Govt payment for solar power hailed as bright idea

Canberra Times
Thursday 10/4/2008 Page: 5

Canberra has been hailed as the new solar capital of the nation in the wake of proposed laws that would pay residents for producing solar power. But retired graphic designer Bill Gresham is already at the forefront of the movement. Mr Gresham has installed photovoltaic panels on his roof which allow him to generate his own solar electricity amounting to about 1.1 kW.

In the winter he only produces a quarter of the electricity he needs but in summer he breaks even. Mr Gresham said the new legislation would go a long way to promoting the take tip of solar electricity in Canberra. Because the tariff will pay for the gross amount of solar power he produced, Mr Gresham could turn a profit in summer, selling electricity back to the grid.

In winter, when his consumption outweighed his production, he said he would probably slash his power bills. "I probably would not make a profit in the winter but the main thing is it would reduce my payback time from well over 20 years to about 10 years," he said. "It would mean that I would get my money back before I die." The ACT will have the most generous solar feed-in tariff in the country under proposed legislation from Labor MLA Mick Gentleman.

Households which produce solar power will be paid a premium of 3.88 times the market rate for all the electricity they generate. They will be guaranteed payments for 20 years after signing tip to the scheme. In combination with the Federal Government's $8000 rebate on solar panel installation, Mr Gentleman says the scheme should allow Canberrans to recoup their solar power costs within 10 years. The proposed laws are twice as generous as a similar feed-in tariff which will be introduced in South Australia in June.

ACT Conservation Council climate campaigner Genevieve Wauchope said the scheme was the best on offer in Australia because the tariff applied to the gross amount of electricity produced by households - not just the net amount fed into the grid. The solar feed-in bill is likely to pass in the Assembly after Mr Gentleman won support for it in caucus. Mr Gentleman said the Federal Government could learn from the legislation.

"I trust that [Federal Climate Change Minister] Senator Penny Wong will look closely at the model contained in my bill when advocating for a nationalised approach to feed-in tariffs," he said. But for people like Bill Greshain, the bill is relevant for a more personal reason. "My reasoning is that it's a gift for my grandchildren's generation."

Shell warns Europe on emissions permits

Australian
Friday 11/4/2008 Page: 20

ROYAL Dutch Shell, the world's second-largest oil company, has threatened to stop investing in Europe if it is forced to pay for emissions permits that have previously been free. Christian Balme, a Shell France director, told the European Parliament that if the EU moved towards a system in which emission quotas were auctioned, it would destroy Shell's profitability in Europe. In January, the European Commission announced proposals aimed at slashing EU emissions of CO7 by 20 per cent of the 1990 levels by the year 2020.

One of the cornerstones of this plan is a proposed reform of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), which allocates a fixed quota of emissions permits to heavy industry for free. The EC has proposed that from 2013, oil refineries and airlines, and possibly some other industrial sectors, will have to pay for 20 per cent of their emissions permits, rising to 100 per cent by 2020. Mr Balme argued that if the proposals became law they would have a devastating economic impact on Shell's European operations. These operations include some of the region's biggest oil refineries including Pernis near Rotterdam and its Heide, Godorf and Wesseling plants in Germany.

"It's impossible. "So! There will be no more investments by Shell in Europe," Mr Balme said. "I am talking about $US250 million ($272 million) of profits at the moment. "If we extrapolate the price of CO, by the tonne, we arrive at the same level, which is unacceptable," Mr Balme said. As an alternative, Shell says that it favours "cap and trade" trading systems for big polluters, including power generators and most industrial facilities. A spokeswoman for Shell said on Wednesday that allowances should be free.

"Shell does not favour auctioning allowances in the first phase of a system because the impacts on the industries and firms covered by the system are highly uncertain," she said. The EU's announcement in January was accompanied by warnings that it would be "economic suicide" to punish industry so heavily and risked simply pushing investment and emissions into regions where trading schemes did not exist. A decision on whether other industries should also have to pay for permits has been delayed.

Several big energy companies and utilities are trenchantly opposed to the auction plans and have threatened to withdraw investment from the EU. Member states are trying to reach agreement by the end of this year. A range of other proposals are included in the EU's package of reforms. Among these suggestions are that individual countries set their own national targets for power generation from renewable energy.

Sunshine powers up to flick Ergon's switches

Cairns Post
Thursday 10/4/2008 Page: 11

HERE comes the sun: straight into solar panels on top of Ergon Energy's Lake St headquarters and back onto the grid. The power company says the two kilowatt grid-connected solar power system, installed yesterday, is the first of its kind for a regional electricity distributor. "What happens is if we are producing more than we use, then we export the excess into the grid," Ergon's Gaylene Whenmouth said.

"Otherwise we're consuming the power ourselves." The solar panels generate up to 10 kilowatt hours of electricity a day and Ergon hopes to see more sprout on CBD roof tops. "We want to show people how easy it is to do it," Ms Whenmouth said. "Every kilowatt hour of electricity produced by solar is a kilowatt hour we don't have to produce through coal fired generation and one tonne of carbon dioxide less going into the atmosphere."

You can see carbon saving data from the panels online at www.sunnyportal.com.

Click the link to Publicly Available Plants and search for the Lake St site by country and postcode.

Water heaters switch

Mount Barker Courier
Wednesday 9/4/2008 Page: 18

Electric water heaters will be phased out in SA under new State Government greenhouse gas emission standards. New greenhouse gas and flow-rate performance standards for residential water heaters will take effect from July 1, to boost the gas, solar and heat-pump markets. The move is in line with the Federal Government's commitment to phase out electric water heaters from 2010.

Residential water heating accounts for about one third of household energy related greenhouse gas emissions in SA and electric water heaters have a higher greenhouse impact than other alternatives such as solar or gas systems. Making the switch could save about 2t of greenhouse gas emissions per household per year. The new standards will apply to new or renovated homes at the time of development approval and for established homes at the time of water heater replacement.

Windows will make their own electricity

Courier Mail
Thursday 10/4/2008 Page: 19

WINDOWS could soon be energy generators while scientists are also trying to turn smokestack emissions into plastics. Queensland University of Technology is working with a Canberra-based company to develop transparent solar cells that act as both windows and energy generators in houses or commercial buildings. John Bell said the solar cell glass would make a significant difference to home and building owners energy costs and could, in fact, generate excess energy that could be stored or sold.

Professor Bell said the glass was one of a variety of practical technologies that would help combat global warming, which was a focus of research at the university's Institute for Sustainable Resources. "The transparent solar cells have a faint reddish hue but are completely see-through," Professor Bell said. "The solar cells contain titanium dioxide coated in a dye that increases light absorption. "The glass captures solar energy which can be used to power the house but can also reduce overheating of the house, reducing the need for cooling." Professor Bell said it would be possible to build houses made entirely of the transparent solar cells.

The glass would be on the market in a few years and QUT was trying to make the product more efficient, he said. Meanwhile, US research has found that the carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions can be used as a raw material for making plastics. The process creates polycarbonates, which can be used to make items like CDs and bottles. The research suggests the process could be up and running within a few years and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Glass houses may be stone's throw away

Burnie Advocate
Thursday 10/4/2008 Page: 18

BRISBANE - Australians could soon be living in solar powered glass houses as part of the battle against climate change, a researcher predicts Professor John Bell, from the University of Queensland of Technology's Institute for Sustainable Resources, yesterday said houses made almost entirely of glass solar cells could become a reality within three to five years as home owners looked for new ways to cut carbon emissions.

