Renewable investment

Countryman
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 42

People who own properties in shires where the power supply is weak or 'fringe of grid' can take advantage of the State Government's 50 per cent rebate on the capital cost of installing renewable power systems up to the value of $150,000. This opportunity is gaining momentum with landholders as they realise the amazing benefits available, particularly farmers who can use the tax benefits as a fabulous spin-off. These systems generally operate for at least 25 years, making the return from investment very attractive.

Electricity prices are forecast to increase at least 10 per cent year-on-year for the next eight years, so an investment in renewable power is sound and increases the value of your property. Motivated by a strong desire to help solve the global warming problem, the team at Earthrise Renewable, operates a friendly, relaxed and personal company. They endeavour to provide their clients with tailored solutions. because, in their words.

"No two jobs are quite the same" - an aspect of their work that they find energising. solar power, a mainstay of the business, can be mounted on roofs, the ground or alternative specialised structures like carports. A customer said recently: "You took the time to advise me the best way to manage my energy use; I could immediately see the savings in my energy bills." Earthrise Renewables does all of the paperwork to simplify the process for its customers.

It's easy being green in a house purpose-built for sustainability

Sun Herald
Sunday 13/7/2008 Page: 68

IT WASN'T long ago that grey water collection systems, rainwater tanks and car sharing would have been associated only with alternative groups. Thanks to a growing interest in sustainability, and tighter State Government development rules, many green initiatives are going mainstream in new communities along the NSW coast.

In the Port Macquarie region, the Camden Haven Eco Village has development approval for a 65-lot subdivision that will have its own sustainable road, water, sewage, energy and waste recycling. Developer Ian Bailey, an architect known for his environmentally friendly designs, brought in sustainability expert Michael Mobbs to plan the eco initiatives. Mr Mobbs said the project was about to proceed to the marketing and development stages.

Key features include light-coloured roofs and pale roads with tree coverage to reduce summer temperatures by up to eight degrees, an orchard to supply up to 25 per cent of the residents' fruit, and annual electricity and water bills of less than $200 a household, thanks to water reuse and energy generation. A Port Macquarie-Hastings Council spokesman said the council had amended its policy to allow for off-sets in development contributions for ecologically sustainable developments.

While the concept of eco villages has been around for 30 years, big developers such as Mirvac and Stockland are giving it a modern twist. They are creating estates that have sustainable elements but without the obligation of communal participation. They recognise people may want to live sustainably but not want to take part in the community.

At the 20-hectare development of Murrays Beach, 30 minutes' drive south of Newcastle, all water used on the site is captured and recycled. Street plants, filtration systems, ground water return and at- source treatment help to capture the water, while all homes have rainwater tanks and bio-filtration basins to filter storm water run-off.

Developer Stockland has won several accolades for the greenness of Murrays Beach, including the 2006 Housing Industry Association's GreenSmart Design Concept Award and the 2006 Urban Development Institute of Australia's NSW Award for Excellence in Sustainability. Eco initiatives include design guidelines for residents building their own homes that focus on energy-efficient design, solar orientation and cross-ventilation. One in five buyers are young families and one-quarter are empty nesters.

Land prices start at $230,000, home and land packages from $550,000, and houses from $595,000 Magenta Shores on the Central Coast is a Mirvac development and has an environmental plan that includes restoring local sand dunes and rehabilitating adjacent forest. All wastewater is collected and filtered, and all storm water is retained onsite. The development isn't perfect - many buildings still have energy-guzzling downlights and split-cycle air-conditioners.

However, it won the Housing Industry Association's GreenSmart Estate of the Year in 2007. At Jervis Bay, the Bayswood development is two kilometres inland from CollinGWood Beach. Half of the development will be retained as parks and protected environmental space and a cycleway will be built to the beach. At Balgowlah, the Village is a planned medium-density development, which won the HIA GreenSmart Development Design Concept of the Year. The Village will feature a heat exchange system that will use waste heat from the air conditioning unit for hot water needs in the town houses and units. Award judges were impressed that 90 per cent of materials from the previous demolition have been reused or recycled.

Nuclear key to refinery jobs: report

Courier Mail
Monday 14/7/2008 Page: 2

THE Rudd Government is being urged to embrace nuclear energy as a source of clean energy, amid warnings its emissions trading scheme could result in "desolate" industrial wastelands. Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Howes will today release a key report on emissions trading by the Per Capita consulting firm that shows Australia's aluminium sector, employing 35,000 people, could be devastated.

