9
SA WIND POWER: South Australia's latest wind farm will be connected to the state's electricity network by ElectraNet. ElectraNet is to construct and operate a new 132,000 volt substation and a 2.5 kilometre transmission line from the windfarm to the existing 132,000 volt Bungama-Hummocks transmission line. The wind farm will produce sufficient electricity to power about 60,000 households.
Thursday 8/2/2007 Page: 9
SA WIND POWER: South Australia's latest wind farm will be connected to the state's electricity network by ElectraNet. ElectraNet is to construct and operate a new 132,000 volt substation and a 2.5 kilometre transmission line from the windfarm to the existing 132,000 volt Bungama-Hummocks transmission line. The wind farm will produce sufficient electricity to power about 60,000 households.
Wind is the key: expert
Geelong Advertiser
Friday 9/2/2007 Page: 5
WATER and wind - the two staples of Geelong's coastline could be married in a bid to solve the region's drought woes, according to experts.
As the Surf Coast shapes as a likely home to Victoria's potential desalination plant, engineers have warned a new energy source would need to power the project, prompting renewed discussion about wind technology.
Engineer Brian Radford said wind farm power would be an ideal source for the desalination plant as there would be little point building a plant which used environmentally unfriendly power to drive it.
"(Desalination) is horses for courses essentially and it has issues associated with getting rid of brine - concentrated salt - now that has to be done in an environmentally sustainable way," said Mr Radford, Earth Tech engineering and consulting general manager.
"My personal opinion on wind farms is anything that helps reduce greenhouse emissions is a good thing." He said any such development would need to pass a triple bottom line test to ensure it was socially, economically and environmentally viable.
To indicate how power hungry desalination plants are, a recently commissioned plant for Western Australia will use enough energy to power 30,000 household. The $378 million desalination plant at Kwinana- will supply Perth with 17 per cent of its water needs and while it draws on the state's power grid for energy, the state's water authority has argued a new wind farm 200 kilometres away puts enough power into the grid to power the project.
Mr Radford said the Surf Coast would have the room for a wind farm without necessarily impacting on residential areas. He said it would come down to a debate but "there is no point in not having the debate".
Another water expert, Geelong-based GHD senior civil engineer Brian Ashworth, agreed a desalination plant would have to generate a new power source to prevent additional carbon discharge. But he said the community's objection to wind farms may be a problem in pursuing the concept.
"For a desalination plant, you're talking a lot of wind (turbines) not just one or two scattered over a few kilometres of the countryside," Mr Ashworth said. He said the wind farm would still need to be backed up by an alternative power source.
Friday 9/2/2007 Page: 5
WATER and wind - the two staples of Geelong's coastline could be married in a bid to solve the region's drought woes, according to experts.
As the Surf Coast shapes as a likely home to Victoria's potential desalination plant, engineers have warned a new energy source would need to power the project, prompting renewed discussion about wind technology.
Engineer Brian Radford said wind farm power would be an ideal source for the desalination plant as there would be little point building a plant which used environmentally unfriendly power to drive it.
"(Desalination) is horses for courses essentially and it has issues associated with getting rid of brine - concentrated salt - now that has to be done in an environmentally sustainable way," said Mr Radford, Earth Tech engineering and consulting general manager.
"My personal opinion on wind farms is anything that helps reduce greenhouse emissions is a good thing." He said any such development would need to pass a triple bottom line test to ensure it was socially, economically and environmentally viable.
To indicate how power hungry desalination plants are, a recently commissioned plant for Western Australia will use enough energy to power 30,000 household. The $378 million desalination plant at Kwinana- will supply Perth with 17 per cent of its water needs and while it draws on the state's power grid for energy, the state's water authority has argued a new wind farm 200 kilometres away puts enough power into the grid to power the project.
Mr Radford said the Surf Coast would have the room for a wind farm without necessarily impacting on residential areas. He said it would come down to a debate but "there is no point in not having the debate".
Another water expert, Geelong-based GHD senior civil engineer Brian Ashworth, agreed a desalination plant would have to generate a new power source to prevent additional carbon discharge. But he said the community's objection to wind farms may be a problem in pursuing the concept.