"They wouldn't quite (use the glass) around the bathroom... but I think people are beginning to look for ways to offset some of the issues of climate change," Professor Bell said. "We'll end up with some really interesting houses as a result." Prof Bell, the institute's program leader for energy,has been working with Canberra-based company Dyesol to develop transparent solar cells that act as both windows and energy generators.

New group supports clean energy in Scone

Scone Advocate
Thursday 3/4/2008 Page: 3

SCAP, or Scone Citizens Against Polluted Energy, are a new group formed with the aim of supporting clean energy in Scone. The group is relatively new and was initiated by former librarian aid researcher Gloria Muir. "We are not against the other groups, nor are we pro Pamada, but there has been a lot of misinformation given about the negative impact of wind turbines and we would like to be a community group that is primarily concerned with conservation and green energy," Mrs Muir said.

Local residents formed the group after concerns were raised in regard to what they called propaganda style distribution of anti wind farm messages. "I have rung every real estate and local council that has a windfarm in its area. I did not call any wind farm companies or government agencies that would have offered a biased opinion. After doing the research I discovered that information being passed around is entirely incorrect," Mrs Muir said.

Mrs Muir said research revealed other groups have been distributing pamphlets which confused, key aspects of wind technology, such as real estate valuation, noise pollution and impacts to both flora and fauna. "I called a real estate agent in Crookwell, NSW and they have no trouble selling properties around the windfarm there," she said.

Real estate agent for The Professionals in Goulburn told The Advocate, he had recently sold a number of properties for what he described as a good price, despite their proximity to the wind farm constructed in 1998. "We recently sold a 320 acre property for over $1.1 million which was within 800 metres of the turbines. There are some people who turn away when they find out a property is near the wind mills, but it doesn't worry most people," he said.

While Crookwell does not have the same number of turbines proposed for the Scone site, research shows the windfarm produces enough energy to power 3,500 homes and has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by up to 8,000 tonnes per year over coal based power. A similar construction does however exist in Ararat Victoria. The $76 million Pacific Hydro Challicum Hills Wind Farm, built 15 kilometres from the township of Ararat, was completed in August 2003, and is comprised of 35 turbines which stand 68 metres high with a rotor diameter of 64 metres.

Real estate manager for Elders Ararat Garry Todd, said there had been no reduction in property value since the construction. "I sold a property in January this year that was right alongside the windfarm and the price was unaffected. Since they've been here prices have not been affected at all, in fact they have actually grown in value. Aesthetically they look alright and make hardly any noise. A lot of what you hear is just crap," he said.

The newly formed Scone group has also voiced their opinion in regard to threats presented by wind turbines to local flora and fauna. "The impact to flora and fauna is far greater from B doubles that come through here, than from a wind farm," said SCAP member Joanne Van Hees. The group believes large vehicles which frequent the Bunnan Road are responsible for more bird deaths than any form of wind technology. "Research has shown that bird deaths are extremely low from wind turbines," Mrs Muir said.

Literature used by Mr Muir and published by the Australia Institute reports; `available evidence indicates that provided wind farms are located in appropriate areas the risks to biodiversity are likely to be small.' However, Hunter Landscape Guardians President Carmelle Lymbery, said the fact the turbines will be so close to a national park is definitely a threat to both flora and fauna.

"The national park is supposed to be there to preserve, not destroy, and one turbine will be on the very edge of the national park. When these towers go up, the two things they said at that meeting was yes the birds will be impacted upon, and yes we'll be impacted upon by the noise," she said. "Also there are the White Box woodlands out the back which are almost extinct within Australia, and a bulldozer has already been through to create a fence between Crown land, the Henderson's property, our place and the Towarri National Park," she said. Mrs Lymbery said although their group was called the Upper Hunter Landscape Guardians, they were a separate entity from the base group in Victoria.

"We had the Landscape Guardians from Victoria, who had been through it all, come to Scone to tell the people what was going on. They came to answer questions we couldn't answer ourselves, but as a group we are only concerned with issues in our own backyard. If you can't protect your own what can you protect? It's like looking after your children," she said. Mrs Lymbery also said any information provided in the Upper Hunter Landscape Guardians' literature came from sources such as National wind watch, ABC news on line, and newspapers. "All I'm out to do is save what we've got for our children and grandchildren. All we want to do is protect the environment, nothing more." she said.

University at the war front

Hills News
Tuesday 8/4/2008 Page: 28

THE University of Western Sydney is practicing what it preaches when it comes to bringing about change to combat global warming. Not only are UWS scientists busy carrying out groundbreaking research into the effects of climate change on the Australian environment, but the university itself is also treading lightly to reduce its Ecological Footprint. UWS is taking a wide-ranging approach to the climate change issue and is introducing many different strategies to minimise the amount of power and water that is used across its campuses.

These strategies include planting more trees to soak up greenhouse gases, recycling ink cartridges and mobile phones, and recycling about 13 tonnes of paper every month. Every tonne of paper that's recycled saves about 13 trees, 2.5 barrels of oil, 4100 kilowatts of energy, 4 cubic metres of landfill and 31,780 litres of water.

Add that up over the year and paper recycling at the university makes a huge difference to the environment, saving approximately 2000 trees a year and making significant carbon savings. UWS is also offsetting its water usage by installing water tanks to collect storm water run-off and recycle 500 mega-litres of water every year. This builds upon water recycling initiatives such as that on the Hawkesbury campus, where approximately 700 mega-litres of recycled water and storm water are used each year.

The university is testing the use of green power - electricity generated from environmentally friendly sources such as solar and wind power - as well as offering staff hybrid fleet cars for travel between UWS campuses. hybrid cars use a mix of electricity and petrol and emit only half the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air that normal cars do. The hybrid vehicle averages only five litres of petrol per 100km and has the best air pollution rating of any vehicle on Australian roads.

Every litre of fuel produces only 2.3 kilograms of CO2, so there's no doubt that the low fuel consumption of this car certainly contributes to a cleaner planet. Thermal insulation is being installed in some buildings, which means that heat is retained in winter and coolness in summer. Energy-efficient air-conditioning is also being investigated. All new buildings are being built to make most of the sun and shade throughout the day to cut heating and cooling costs.

Solar ascendancy could be eclipsed

Australian Financial Review
Wednesday 9/4/2008 Page: 68

About 160 institutions in Germany are doing research on solar technology and generous state subsidies for roof-mounted photo-voltaic systems mean this not particularly sunny nation has one of the highest rates of solar electricity generation in the world. Q-Cells, near Leipzig, became the world's largest maker of photovoltaic cells last year, surpassing Sharp of Japan. Sales are up 60 percent and profits are up 70 percent. Demand for high-grade silicon to make the cells has pushed prices from US$25 a kilogram to US$400 a kilogram over the last 5 years.