"This report demonstrates that if we get the design of the ETS wrong, we will have Newcastle replicated 10 times over and across the rest of the country," Mr Howes said. The NSW city went into a period of financial decline after BHP closed its steelworks a decade ago. Union leaders and business figures fear an emissions trading scheme will hurt industry, causing job losses and sending investment offshore. The aluminium sector is particularly vulnerable.

The Per Capita report says jobs could be lost to Brazil, China and India if Canberra imposed tough laws. The study recommends the Government give the aluminium sector a "partial exemption" from carbon trading for up to five years. It also recommends the embrace of nuclear energy for the energy-intensive aluminium sector.

Beat this: free electricity for life

Earthmover and Civil Contractor
June, 2008 Page: 60

The 12 permanent residents of Innamincka in South Australia's far north are about to have free electricity for years to come.

THE TINY outback town 1065km north east of Adelaide, has always relied on diesel generators. The annual power bill of $200,000 will soon to be a thing of the past when free, hot fractured rock (HFR) geothermal energy arrives, courtesy of GeoDynamics Limited. HFR geothermal energy is produced using heat extracted from buried hot granites by circulating waters through an engineered, artificial reservoir or underground heat exchanger. The company has created the largest such reservoir in the world at its Cooper Basin site near Innamincka in north east SA.

Executive director Dr Doone Wyborn has declared that GeoDynamics will trial the technology at the town before looking to expand its operations throughout Australia. "By the end of this year we expect to have a 1MW power station up and running which will provide Innamincka with electricity as early as possible in 2009," he states. The project will require a transmission line from the power station to the township, a distance of 11km, and upgrading all connections to the buildings.

State Premier Mike Rann, who visited the site recently, said it was a glimpse of an exciting future for SA. "Dr Wyborn believes that this area in our state's north could supply a very significant part of Australia's baseload power in coming years. He believes the capacity of the area to be the equivalent of the world's entire existing geothermal power source." The premier said nearly $700m would be invested in the state's geothermal resources within five years. To speed up applications for geothermal leases and exploration, the government had allocated a further $3.325m over four years.

Turning the light on with timber waste

Countryman
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 3

WA's environmental watchdog has given the green light for a controversial biomass plant to be built in the State's South-West. The $110 million Manjimup plant will turn 380,000 tonnes of waste from the timber industry each year into 40 megawatts of power for the State electricity grid. WA Biomass Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Babcock and Brown and National Power, still needs the approval of Environment Minister David Templeman to start building at the Diamond Timber Mill site.

Environmental Protection Authority chairman Paul Vogel said the proposal would have low emissions and result in greenhouse gas savings which would contribute to the Government's 20 per cent renewable energy target. Biomass Action Group spokesman Neal Bartholomaeus said there were still major concerns about the impact of the project on agriculture.

A city with sunshine to spare Solar plans for dam

Blacktown Sun
Tuesday 8/7/2008 Page: 6

Blacktown Council will ask the Federal Government to consider a plan to develop Prospect Reservoir as an experimental solar power centre. Mayor Leo Kelly said he would endorse the innovative proposal by former Papua New Guinea district commissioner David Marsh, but said it was too complicated to be dealt with by the State Government. Mr Marsh's plan would see solar power generated from Prospect Reservoir linked to the national power grid.

"The open land site is suitable for a land-based solar array," Mr Marsh told the Sun last week. "The topography allows for cell arrays to be located on frames near the shoreline. We will use a raft of sealed plastic pipes to support the solar array to allow the panels to be floated in the dam while tethered to the frame structures offshore. "The panels will also act as an evaporation inhibitor and help retain the water in the dam." Mr Marsh has also proposed the solar power generated could be used to run the desalination plant at Botany Bay.

"My proposal will provide a strong impetus to the development of the industry," he said. "The superseded panels can also be sold to farmers as a power source, as well as dam covers to slow evaporation." Blacktown Council is a member of the Blacktown Solar Cities Consortium. The group, which includes BP Solar, Integral Energy, the ANZ Banking Group, Landcom, and Big Switch Projects, was set up after the city was named as part of the Federal Government's $75.3 million energy saving Solar City initiative. "I will refer Mr Marsh's plan to Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett for study," Mayor Kelly said. "I have no confidence in our (State) experts. They laughed when the then Sydney University Professor Harry Messel proposed solar power use more than 50 years ago.