"For a desalination plant, you're talking a lot of wind (turbines) not just one or two scattered over a few kilometres of the countryside," Mr Ashworth said. He said the wind farm would still need to be backed up by an alternative power source.
$80m wind farm deal
Hobart Mercury
Saturday 10/2/2007 Page: 19
TASMANIAN-BASED wind power company Roaring 40's will construct an $80 million wind farm in China in a joint venture with the China Datang Corporation.
The 50 megawatt wind farm in Jilin Province takes to three the number of developments undertaken by the company in China. Roaring 40's is the developer and builder and will retain a 49 per cent share of the wind faun. It will get revenue from power sold and the Clean Development Mechanism payments under the Kyoto Protocol. Building will start soon with generation expected by the end of the year.
The Chinese company has plans to commission 2000 megawatts of wind energy by 2010 including a 1000 megawatt farm at Xiangyang, with Roaring 40's. Roaring 40's, which had revenue of more than $20 million last year, is a joint venture between Hydro Tasmania and China Light and Power.
Saturday 10/2/2007 Page: 19
TASMANIAN-BASED wind power company Roaring 40's will construct an $80 million wind farm in China in a joint venture with the China Datang Corporation.
The 50 megawatt wind farm in Jilin Province takes to three the number of developments undertaken by the company in China. Roaring 40's is the developer and builder and will retain a 49 per cent share of the wind faun. It will get revenue from power sold and the Clean Development Mechanism payments under the Kyoto Protocol. Building will start soon with generation expected by the end of the year.
The Chinese company has plans to commission 2000 megawatts of wind energy by 2010 including a 1000 megawatt farm at Xiangyang, with Roaring 40's. Roaring 40's, which had revenue of more than $20 million last year, is a joint venture between Hydro Tasmania and China Light and Power.
$80m wind farm to China
Launceston Examiner
Saturday 10/2/2007 Page: 12
THE Hydro Tasmania joint venture Roaring 40s has secured a lucrative $80 million contract with the China Datang Corporation. The deal to develop the second phase of a 200MW wind farm development in China follows last week's successful trade visit to the State by CDT's president Zhai Ruoyo.
Energy minister David Llewellyn, who was in China to witness the deal, said it was Roaring 40s' third major Chinese contract. CDT is China's largest power generator with assets of more than $12 billion and a total generation capacity of more than 50,000MW. Roaring 40s is already working on the company's 58-turbine Shuangliao Wind Farm in the Jilin Province.
The deal came as Premier Paul Lennon announced new hope for the future of wind generation in Tasmania. Mr Lennon said a new Declaration on Climate Change, signed by all State Labor leaders at a meeting in Sydney yesterday, could provide a boost for investment in renewable energy, even if the Commonwealth refused to come on board.
"The states and territories are committed to working together on developing a responsible emissions trading scheme, regardless of whether the Commonwealth chooses to be involved," Mr Lennon said.
While in Sydney the Premier also attended Prime Minister John Howard's summit on water where he gained an assurance Tasmania would not be left out of the Commonwealth's $10 billion national water plan.
Saturday 10/2/2007 Page: 12
THE Hydro Tasmania joint venture Roaring 40s has secured a lucrative $80 million contract with the China Datang Corporation. The deal to develop the second phase of a 200MW wind farm development in China follows last week's successful trade visit to the State by CDT's president Zhai Ruoyo.
Energy minister David Llewellyn, who was in China to witness the deal, said it was Roaring 40s' third major Chinese contract. CDT is China's largest power generator with assets of more than $12 billion and a total generation capacity of more than 50,000MW. Roaring 40s is already working on the company's 58-turbine Shuangliao Wind Farm in the Jilin Province.
The deal came as Premier Paul Lennon announced new hope for the future of wind generation in Tasmania. Mr Lennon said a new Declaration on Climate Change, signed by all State Labor leaders at a meeting in Sydney yesterday, could provide a boost for investment in renewable energy, even if the Commonwealth refused to come on board.
"The states and territories are committed to working together on developing a responsible emissions trading scheme, regardless of whether the Commonwealth chooses to be involved," Mr Lennon said.
While in Sydney the Premier also attended Prime Minister John Howard's summit on water where he gained an assurance Tasmania would not be left out of the Commonwealth's $10 billion national water plan.
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