Electricity generated from renewable sources in Germany is now over 14 percent, surpassing the European Union's target of 12.5 percent. Some believe that renewable energy equipment could become as important to Germany's economy as machine tools and automobiles. The World Future Council says that Germany's EEG renewable energy law is the best in the world. Dieter Helm of the University of Oxford says that wind generation is more efficient than solar but Kurt Rohrig of solar research institute ISET at the University of Kassel believes wind power will reach saturation within the next three decades whereas solar is potentially limitless. New thin film technology is expected to overtake photovoltaic in the near future.

New climate protocol needs long-term plan to reduce emissions

Canberra Times
Tuesday 8/4/2008 Page: 11

Four months ago in Bali, Australia was enthusiastically welcomed as the newest member of the Kyoto club. Having finally ratified the Kyoto Protocol, Australia, along with the rest of the international community, is now focusing its attention on what will happen when the Kyoto Protocol ceases to exist in 2012. The international community is now negotiating the next international climate change protocol and is currently meeting in Bangkok to continuing the work that was begun in Bali last year.

The importance of this new protocol cannot be understated. It is increasingly clear that the primary success of the Kyoto Protocol was in raising public awareness of climate change more so than actually reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Another "success" of this magnitude will have catastrophic consequences for Australia and the rest of the world.

As Professor Ross Garnaut, Sir Nicholas Stern and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have made clear in recent months, dramatic and radical reductions in greenhouse emissions are necessary immediately to minimise (not avoid - it is too late for that) the effects of climate change. But the post-Kyoto "road map" accepted at the Bali negotiations last December will not deliver such reductions. The international community must base the next climate change protocol on the following seven principles.

Firstly, the new binding targets must be based on science rather than political expediency. How many Australians are aware that Australia's Kyoto target actually allowed its to increase our emissions by 8 per cent over 1990 levels? To keep global warming to just 1-2 degrees in the coming decades, global emissions must be reduced in 2050 to just fifteen per cent of 2000 levels. Australia cannot be allowed to negotiate an emissions increase.

Secondly, both poor and wealthy countries must be bound by these new targets. Certain developing countries, such as China and India, are amongst the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The global targets can only be achieved if all countries reduce their emissions. It does not matter how much Australia cuts its emissions if China and India do not cut theirs.

Thirdly, requiring developing countries to reduce their emissions will have consequences for the poor of those countries. After all, economic growth is necessary to improve the lives of the poor, and so investing in technology that delivers economic growth without increasing greenhouse emissions is necessary. Wealthy countries must support emission reductions in poorer countries by technology transfer.

Fourthly, it is important to recognise that different countries have specific circumstances that largely determine their emissions in the short term. Therefore, the next international climate change protocol must be sufficiently longterm in its outlook - probably to 2050 - that new investments can be trade over the life-cycle of existing infrastructure. Having said that, global emissions trust peak no later than 2015.

Fifthly, some countries have the advantage of certain natural resources that also can reduce global emission levels. The majority of these carbon sinks exist in developing countries and these countries trust be encouraged and supported in both protecting and expanding these sinks. If a country can increase its carbon sink, this must supplement its overall emission rights.

Sixthly, the current focus on emissions from production must be replaced by a focus on emission consumption. Even though global production and consumption levels are necessarily equal, the focus on consumption of emissions is an important issue when allocating the rights to emit.

Finally, the market is a powerful tool in allocating scarce resources. Emission rights in the future will become increasingly scarce and so market-based or market-conforming instruments must be used to support the ultimate goal of global emission reductions. These seven principles are a radical departure from the Kyoto framework. If followed, they will support the reduction of emissions that is now necessary.

The international community must also determine how to best allocate the rights to emit greenhouse gases. Under the Kyoto Protocol, future emission targets were based on past emissions. This approach is incompatible with the six principles outlined above. The only ethical manner in which future emissions can be allocated is on a per capita basis. Certainly, I have no greater right than someone living in Thailand, Nigeria or Peru to emit greenhouse gases simply because I emitted more in the past.

Of course, the consequence for high per capita emission countries, such as Australia, will be more stringent reductions in emissions. However, there is no other ethical way in which to allocate such scarce resources. Indeed, such a per capita allocation may facilitate technology transfer as countries such as Australia trade emission rights with poor countries not "consuming" their fall allowance of emissions.

A change in the current post-Kyoto road map to an emissions per capita allocation based on the seven principles outlined above is urgently needed. Such a change will be dramatic, but not as dramatic as the climate change we will experience if this does not occur.

Dr Matthew Clarke teaches at Deakin University and has a book on the next climate change protocol out later this year.

Scientist "turns up the heat with new alert on warming

Age
Tuesday 8/4/2008 Page: 10

A LEADING climate scientist says the European Union and international partners must urgently rethink targets for cutting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because of fears they have grossly, underestimated the scale of the problem. Dr James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, calls for a sharp reduction in carbon dioxide limits.

Dr Hansen said the EU target of 550 parts per million of carbon dioxide the most stringent in the world - should be slashed to 350 ppm. He said the cut was, if "humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilisation developed." A final version of the paper Dr Hansen co-wrote with eight other climate scientists has been posted on the Archive website.

Instead of using theoretical models to estimate the sensitivity of the climate, the team used evidence from Earth's history, which they contend gives a much more accurate picture. They studied cores taken from the bottom of the ocean, which indicate carbon dioxide levels millions of years ago. They show that when the world began to glaciate at the start of the ice age around 35 million years ago, the concentration of carbon dioxide was about 450 ppm.

"If you leave us at 450 ppm for long enough, it will probably melt all the ice - that's a sea rise of 75 metres," Dr Hansen said. "What we have found "is that the target we have all been aiming for is a disaster a guaranteed disaster." At levels as high as 550 ppm the world would warm by 6 degrees, the scientists' paper said. Previous estimates had suggested warming would be just 3 degrees at that point.

Dr Hansen has long been a controversial figure in climate change science. He was one of the first to bring the crisis to the world attention in testimony to the US Congress in the 1980s. His relationship with the Bush Administration has been frosty. In 2005, he accused the White House and NASA administrators of trying to censor him.

He has steadily revised his analysis of the scale of the global warming problem and was one of the architects of a 450 ppm target. But he said: "I realise that was too high." The revised target is likely to prompt criticism that he is setting the bar unrealistically high. Dr Hansen said he now regarded as implausible the view of many climate scientists that the shrinking of the ice sheets will take thousands of years.

If we follow business as usual, I can't see how west Antarctica could survive a century," he said. "We are talking about a sea-level rise of at least a couple of metres this century." Dr Hansen said his findings were not a recipe for despair. The good news, he said, was that reserves of fossil fuels. had been greatly exaggerated, so an alternative source of energy would have to be put in place rapidly in any case.

He proposed a range of measures. A moratorium on coal power stations would bring carbon dioxide levels to below 400 ppm. Reforestation coupled with innovative agricultural methods such as the use of Biochar, a form of biomass charcoal that can store carbon in the soil, could then get closer to his new 350 ppm target.

Dr Hansen's new position will pile more pressure on the British Government over plans to build a new generation of coal power stations. Last year he wrote to Prime Minister Gordon Brown urging him to block the first such power station. The London-based Royal Society made similar protestations to Britain's Business Secretary, John Hutton, last week.