"I don't want them to kill Mr Marsh's plan without careful study." Integral Energy's major projects manager, Len Blair-Hickman, said its main interest was in how the solar equipment could be connected to its electricity network. "This could pose some difficulties, but would technically be possible," he said. A Sydney Water spokesman referred the Sun to the Sydney Catchment Authority. A spokeswoman for the authority said water quality was its main concern with the plan.

"Prospect Reservoir is an integral part of Sydney's drinking water supply. It plays a critical role as a back-up water supply source when supply from the other dams are interrupted," she said. "Water quality would be adversely affected if large sections of the reservoir were covered with solar panels." State Climate Change Minister Verity Firth said Mr Marsh's proposal could be eligible for support under the Government's $40 million NSW Renewable Energy Development Fund. "This fund supports projects that will lead to greenhouse gas emission savings through the use of renewable technologies and supporting their early commercialisation," she said.

Firm touts sale of Snowy Hydro

Canberra Times
Friday 11/7/2008 Page: 6

Snowy Hydro is urging local communities to rethink their strong opposition to privatising the Snowy Mountains hydro-electricity scheme, saying it remains "the most sensible" option for its future. The company is distributing 10,000 copies of a corporate DVD to homes and businesses across the Monaro and Snowy Mountains regions, arguing a case for the benefits of future privatisation.

NSW Treasurer Michael Costa is also pushing for Snowy Hydro to be privatised, telling a recent public meeting in Cooma the company is losing its business value and "could be in trouble in a few years' time." Mr Costa also told the meeting the proposed $3 billion sale of the company in 2006 "was blown" by ill informed opposition to the NSW Government's proposal to sell-off the Snowy scheme to private investors. In a recent community newsletter, Snowy Hydro chief executive Terry Charlton said he hoped Mr Costa's "blunt but correct comments will now serve as a wake-tip call to all."

Mr Charlton said failure to privatise the Cooma-based hydroelectricity generator in 2006 "was then, and continues to be today, detrimental to the long-term future of the company" Speculation over the future of Snowy Hydro has been renewed following suggestions in the draft Garnaut climate change review that its continuing public ownership by three governments - NSW, Victoria and the Commonwealth - could restrict competitiveness in the national electricity market.

Labor sources have told The Canberra Times that before last year's federal election, members of the Labor Opposition investigated the possibility of a federal takeover of the Snowy and subsequently leasing it to a private operator. Any further plans are on hold until conflict over the NSW Government's sale of the state's electricity industry is resolved. Member for Eden-Monaro and parliamentary secretary for defence Mike Kelly said he remained "passionately opposed'' to privatising the Snowy and was "adamant that abandoning its sale was the right thing to do."

The sale of the Snowy scheme in 2006 was supported by state Labor governments in NSW and Victoria, but collapsed when the Howard government refused to sell its 13 per cent stake in the scheme. A NSW parliamentary inquiry into continued public ownership of Snowy Hydro concluded "if more information had been provided to the community prior to and during the proposed sale", community concerns and opposition could have been reduced.

A former Snowy Hydro chief engineer, Max Talbot, said local communities were concerned state and federal governments were ''gearing tip for a privatisation-by-stealth campaign. "Why was the sale of the Snowy raised in the Garnaut report?" he said. "My view is that it's opening the door for a sale to be considered as ultimately beneficial and unavoidable within the context of climate change."

Pressure builds for wind farm probe

Australian
Friday 11/7/2008 Page: 4

THE Brumby Government is under pressure to subject a massive proposed project containing 282 wind turbines Victoria's biggest to environmental scrutiny amid increasing unrest from local residents. Wind Power, the company behind a wind farm initially blocked over the Orange-Bellied Parrot, is fighting claims the project will be detrimental to the nationally threatened striped legless lizard, the Wedge-Tailed Eagle, the golden sun moth and the Brolga, a crane common in northern Australia but vulnerable in Victoria.

The company said yesterday it had reduced the number of proposed turbines at the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm, west of Ballarat, to address concerns about the impact on the Brolga. Wind Power has written to Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden stating that its preliminary work showed an environmental effects statement was not warranted. The Pyrenees Shire Council has urged Mr Madden to order an environmental examination given the magnitude of the project and the level of public concern about its impact.

Pyrenees Shire Mayor Lester Harris said last night the local community was divided about the project. Although there had been minimal public objections to three smaller wind farms in the region, residents were concerned about the number of proposed turbines at Stockyard Hill and their visual impact.

"Our view, as a council, is anything with 282 turbines requires the most stringent examination of whatever conditions might need to apply," Mr Harris said. "It is ludicrous to say that a wind farm of 282 turbines doesn't require an environmental effects statement. There are a whole range of issues that need to be addressed." A spokeswoman for the Western Plains Landscape Guardians, Cathy Franzose, said residents were deeply concerned about the project's impact on the landscape and the environment, particularly the Brolgas.

Ms Franzose accused the company of failing to adequately consult with the community by refusing to hold a properly constituted public meeting to consider the project. Mr Harris said he was prepared to have the council conduct a public meeting, but the company had expressed concern any public forum would be hijacked by the project's opponents.

Ross Richards, engineer and community consultant for Wind Power, said the company had placed advertisements for residents to attend forums and no one had turned up. Mr Richards said 60 land holders had signed on to have turbines on their properties. "This wind farm alone should produce enough power to supply the equivalent of 16 per cent of Melbourne homes, or more than six times the homes in Ballarat, based on a long-term average and assumed capacity factor of 30 per cent," Mr Richards said.

"It also represents an investment of about $1.5 billion, which will be a huge contribution to the local and regional economy." The wind farm, located between the towns of Beaufort and Skipton, would cover about 250sq km. "This project will be part of the solution to the problem of climate change," Mr Richards said. "It's the sort of project that is necessary to help fulfill Kevin Rudd's vision of 20 per cent renewable energy by 2020."

Petratherm powers on

Adelaide Advertiser
Friday 11/7/2008 Page: 84

Petratherm could be supplying Madrid with green power by mid-2010, after the company announced a full feasibility study into its Spanish project yesterday. The Adelaide-based company said it would move to a full feasibility study, after initial work indicated the potential to generate 45,000 megawatts of thermal energy per year. This is equal to the heating needs of 4000 households. Petratherm's Spanish project aims to tap underground reservoirs, with the hot water to be used for direct heating.

The project, which Petratherm picked up late last year, already has five deep wells drilled on it. The pre-feasibility study found there were geothermal reservoirs between 200m and 800m thick about 1.6 km underground, producing temperatures of about 70-90 degrees celsius. Managing director Terry Kallis said yesterday the company had now started clearing the site, about 40 km northeast of Madrid, and was preparing for detailed well inspections.

"These inspections should tell us everything we need to know to assess the wells' physical and economic potential, from temperatures and flow rates, to depth, structural and other technical parameters to finesse our final decision on project commerciality," Mr Kallis said yesterday. The feasibility study, to be completed over the next six months, will include an environmental impact statement, securing a rig to drill any additional deep wells up to 2 km deep and confirming customer demand and price setting. Petratherm shares closed up 0.5c at 75c yesterday.

Wind farm plans aired for public

Melton Express Telegraph
Tuesday 8/7/2008 Page: 3

Moorabool residents have until August 8 to make submissions on the Lal Lal and Elaine wind farm projects. An application for the farms was lodged with the State Government in March, but the company announced only last week that its plans were now on display. WestWind is planning to erect 70 turbines across two sites: Fisken Hill in Lal Lal and Elaine. The Fisken Hill section is two kilometres from Yendon and has almost 150 dwellings within a three-kilometre radius.

The Midland Highway dissects the Elaine component, which has 84 dwellings within a three-kilometre radius. The application shows the turbines will be up to 140 metres high. The Lal Lal and Elaine Landscape Action Group, which formed almost two years ago, has questioned the suitability of the project for a semi-rural community. Group spokesman John McMahon said there were 800 households within a five kilometre radius of the two sites.

He said residents were still not fully aware of the impact the wind farm could have on the landscape. "This will be the biggest change to our landscape since the goldrush." Last year more than 1300 people signed a petition against the Lal Lal wind farm project.

• The application is on display at Moorabool Shire's offices in Ballan and Bacchus Marsh during business hours.
• Submissions should be addressed to the Minister for Planning, Planning Panels Victoria, Level 1, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne 3002.