Wind foes in spin

Macedon Ranges Leader
Tuesday 8/4/2008 Page: 3

SIDONIA Hills is one step closer to wind energy after the State Government planning department rejected an Environmental Effects Statement on a 34-turbine wind farm. Tasmanian group Roaring 40s lodged an EES referral to the planning department in January this year for a 3700ha farm that could supply the Kyneton area with clean electricity for 25 years. Roaring 40s spokesman Josh Bradshaw said the group was notified last week, and would now lodge an Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act referral.

"This is to confirm the project does not present any federal issue and then Roaring 40s will engage the detailed technical and environment studies," he said. "This will form part of the planning application to be lodged mid this year to the Victorian Minister for Planning." Landscape Guardians president Bruce McGregor said he was "not surprised." "We're not happy. We will fight against wind farms tooth and nail," he said. The guardians planned to meet opposition planning spokesmen Matthew Guy to raise concerns.

Macedon Ranges Residents Association secretary Christine Pruneau said the area's significance had been ignored. "The chances of an EES being required here were slim anyway, but given the sensitivity of the area, you would think it would be more important," she said.

But south ward councillor John Letchford said he supported wind power. "Wind and solar energy are the best renewable forms we have, but solar panels are still expensive to make," he said. "Until we come up with a hydrogen-powered solution in a non-intrusive area, this is the best way to go." A newsletter was sent to neighbouring residents last month outlining the group's plans. Copies are available at the Macedon Ranges Shire Council offices.

Turbines code call

Moorabool Leader
Tuesday 8/4/2008 Page: 3

Moorabool Council will write to the Federal Government supporting a national wind-farm code. The decision came after WestWind Energy submitted a planning application for 40 wind turbines at Yendon and 24 at Elaine. The letter, to Environment Minister Peter Garrett, will aim to prevent wind farms being "constructed against the wishes of the community." The council could have little influence over approval for the Yendon/Elaine wind farm.

The application has gone directly to Planning Minister Justin Madden because its capacity would exceed 30 megawatts. Mr Madden will now decide whether to refer the decision to an independent panel, which would determine the fate of the application. A second planning application - for off site roadworks - is likely to be "called-in" by the minister to an independent panel. Mayor Di McAuliffe said the council would seek the community's views in its final submission.

"The major difficultly with applications such as this is that when the community, and particularly the community of interest, is distinctly divided, we need to ensure the studies and reports are up to date and have all of the information required," she said. WestWind community liaison manager Angela Sutcliffe said the company had originally planned 79 turbines but compromised on 64.

"The reduction in number and/or the relocation of turbines can be attributed to a number of key factors including the concerns of host landholders and neighboring landholders, as well as the results of specialist studies, for example, in relation to Aboriginal heritage and flora and fauna," she said.

Ballarat East state Labor MP Geoff Howard, who lives less than 3km from a wind farm near Waubra, backed an independent panel to provide the best outcome.

Push for hot rock funding

Adelaide Advertiser
Tuesday 8/4/2008 Page: 37

Geothermal energy should get a 10 per cent share of the Federal Government's $500 million renewable energy fund to help drive its development, an industry body says. In its submission to the Garnaut Climate Change Review, the Australian geothermal Energy Group said a $50 million share of the renewable energy fund would help the industry through its "proof-of-concept" stage. The AGEG is forecasting a 171 per cent increase in geothermal industry field spending this year to $89 million.

But the submission argued that government assistance was needed while the industry proves its viability. "Policies that underpin the learn-while-doing phases of hot rock resource delineation, demonstration, development and deployment have been, and will remain, particularly influential in attracting multiples of private funds into the pre-competitive phase of developing Australia's geothermal resources," the submission said.

Hot rock geothermal energy is produced, in theory, by drilling wells up to 5km into the earth's crust, pumping water down and harnessing steam which returns to the surface. As at the start of this month, 33 companies were exploring for geothermal energy resources on licence areas covering 219,000 sq km across Australia, the AGEG said. Geodynamics is the most advanced of these companies and is currently testing the flow rates between its wells in the Cooper Basin.

The AGEG argued its industry could provide up to 10 per cent of baseload power by 2050, but would need government help go achieve this. The AGEG would also like an Australian geothermal Energy Centre of Excellence set up, with $20 million of federal funding over 10 years. The Garnaut Review's final report on the impact of climate change on the Australian economy is due on September 30, with a draft by June 30.

Climate funds boost

Geelong Advertiser
Saturday 5/4/2008 Page: 18

THE Victorian Government will boost funding to sustainable energy projects and sign a memorandum of understanding with the US based Clinton Climate Initiative, under measures announced by Premier John Brumby yesterday. Speaking at a climate change summit in Melbourne, Mr Brumby said a new $72 million fund would "breathe new life" into large-scale renewable energy projects across the state, such as solar energy, wave power, geothermal and biomass conversion.

The money forms the next stage of the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy (ETIS) grants. The Clinton Climate Initiative was run by former US president Bill Clinton's William J. Clinton Foundation, Mr Brumby said. Victoria will use the foundation's purchasing consortium to deliver items such as hybrid buses, use new financing models to accelerate the transition to low energy street lighting and procure alternative waste treatment technologies.

Victoria is heavily reliant on brown coal but Mr Brumby denied the state was addicted to it. "Our challenge now is to make it a fuel of the future. Some people say you can never do that with coal, I don't believe that," he said. Mr Brumby said turning coal into gas and synthetic diesel, while capturing the carbon underground in natural gas wells would provide a carbon-neutral solution.

In a keynote address to the summit, the Federal Government's top climate change adviser Professor Ross Garnaut said commercial success of Carbon Capture and Storage would be the key to the future of the coal sector. "The very low cost of mining Victorian coal will give Victoria advantages, if we can get commercial Carbon Capture and Storage working well," he said. Mr Brumby also promised Parliament House would spend an extra $90,000 a year to pay for green power to supply the building. Victoria has set a target to reduce greenhouse emissions by 60 per cent by 2050.

Renewables get a second wind from Labor

Australian
Monday 7/4/2008 Page: 31

THE Rudd Government's embrace of renewable energy is expected to usher in a second wave of investment in wind power, despite a two-year waiting list for turbines. Paul Curnow, a partner at law firm Baker & McKenzie, said the outlook was "very good", with investors who had been lying in wait since 2004 now ready to "bring all that potential to market." The Government's national scheme will include a legislated target of 45,000 gigawatt hours of renewables-based electricity in
2020. This will ensure 20 per cent of Australia's electricity supply will be obtained from renewables by 2020.

The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000 currently requires the generation of 9500 gigawatt hours of extra renewable electricity per year by 2010 enough power to meet the residential electricity needs of 4 million people. There are about 40 wind farms in Australia, and at a clean energy conference in Sydney later this month, delegates will be told by AGL Energy Ltd carbon and government affairs national manager Tim Nelson that this could turn into 250 over the next decade. Mr Curnow expects the number to jump when the commonwealth and the states flesh out details relating to the target later this year.

He noted that when the Howard government introduced its Mandatory Renewable Energy Target in 2001, there was a burst of investment which dried up when it was clear the government was not going to extend the scheme. "All the wind farms you see in Australia came out of that," Mr Curnow said. He said the industry stalled after 2004 at a time when investors were still buying land and gaining approval for farms. Those who could ride out this period, such as infrastructure powerhouse Babcock and Brown, extended their portfolios and are now set to reap the dividends.