Hit the yellow cake road

Herald Sun
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 71

THE Queensland and West Australian state governments remain firmly opposed to uranium mining, despite bipartisan support at a federal level. But junior uranium explorer Scimitar Resources isn't overly bothered. It's still allowed to look for yellow cake in WA with its exploration license -the state government just won't grant uranium mining licenses. Yesterday, the company reported its first significant find at its Yanrey project in WA's Carnarvon Basin.

Scimitar's managing director, Terry Topping, was clearly enthused about the discovery, which he says BusinessDaily elevates the company above the ranks of grassroots explorers. And he believes WA will eventually come around and allow uranium mining. Topping says it's crazy that Australia, which produces about 30 per cent of the world's uranium, is helping other countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions through nuclear energy, yet is still undecided about the alternative power source in its own backyard.

"States like Western Australia and Queensland really have to have a close look at whether they want to contribute to that or not," he says. "Do they really want to be part of a global solution or do they just want to look at what's going on in their own state?" Scimitar, which listed at the start of 2005, is about to start drilling in ernest at its NT and SA tenements. Altogether the company has 20,000sq km to explore, having secured the area three years ago when the spot price of uranium was about $US20 a pound.

The sector has had a nice little run since then with the spot price surging last year to $US138 a pound. It's back at about $US60 a pound but Topping, who paid a bargain $70,000 for Scimitar's current tenements, still kicks himself that he didn't shore up more ground. "If I'd have known that the price was going to go from $US20 to $US138I would have pegged 100,000 sq km," he says.

Output of coal to triple by 2030

Courier Mail
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 16

QUEENSLAND, already belching out 30 per cent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, is set to nearly triple coal production by 2030. Premier Anna Bligh said the state's commitment to coal heightened the importance of developing new technologies. Speaking yesterday at the opening of the RG Tanna coal terminal expansion at Gladstone, she said climate change made "clean" measures important for the coal industry.

"I think the public wants to play its part as they did in other cases like water use, but they also expect us to be finding alternative sources of energy, like solar," Ms Bligh said. "I think they also understand that a massive industry like the coal industry, rather than just give up and walk away from it, if we can make it clean, if we can bury the emissions... that would be a great thing for countries like Australia and we should make that effort." Ms Bligh said the industry was doing its part by investing $600 million over five years on clean coal research. From 200,000 tonnes in 1960, Queensland is expected to export 200 million tonnes of coal within the next 18 months and 370 million tonnes in 20 years.

The RG Tanna terminal expansion has increased its output from 30 million tonnes a year to between 40 and 70 million tonnes. Gladstone's role in Queensland's coal-based economy is set to grow. The Wiggins Island terminal is scheduled to ship 25 million tonnes a year by 2012 and a Curtis Island expansion is under consideration. According to a recent climate change inventory, in 2006 Queensland produced 170 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, 30 per cent of the national figure.

Snowy power may go private

Canberra Times
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 1

The Federal Government has plans to acquire and privatise the Snowy Mountains scheme's electricity supply to attract $800 million in private investment. A former Snowy Hydro chief engineer has warned that this will expose the Rudd Government to millions of dollars in compensation claims from private investors if water is diverted from energy generation during drought. The prospect of a federal takeover and privatisation of Snowy Hydro was investigated by the federal Labor opposition before last November's election.

This was despite Labor's election promise to the Eden-Monaro electorate that Snowy Hydro would not be privatised under a Rudd Government. Labor's election pledge to maintain public ownership followed vehement public opposition across the marginal electorate in 2006 (then held by Liberal Gary Nairn) to the proposed $3 billion sale of Snowy Hydro. The sale, supported by state Labor governments in NSW and Victoria, collapsed after the Howard government refused to sell its 13 per cent stake in the Snowy scheme.

The Rudd Government's takeover plans are now on hold until conflict over NSW plans to privatise the state's electricity industry is resolved. The Member for Eden-Monaro, and parliamentary secretary for defence, Mike Kelly, said Labor would revisit the question of privatisation after seeing how the situation in NSW played out. A federal takeover of Snowy Hydro "with subsequent leasing to private industry" was being assessed but the Rudd Government "remains opposed to outright privatisation as such."

The possibility of privatising the Snowy scheme and Tasmania's hydroelectricity assets was flagged last week in the draft Garnaut review of climate change. The 500-plus-page report stated that ownership of the Snowy scheme by three governments - NSW, Victoria and the Commonwealth - could restrict future development and competitiveness in the national electricity market. It said hydroelectricity could play a key commercial role in "supporting the intermittent nature of solar and wind" as a way of meeting growth in future peak demand for electricity.

The Rudd Government's renewed push to privatise Snowy Hydro is certain to draw strong opposition from communities in the Snowy Mountains. A former chief engineer with Snowy Hydro, Max Talbot, wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this year after hearing that privatisation was being considered. His letter expresses concern that Snowy Hydro could be privatised "whilst the scheme and its assets remain in public ownership but leased to a privatised Snowy Hydro Ltd, thus 'getting around' the communities' concerns relating to scheme privatisation."

Mr Talbot said Snowy Hydro was "worthless as a business" without its water licence. "The licence is weighted towards the use of water for electricity production and trading rather than optimisation of the use of the water as an invaluable resource for irrigation, communities and the environment.

"It does not adequately regulate Snowy Hydro and contains compensation clauses that would result in the payment of hundreds of millions of dollars by governments to private owners should the licence need to be amended during its 75-year term." Alpine River keepers spokeswoman Acacia Rose said the Garnaut report's comments on privatising Snowy Hydro failed to recognise its importance as a water manager.

"The Snowy scheme is vital for water security and must be repositioned for water storage and management despite the recommendations of Garnaut that focus primarily on energy generation," she said. With diminishing rainfall for south-eastern Australia there will be less water available for energy generation."

AGL buys into geothermal explorer Torrens

Australian
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 20

AGL Energy has agreed to buy a stake in geothermal exploration company Torrens Energy, potentially expanding its renewable energy portfolio to include power generated from hot rocks. AGL, Australia's largest gas and electricity supplier, will pay $2.2 million for a 9.99 per cent stake in Perth-based Torrens. The companies have also agreed to jointly develop geothermal projects close to the national electricity grid.

Under the agreement, AGL will have the right to earn 50 per cent of any geothermal resource project identified by Torrens in return for funding the drilling of a well, estimated to cost about $10 million. AGL's competitors have also been busy investing in hot rocks. Origin Energy and Woodside Petroleum have recently invested in GeoDynamics, a geothermal energy company that is testing the transformation of heat into electricity from underground rocks in the Cooper Basin in South Australia.

AGL managing director Michael Fraser said geothermal energy was an emerging renewable technology that would complement the company's existing projects in hydro and wind and could help it meet the federal Government's Mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme (MRET), which would require energy companies to source an increasing proportion of their power from renewables.

"If successful, geothermal energy could play an important role in meeting AGL's longer-term renewable energy obligations," Mr Fraser said. AGL's renewable energy generation assets now comprise about 40 per cent of its generation portfolio. Torrens, which listed in 2007, has been granted a large geothermal tenement holding in areas close to Adelaide.

Earlier this year, it completed exploration drilling in an area north of Port Augusta and found temperatures of more than 200 degrees Celsius at about 4000m depth which it says is well within the range required for hot rock commercial power generation. AGL shares closed up 52c to $14.32 yesterday while Torrens rose 6c to 41.5c.

Australians to benefit as world moves to solar power: analyst

Australian
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 2

AUSTRALIA will be one of at least 10 regions in the world enjoying solar-generated electricity that costs the same as conventionally produced power by the end of the next decade, a new analysis predicts. US-based McKinsey & Co says solar power is already creeping towards cost competitiveness in some parts of the world.

The McKinsey analysts are unsure which of several competing technologies will emerge as the cheapest. But as investors pumped $US3.2 billion ($3.3 billion) into the sector last year, they say new competitors raise the potential for excess supply and falling prices.

"During the next three to seven years, solar energy's unsubsidised cost should equal the cost of conventional electricity in parts of the United States (California and the southwest) and in Italy, Japan and Spain. These markets have in common relatively strong solar radiation, high electricity prices and supportive regulatory regimes that stimulate solar capacity growth needed to drive further cost reductions." Taking these factors into account, McKinsey says at least 10 regions with strong sunlight - including Australia - will have reached parity by 2020.