Many of the sites have been optioned or acquired and the relevant permission obtained but work has yet to start, because the developers want to make sure the economics of the farms stack up once the emissions trading regime is set up. They will quickly bring all that potential to market," said Mr Curnow. "I would expect some significant sales in the next five years as well as actual construction." However, the availability of turbines looms as a potential brake on growth. "The thing about wind is that it's ready to go and it's proven," Mr Curnow said. "You don't need a higher price to make it viable, so I think the wind sector will be able to get in there quickly and snap up most of the target.

The only restraint on wind, which is a big problem, is that you have a two-year waiting list to get a turbine at the moment. That's how tight the market is." He said German and Danish manufacturers had been interested in coming to Australia before 2004 but changed their minds because of concern about the problems of achieving the economies of scale in manufacturing that had been possible in Europe, where offshore farms of more than 100 turbines were becoming common.

"They haven't come back and probably won't, so we are going to have to rely on getting turbines from overseas." Mr Curnow said he expected the preferred model for bigger investors would be to establish the potential of the business before selling and perhaps retaining an equity share. He said geothermal energy was about "five years away before it gets to commercial grade" and that it was more likely to be useful in meeting future targets.

`Coal key to green vision'

Bendigo Advertiser
Saturday 5/4/2008 Page: 12

Victorian Government will boost funding to sustainable energy projects and sign a memorandum of understanding with the US-based Clinton Climate Initiative, Premier John Brumby announced yesterday. Speaking at a climate change summit in Melbourne, Mr Brumby proposed a $72 million fund to breathe new life into large scale renewable energy projects across the state, such as solar energy, wave power, geothermal and biomass conversion.

The money will form the next stage of the Energy Technology Innovation Strategy grants. The Clinton Climate Initiative was run by former US president Bill Clinton's William J. Clinton Foundation, Mr Brumby said. Victoria will use the foundation's purchasing consortium to deliver items such as hybrid buses, use new financing models to accelerate the transition to low energy street lighting and procure alternative waste treatment technologies.

Victoria is heavily reliant on brown coal but Mr Brumby denied the state was addicted to it. "Our challenge now is to make it a fuel of the future. Some people say you can never do that with coal, I don't believe that," he said. Mr Brumby said turning coal into gas and synthetic diesel, while capturing the carbon underground in natural gas wells, would provide a carbon-neutral solution.

"That's the technological challenge," he said, adding some money may be available for this through the Clinton Climate Initiative. In his keynote address, the federal government's climate change adviser Professor Ross Garnaut said commercial success of Carbon Capture and Storage would be the key to a future for the coal sector.

"The very low cost of mining Victorian coal will give Victoria advantages, if we can get commercial Carbon Capture and Storage working well," he said. Mr Brumby also promised Parliament House would spend an extra $90,000 a year to pay for green power to supply the building. Victoria has set a target to reduce greenhouse emissions by 60 per cent by 2050, based on 2000 levels. The government will work towards a green paper on climate change, to be completed in six months.

Public forum to investigate community-run wind farm

Western Advocate
Saturday 5/4/2008 Page: 1

A COMMUNITY forum will be held this month to kick start a process that could eventually lead to Bathurst producing enough clean electricity to power the city's households. Preliminary studies have earmarked the broad corridor of land stretching from Lithgow to Blayney as likely to contain several sites that would be suitable for the construction of a community-owned wind farm. The forum will investigate the possibility of local stakeholders forming a company or managing a co-operative that would raise the capital necessary to build and operate the farm. About 12 two-megawatt turbines, each with an all-up cost of nearly $5 million, would be needed to generate enough electricity to power Bathurst.

The project sounds optimistic, but the forum will be informed about several overseas success stories and the celebrated Hepburn community wind farm project in southern Victoria, where two turbines will generate enough electricity to power 2300 of 2500 local homes. That project, managed by a board of nine local directors, has local government approval and state government funding and construction is hoped to start next year. Of course, this clean power is not directly channelled into houses - it is fed into the state's grid along with coal fired and hydro generated electricity and then drawn back through the normal system.

Many people get bogged down on this point but the principle is clear. Although there will be times when an area is supplying less to the grid than it is drawing from the network, it is reasonable to claim self sufficiency as long as there are enough periods of oversupply to compensate. The concept is still embryonic in Bathurst. Sites have not been short listed. The economics have not been rigorously investigated. Financial stakeholders have not come forward. Permits have not been obtained. Not even the local council has indicated formal support. But it makes a lot of sense. Consider the broad political and economic pictures.

Politically, power generation is front page news. New South Wales faces electricity shortages unless there is considerable investment in generation schemes but the state government does not want to tie up money or borrow funds to build power stations so it is pushing the unpopular policy of privatising the industry. At the same time, all governments will come under increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gases and clean power generation is an important part of the solution. It is reasonable to assume the state government would welcome communities funding their own green power schemes because it takes the heat off them on two fronts.

Economically, the argument for wind farms is also compelling. Two megawatt turbines becomes cost positive after eight to 10 years. In other words, after eight to 10 years a turbine has produced about $5 million worth of power which is purchased by suppliers (such as Country Energy, who will be represented at the forum). A turbine has a life expectancy of about 25 years so it has potential to earn another $15 million or so until it needs to be replaced. It sounds like a recipe for making money while you help the environment.

Raising the $50 million needed to build 12 turbines seems daunting but superannuation funds and corporations who have been burnt by the share market crash and the American sub prime property crisis are wary of traditional investment options such as equities and property. They are looking for safe avenues to park millions of dollars.

A convincing argument could be presented extolling the virtues of such a community friendly and financially sound investment without denying small investors the chance to also buy into the project and receive dividends. One of the first jobs would be to identify a location. Bathurst's Climate Action Network has distributed flyers to landholders and already they have received several expressions of interest.

And why wouldn't they? A landholder may be temporarily inconvenienced during the construction phase but once a turbine is up and spinning, there is little downside. The landholder receives a fee for the use of their land and they can still run livestock or crop virtually to the base of the turbine.

There are several criteria for suitable sites, headed, not surprisingly by the need for year round wind. The site needs to be elevated but not at the top of an escarpment which can produce turbulence. Wind needs to be consistent but smooth. An elevated ridge or saddle hill is ideal. The site must have vehicle access, be within 500 metres of three-phase power lines, at least one kilometre from houses or buildings and have little vegetation. It is a huge project and will involve years of work before a sod could be turned but the longest journey starts with a single footstep.

That first footstep will be taken at Bathurst RSL Club, 6.30pm, April 14. Be there.

Fast facts...

WHAT: A public forum to discuss the concept of establishing a community wind farm.
WHEN: Monday, April 14, 2008, 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
WHERE: Bathurst RSL Club auditorium.
WHO: Organised by Bathurst Climate Action Network.
COST: Free.

Protest group criticised

Albany & Great Southern Weekender
Thursday 3/4/2008 Page: 3

THE organisation proposing a wind farm in claims a local group is deliberately turning the community against it. Denmark Community Wind Farm (DCW) chairman Craig Chappelle said virtually every statement made by a spokesman for South Coast Landscape Guardians in the Weekender on March 27, was incorrect. "DCW is a registered not-for-profit organisation, whose constitution clearly states that the project is to be owned and operated by the community," he said.