It predicts the price of solar electricity will fall from more than US30c a kilowatt hour to US12c or even less than US10c. Solar capacity installed globally over this period will grow at 30-35 per cent a year, from 10 gigawatts to 200-400 gigawatts, needing investment of more than $US500 billion. "Even though this volume represents only 1.5 to 3 per cent of global electricity output, the roughly 30 to 40 new gigawatts a year of installed solar capacity would provide about 10 to 20 per cent of annual new power capacity over this period," the report says.

First trials prove a success in capturing carbon dioxide

Australian
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 2

AUSTRALIA has conducted its first successful trials of the leading technology for capturing climate warming carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power plant. Using the technology known as post-combustion capture (PCC) a team of industry technicians and CSIRO researchers successfully removed more than 80 per cent of the CO2, from the exhaust-gas flues of a pilot power plant in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. News of the trials at Loy Yang power station, which began last month, came yesterday at a meeting of scientific and industry experts at the Gippsland campus of Monash University.

Isolating CO2, is the first step in a process known as carbon capture and geosequestration, an emerging technology designed to reduce CO2, emissions from gas and, critically, highly polluting coal-fired power plants. CSIRO energy technology chief David Brockway said: "Coal is the primary fuel for over 80 per cent of Australia's current power supply.

It's what turns the lights on in most homes, so we need to find ways to make it a cleaner energy source." In PCC, flue gas is cooled and cleaned, then fed into a cylinder containing a liquid that absorbs the CO2,. The cleaned flue gas, mostly 100 per cent nitrogen, is released into the atmosphere. In the trials, the CO2 was also released, but commercial plants would compress and cool it to form a liquid to be sequestered.

Although trials of PCC are ongoing in Canada, the US, Europe and Japan, Dr Brockway claimed Australia was not lagging behind. Dr Brockway, a chemist specialising in combustion and gasification, Australia's challenge was greater than that of the rest of the world because Australian plants are older and dirtier. "Others already have (pollutants like) nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide removed." Because systems to remove these pollutants are expensive, Dr BrockWay said the team devised a method of eliminating them, too.

Queensland University chemical engineer Paul Massarotto said it might be possible to sidestep capture: "We wouldn't have to capture the flue gas first." Along with UQ colleagues, Professor Massarotto announced yesterday he had joined Chinese researchers to develop a pilot project to pump greenhouse gas emissions directly into underground coal seams.

According to Dr Brockway, the key to effective PCC is tailoring the mix of flue gases with the absorber. Most systems use different forms of aqueous amines. The PCC project will trial several at Loy Yang and pilot plants to be commissioned at Munmorah on the NSW central coast, in Beijing and in Queensland. The Loy Yang trials are part of the Latrobe Valley PCC Project, a collaboration between Loy Yang Power, International Power Hazelwood, state and federal governments, the CSIRO and the CO2CRC

Billionaire Pickens unveils energy plan to ease US dependence on foreign oil

Age
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 2

Boone Pickens, the billionaire Texas investor, has unveiled a national energy plan designed to cut US dependence on foreign oil. The country was "very close to a disaster" because it imported nearly 70% of its oil, he said. Mr Pickens said he had launched an advertising campaign for his plan at a cost so far of about $US10 million ($A10.48 million). "I am going to give a solution to the trap we have put ourselves in," said Mr Pickens, who is developing a 4000-megawatt wind farm in Texas.

The problem is that we are buying $700 billion of foreign oil a year. That number is not going to stay at $700 billion. It's going to move up." Mr Pickens, founder and chairman of Dallas-based BP Capital LLC, made his comments as Congress has been investigating how much speculators have contributed to oil's 92% surge over the past year. Mr Pickens said the gains were because global demand exceeded supply. "It isn't driven by speculation," said Mr Pickens, who manages funds linked to energy commodities and equities.

He said presidential candidates had failed to tackle the energy crisis into which the US had drifted since the 1970s. "I think it's the No. 1 issue in this presidential campaign;' Mr Pickens said. "This is like a war as far as I'm concerned:' The use of natural gas powered vehicles could reduce oil imports by 38%, said Mr Pickens, who is the largest shareholder of Clean Energy Fuels, a natural gas supplier for bus and truck fleets.

Wind could generate 200,000 megawatts of power by 2010 and account for 22% of the electricity supply, he said. The US Department of Energy said in May that wind could account for 20% of the nation's power supplies by 2030.