"Otherwise the project wouldn't have received the subsidy that SLCG keep banging on about." Mr Chappelle said that with increased Federal and State Government attention on renewable energy, more money was available for projects such as the windfarm. DCW's feasibility study had shown that the project was viable, and would supply five times more energy than the 10 per cent claimed by SLCG. "We have identified a more practical access route that avoids the lime pit and will allow the public to freely visit the windfarm."

More jobs blow in the wind: Portland's energy sector gets boost

Warrnambool Standard
Friday 4/4/2008 Page: 5

AN expansion of Keppel Prince Engineering's wind energy sector will create up to 40 new jobs in Portland. The firm will invest more than $6 million into transforming the former Vestas blade manufacturing factory into an engineering and fabrication workshop. The project will see a $1.5 million third production line developed, which will increase the company's ability to make wind towers by 50 per cent. The new venture was announced yesterday as two State Government ministers toured the growing facility.

Regional and Rural Development Minister Jacinta Allan committed $200,000 to help kick-start the enterprise. "With the use of wind power and other alternative energies increasing this project will put the company in the box seat to secure further business opportunities," Ms Allan said. Keppel's general manager Steve Garner said the grant would help offset some capital and training costs. One major purchase slated is a new 100-tonne crane worth $1.5 million.

The former Vestas site has come full circle in recent years, with the Danish blade-making firm eventually purchasing the site. From mid-2005, the factory grew to employ 130 people before it closed its doors last December. Keppel Prince has since employed about 25 former Vestas workers, with the new venture expected to provide opportunities for many more former employees to stay in the industry. Mr Garner said the expansion would also help current staff who had been working in confined spaces to develop two wind towers per week. With the expansion, the firm will be able to create a further tower each week.

Students blown away by Blayney Wind Farm

Champion Post
Friday 4/4/2008 Page: 11

A group of Year 7 students from Parkes High School learnt what it means to be green when they visited the Blayney Wind Farm. Students from the high school were treated to a talk and tour around the Blayney Wind Farm which produces green energy for electricity retailers to purchase and provide to customers. The excursion is the final component of a renewable energy project the students commenced in year six.

Country Energy organised the excursion on the school's behalf which included a tour of the wind farm, talk from Eraring Energy. and the opportunity to learn about green energy. Regional general manager, Chas McPhail said it was wonderful to see school groups wanting to learn more about green energy and more simply, how a local wind farm works. "Having the wind farm in Blayney provides the opportunity for our local customers to see a renewable energy wind farm working and to have that first hand connection with the farm. "I would encourage any school group wanting to learn more about green energy to call us and organise an excursion to the farm Chas said.

Jay Quince, head teacher from Parkes High School said the students absolutely loved their visit to the wind farm. "The visit to the Blayney Wind Farm gave the students the opportunity to see the operational side of generating green energy," Jay said. Country Energy purchases green energy from the wind farm on behalf of the retailer's countrygreen customers. The energy purchased is then fed into the Country Energy network helping to reduce green house gas emissions.

Solar expert wants same support as coal

Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday 5/4/2008 Page: 10

ONE of Australia's leading solar engineers has criticised governments for a lack of support for the industry, contrasting it with the strong backing given to clean coal in the race to cut greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation. "If we have a level playing field we will win," said Richard Corkish, the head of renewable energy engineering at the University of New South Wales. In Victoria this week, the federal Minister for Energy, Martin Ferguson, launched the southern hemisphere's largest clean coal experiment, which is backed by big coal and gas companies, six universities and state governments.

An International Energy Agency report has predicted that a commercial clean coal plant is unlikely to be operating before 2020. Just days earlier California was rolling out the largest commercial solar power project in the world, which will serve 162,000 homes south of Los Angeles. The $1 billion project by Southern California Edison will put advanced photovoltaic solar generating cells on 6 million square metres of commercial roof space.

Renewable energy costs more than traditional power. But California has deemed that by 2010, 20 per cent of power must be from renewable sources. Australia's Mandatory Renewable Energy Target is 20 per cent by 2020. This target is driving Southern California Edison to pay a tariff to commercial building owners to install the solar panels.

Dr Corkish said Australian governments needed to examine the idea of paying commercial buildings and home owners to install photovoltaic panels that can feed into power grids - a policy that has led to an explosion of solar power in Germany and Spain. So far South Australia is the only state to agree to the tariffs.

"We're very good at commercialising [solar] technologies but they're tending not to be implemented in Australia because coal is too cheap here," Dr Corkish said. "If we had the sort of support we have seen in Spain and Germany we can do it here. We would have a big market and a big industry."

Garnaut floats Gippsland as greenhouse gas trap

Age
Saturday 5/4/2008 Page: 4

GIPPSLAND could be developed into a high-tech industrial hub in the global fight to tackle climate change, the government economic adviser on climate, Ross Garnaut, says. In a speech to the State Government's climate change summit, Professor Garnaut said the Latrobe Valley and Bass Strait had an extraordinary number of sites suitable for storing greenhouse gas underground. Politicians and scientists are banking on the success of experimental clean coal technology- capturing greenhouse gas emitted burning fossil fuels and trapping it kilometres beneath the Earth's surface - to avoid the worst effects of climate change without ending the world's reliance on coal-fired energy.

Professor Garnaut said Victoria, like much of Australia, was exceptionally vulnerable to climate change but also exceptionally placed to win economically as the world adapted. It could make Gippsland the centre of a major national industry, a high-tech industry of carbon sequestration, storing carbon dioxide from other parts of Australia, even internationally," he said. Australia's first big Carbon Capture and Storage project was launched this week near Warrnambool, with a goal of burying 100,000 tonnes of gas piped from a naturally occurring gas well.

Backers estimate it will be about 10 years before carbon storage becomes commercially viable if trials prove successful. Critics argue it will be impossible in the short term to assess whether gas will leak with potentially disastrous effects. Professor Garnaut dismissed claims by NSW Treasurer Michael Costa that cutting greenhouse gas emissions would cost the country up to $430 billion, and slash the size of the economy by 4%. In the latest stanza in a stoush with the NSW Government, Professor Garnaut said Mr Costa was obviously very good" at coming to conclusions quickly.

He said he would spell out the estimated cost in a draft report to federal and state governments in June. Victorian Premier John Brumby said there would be a debate about how much fighting climate change would cost, but that a 4% cut would be small cost compared with the expected doubling of the economy over the next 30 years. In a veiled swipe at the NSW Government, Professor Garnaut said only people not prepared to accept overwhelming scientific evidence denied climate change existed. You have to be a believer against the science to think the right thing to do is nothing, and I think this issue is too important for that sort of misplaced belief," he said.

Boost for wind farm

Hepburn Shire Advocate
Wednesday 2/4/2008 Page: 6

AN ENERGY production analysis has given the proposed Leonard's Hill Wind Farm a boost with independent tests confirming the project could power more than 2000 houses. The board of Hepburn Wind received the data after industry leader, Garrad Hassan Pacific Pty Ltd, completed the extensive calculations over the past 12 months. The energy assessment analysed the wind data from the monitoring mast, which has been on the Leonard's Hill site for well over a year. Hepburn Wind's Koos Hulst said the results were a major step forward for the project. "We're delighted with the findings of the energy analysis.

It's great news. It has really reiterated the strength of this project and reminded us that renewable energy can power a town and help cut greenhouse gas emissions at the same time," Mr Hulst said. "It's also reaffirmed what we've known for some time, this project is going to make money for our community," he said. Board member and Daylesford architect Per Bernard described the energy analysis as "a very thorough scientific process that confidently predicts what the wind park is actually going to produce."

Mr Hulst said the energy assessment demonstrated the Hepburn Community Wind Park's two turbines should produce enough energy for just under 2300 houses, almost the total number of houses in Hepburn Springs and Daylesford. Meanwhile, the Spa Country Landscape Guardians have called on wind farm company Wind Power Pty Ltd to provide a project update for its proposed Tuki Wind Farm site. The company wants to build a 19-turbine wind farm at Stoney Rises. Wind Power director Andrew Newbold told The Advocate the project remained a focus of the company, but was still in its planning stages.

For more information about Hepburn Wind visit www.hepburnwind.com.au.

Cape Bridgewater project nears end

Warrnambool Standard
Friday 4/4/2008 Page: 5

CONSTRUCTION of Cape Bridgewater's wind farm is almost complete Touring the site yesterday, Energy and Resources Minister Peter Batchelor found nearly all of the 29 wind towers ready to begin creating energy. Work on Stage 3 of the project, at Cape Nelson, has also begun after gaining planning approval in January.

Mr Batchelor said Pacific Hydro's total Portland project would provide enough electricity for 90,000 homes. It will also prevent 550,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases per year from being emitted had that electricity been produced using brown coal. Nearly two-thirds of the resources for the Cape Bridgewater Wind Farm have been sourced locally, with 49 regional businesses involved.

Council pushes ahead with wave power plan

Border Watch
Friday 4/4/2008 Page: 7

Port MacDonnell is still being considered as a potential site for a wave energy technology project, with Grant District Council soon to meet with Carnegie Corporation, to further state their case for hosting the plant. Grant District Council chief executive officer Russell Peate said council had already offered in principle support for the Carnegie Corporation's CETO wave energy project to be established in Port MacDonnell. While the Carnegie Corporation is still considering and investigating other possible locations around the country, Mr Peate said council had been continuing their contact with the organisation to express their interest in the project.

This had led to Carnegie Corporation agreeing to meet again with Grant District Council "They will be visiting in mid-April to further discuss the proposal with myself and other council representatives," Mr Peate said. He was confident the Port MacDonnell region would be an appropriate site for the new technology and was hopeful the Carnegie Corporation would continue to consider the region in their investigations.

"We're still very positive that we are still being considered and that we can move forward with this," he said. The possibility of attracting the wave energy project to the South East would continue the region's commitment to renewable energy, building on the success of both wind energy and geothermal energy plants in the Wattle Range Council area. "Hopefully this area can continue to be highlighted as an area of clean, green energy," Mr Peate said.

How to slash emissions without pain

Age
Friday 4/4/2008 Page: 1

VICTORIA could slash its greenhouse gas emissions by using technology that is already available, according to a report to be launched at today's State Government climate change summit. The report, commissioned by the Government, says emissions could be cut by as much as one third by 2020 without substantially reducing the state's reliance on brown coal. Consultants the Nous Group found emissions should stop rising between 2005 and 2015 purely due to existing government policies and the rising use of forests as "carbon sinks."

Most of the cut would come from efficiency drives - improving energy use in business, agriculture and transport, including making cars more environmentally friendly. After 2020, further cuts would depend on renewable energy and the success of clean coal technology, mainly storing carbon dioxide emissions underground. Modelling suggests the cut in greenhouse gases could reach 47% below 2000 levels by 2050.

Climate Institute Australia policy director Erwin Jackson, a discussion leader at the summit, said the report was encouraging. "We have the technology, now the question is: do we have the political will?" he said. Despite the State Government's optimistic report, leading climate scientist Professor David Karoly said he was sceptical about clean coal and called on the Government to use the summit to address the state's reliance on high-polluting brown coalfired power stations.

Professor Karoly - a coauthor of the UN's Nobel prizewinning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, now working at University of Melbourne - challenged Mr Brumby's claim Victoria was a leader in the global fight to tackle climate change.

"Victoria is leading the way in terms of brown coal. It's leading the way in high emissions per person (from energy) because of the brown coal." The climate change summit will bring together 120 experts and industry figures to debate issues including how to cut energy and transport emissions, position Victoria to capitalise on growing industries, and help poor households cope with rising electricity and petrol costs.

The Government will promise a climate change draft policy paper by the end of the year, to completed in mid-2009. Climate scientists argue growing evidence suggests Victorian and federal pledges to slash emissions by 60% by 2050 do not go far enough to avert the potential consequences of climate change - species extinction, rising seas and mass starvation. In an interim report last month, government climate adviser Ross Garnaut said the science indicated a 70-90% cut was needed.

Speakers to day include former chief Australian scientist Robin Batterham, who will argue the financial benefits of new energy technologies have been overstated, potentially increasing the price of dealing with climate change.

In his discussion paper to be presented to the summit today, Professor Batterham - who is also Rio Tinto's chief scientist - says major new technologies such as geothermal power are expensive and carry high risks in early commercialisation. "This all suggests we have to discount some of the optimism of those who are pushing new technologies and, equally, discount some of the forward projections of cost reduction from those that have been in the marketplace for many years," his paper states.

Sustainable development network to be established

Loddon Times
Wednesday 2/4/2008 Page: 2

A Loddon Mallee sustainable development network will be established to coordinate the response of State Government agencies, local government and other relevant bodies to climate change, renewable energy and drought. The network is a concept developed by the Loddon Mallee Regional Managers Forum. The forum consists of State Government regional managers and local government chief executive officers who meet regularly to discuss matters of regional importance.

In principle support has been provided by members of the forum to establish the network and work is occurring to provide clarity about the objectives of the network. It is hoped the establishment of such a network will assist in coordinating and informing all organisations working on issues surrounding climate change, renewable energy and drought.

Small turbines, but the thinking is big

Earthmover and Civil Contractor
March, 2008 Page: 50

In the first installation of its kind outside Britain, five Swift mini wind turbines, are operating around Adelaide. They're on top of the State Administration Centre, Wakefield House, the Central Market and the Roma Mitchell Arts Centre in the CBD; the other is further north atop a resources centre at Salisbury.

Renewable Devices Swift Turbines Ltd (RDST), a small company based in Edinburgh (UK), has designed and brought to market the Swift roof-mounted wind turbine, which has a rated power output of I.5kW - between a third and a half of a household's electricity requirements. Installations started in August 2004, and more than 200 Swifts have now been supplied.

In 2006, when Adelaide's five were installed, Premier Mike Rann said they would be given a year-long trial to determine the power output in local weather conditions and in different built environments. If successful, a further 20 mini-turbines would be approved for installation on government buildings.

That OK has happened and the 2007 state budget included $33 1,000 to cover installation costs. Premier Mike Rann wants the state to have 20% of electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2014. He points to the fact that SA already leads the nation in wind power and has 45% of Australia's grid-connected solar power.

Wind powers Melbourne tram

Portland Observer
Monday 31/3/2008 Page: 9

THE St Kilda Beach to East Brunswick tram is now powered by "green" electricity bought from Pacific Hydro's wind power. Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky announced the "wind-powered" Yarra Tram service on Friday as a part of the State Government's bid to promote environmentally friendly public transport and energy. "The Brumby Government currently buys more than 10 per cent GreenPower, and this will increase to 25 per cent by 2010," Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said.

"We are determined to increase the proportion of our electricity supplied through renewable resources from four per cent to 10 per cent by 2016. We're working to make this happen through our VRET," he added. The tram can carry 180 passengers, removing the equivalent of 150 cars off the road according to the State Government. Pacific Hydro currently operates wind farms at Yambuk and Codrington, and is building further farms at Cape Bridgewater and Cape Nelson.

Desal energy options

Bunbury Mail
Wednesday 2/4/2008 Page: 6

SEVEN renewable energy companies have been short-listed to tender for the supply of at least 160 megawatt hours of green power each year for the new seawater desalination plant to be built outside Binningup. The companies all harness energy from wind farms or biomass, or waste wood burning. Another three companies have been invited to submit proposals for the supply of up to 40 megawatt hours annually of power using new green technology, including wave power and innovative biomass projects. The successful tenders are expected to be finalised by the end of August.

Tapping the wind market

Engineers Australia
March, 2008 Page: 45

Roaring 40s, a company formed in 2005 through a partnership between energy companies Hydro Tasmania and the China Light & Power (CLP) Group, is a renewable energy developer in Asia and Oceania, with a planned generating capacity of 1000MW by 2010. The company currently has 13 sites in operation or in planning in Australia, New Zealand, China and India.

As part of its growing portfolio in Asia, developments are well under way for the company to establish a strong presence in India. The company already has an office in Mumbai and has been gaining a strong understanding of local market conditions and different regulatory environments. Roaring 40s managing director Mark Kelleher has pointed out that India is one of the global leaders in embracing wind energy and that the company is "very pleased to be working to help India achieve its renewable energy targets."

The Indian wind market has historically been driven by tax investment through accelerated tax depreciation. It has been dominated by local turbine manufacturers and the formidable challenge of land procurement has often made it an unattractive proposition for foreign developers. However, Roaring 40s has become a pioneer in this market and it now owns the 50.4MW Khandke Wind Farm.

Last month, Paul Fulton, Roaring 40s' technical services manager; Silke Schwartz, senior renewable energy consultant with Hydro Tasmania; and I visited India to provide engineering support to the Mumbai office, and review technical data and assessments for the contract negotiations of two wind turbine proposals.

During the technical evaluation we visited both manufacturing facilities and operating wind assets, while resources workers on the nacelle of a wind turbine during inspection at Dulia back in Hobart analysed the site selection and wind data. Contract negotiations were then handled by Mahesh Makhija, Roaring 40s' Indian business head, and Avinash Rao, a representative from CLP India.

So what do Australian engineers have to offer in this diverse and challenging development environment? Firstly, external personnel are often well positioned to offer independent engineering appraisals, delivering engineering context, with reference to the more established markets of Australia and, via association, Europe. Secondly, while presenting many opportunities, entry into the Indian market also carries a responsibility to demand sustainable development, especially given the relative lack of regulative requirements.

Uneven comfort

Australian R&D Review
March, 2008 Page: 6

The Swinburne National Technology and Society Monitor (SNTSi\1) has provided its 2007 snapshot' of public perceptions of new technologies, science and technological change. The main findings arc that Australians are comfortable with the rate of technological change in general, but the degree of comfort varies for specific technologies. They are much more comfortable with the thought of wind farms than with the thought of nuclear energy in Australia.

Significant differences in comfort ratings for nuclear energy are related to gender and political affiliation - men and Liberal voters are more comfortable with nuclear energy than women and Labour voters. The degree of comfort with genetically modified (GM) plants and animals for food is relatively low, but is higher for GM plants for food than with GM animals for food.

Australians trust scientific institutions and the non-commercial media for information about new technologies. They report high levels of trust in their family doctors and report similar levels of trust in medical specialists as in scientific institutions. They do not trust government institutions, major companies or the churches, and have the least trust in the commercial media.

The specific aims of the SNTSXM are to gauge public attitudes and perceptions of emerging technologies and science in order to compare Australia with other countries, examine attitudes toward controversial technologies (e.g., stem cell research, DNA paternity testing) and emerging technologies with important social consequences (e.g., the digital divide, internet relationships). The surveys also examine patterns of change in attitudes and perceptions over time, and explanations for these changing patterns.

More information: www.swinburne.edu.au/Iss/acets/monitor.html

GreenPower not just that load of rubbish

Goulburn Post
Monday 31/3/2008 Page: 3

HOUSEHOLD garbage from Sydney's householders is producing enough electricity to power 20,000 homes every year. And it is all being generated at Veolia Environmental Services' Woodlawn bioreactor at Tarago. State Minister for Energy Ian Macdonald said EnergyAustralia was buying the electricity produced from the methane gas now being captured from the bioreactor located deep inside the former Woodlawn mine.

The bioreactor came on line late in February and currently has 1MW of generation capacity which will progressively increase to an expected 25MW at its peak. "One of the main advantages of the bioreactor compared with normal landfills is that it maximises gas production and captures the gas produced when waste breaks down," Mr Macdonald said. "Landfill gases contain methane, which is 21 times more potent in its greenhouse warming potential than carbon dioxide.

"The Woodlawn bioreactor captures the harmful greenhouse gases produced and uses it to generate electricity for homes and businesses. "Once fully operational, the plant will prevent the equivalent of 675,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year. "That's the same as taking more than 195,000 cars off the road every 12 months" The results of an independent study of the Woodlawn Bioreactor last year revealed that better than 92 per cent of all methane produced from the waste in that area was being harvested (for further use).

"Household waste from Sydney is transported by rail to Tarago where it is then trucked into the site," Mr Macdonald said. "Once the waste breaks down, the landfill gas is captured by three horizontal gas blankets, 17 gas wells and other collection infrastructure including a 70-metre wide sump, treatment pond and storage tanks. "The captured landfill gas is fed into the onsite generation which converts the gas into electricity for customers to buy." By entering into this agreement, EnergyAustralia is earning Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and green power rights by supporting this renewable energy generator.

A second generator was expected to come on stream about August and the balance to be commissioned over approximately six monthly intervals during the next 10 years. Veolia Environmental Services has also received approval for the construction of a wind farm on the site, which once operational, will produce enough electricity to power more than 17,000 homes, and save 120,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. Combining the bioreactor and wind farm, the site will generate sufficient green electricity to supply over 37,000 households with power.

Asked when the wind farm would operational, Veolia's national communications manager Renee Fry said while no turbines had as yet been installed, a wind monitoring device was on the site. "In relation to timing for construction, we cannot commit to an exact date, but we would estimate the wind farm will be operational within the next two years," she said. Since it was a project independent of the bioreaetor electricity generation, a customer for the wind farm energy was yet to be announced.