AGL will commit $10m

Adelaide Advertiser
Thursday 10/7/2008 Page: 68

POWER giant AGL Energy has thrown its weight behind South Australia's geothermal energy industry, committing to invest about $10 million next year. AGL has bought 9.99 per cent of geothermal firm Torrens Energy, which is exploring for hot rocks north of Port Augusta, near Port Wakefield, in the Barossa and the Port Adelaide area. AGL paid $2.2 million for the stake in Torrens, but has also agreed to fund the drilling of 4km deep geothermal energy wells, once Torrens had completed initial exploration, in return for a half stake in each project.

Engineered geothermal energy, still in the testing phase, involves drilling deep wells into hot rocks in the earth's crust, and circulating water between them. The energy in the hot water or steam which returns to the surface is then used to generate electricity. South Australia is the undisputed leader in the geothermal sector in Australia, with more than $700 million earmarked for investment in the sector - or 82 per cent of investment Australia-wide.

The State Government was applauded for setting up a progressive bureaucratic structure to foster investment, while the Federal Government set aside $50m of the $500m Australian Renewable Energy Fund to co-fund geothermal drilling. Torrens has had encouraging results from exploration at its Parachilna prospect area near Leigh Creek. Chief executive Chris Matthews said the benefit of Torrens' projects was that they were close to power grids. Other projects, such as GeoDynamics's Habanero project in the Cooper Basin, are very remote.

"We're combining Torrens Energy's expertise which is exploring for, identifying and then perhaps defining geothermal resources, with AGL's considerable experience in bringing resources to development and market, so this is a perfect fit," he said. Mr Matthews said it was too early to say when geothermal could be a large contributor to the nation's power supply. "We'd like to think that five to 10 years from now the geothermal sector will have a significant, large scale impact on the renewable energy mix in Australia."

State's first biomass plant wins approval

West Australian
Tuesday 8/7/2008 Page: 16

A controversial biomass plant, which will generate enough energy to power about 45,000 homes and save about 280,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year, has been given the go-ahead by the State's environmental watchdog. The $110 million plant, the first of its kind in WA and the biggest in Australia, will turn 380,000 tonnes of waste from the timber industry each year into 40 megawatts of power for the State electricity grid.

WA Biomass Pty Ltd, a joint venture between Babcock and Brown and National Power, still needs the approval of Environment Minister David Templeman to build the plant at the Diamond Timber Mill site, 10km south of Manjimup. Announcing a recommendation of conditional approval for the project yesterday, Environmental Protection Authority chairman Paul Vogel said the proposal would have low emissions and result in greenhouse gas savings which would contribute to the Government's 20 per cent renewable energy target.

Dr Vogel said an expert risk assessment had concluded that the direct health risks of exposure to emissions were "low" and the Health Department had agreed on the proviso that WA Biomass comply with conditions. "The controlled combustion of plantation waste would produce significantly less emissions when compared to current open burning practices, decreasing the pollutant load currently emitted into the region's airshed," Dr Vogel said.

The EPA approval, which is open to appeal in the next 14 days, includes conditions requiring emission limits, monitoring and reporting obligations and limits on the amount of ash stored on the site. Manjimup shire president Wade De Campo said the plant was a "winwin" for the local community and was expected to generate about 50 fulltime jobs, as well as hundreds of jobs during the construction phase.

"This is the biggest project we have ever seen in our shire in 100 years," Mr De Campo said. He said the project still needed planning approval from the shire and he expected an "immense amount of political pressure" on councillors. Biomass Action Group spokesman Neal Bartholomaeus said there were still major concerns about the impact of the project on local agriculture and water supplies. WA Biomass spokesman Ross Rolfe said it was hoped the project would start producing energy close to its original target of late next year.

Carbon capture efforts `stalled'

Canberra Times
Tuesday 8/7/2008 Page: 2

Coal-based electricity generators are stalling the development of geosequestration opportunities, the Government's chief climate change adviser says.

At his first public meeting to discuss his draft climate change report, Professor Ross Garnaut said new geosequestration technologies, which enable the capture and storage of greenhouse pollutants, could eventually bring forward timetables on the lowering of carbon emissions. "The coal-based electricity generators don't want to acknowledge the possibility of doing anything early because their case for compensation and free permits and so on depends on there not being low emissions alternatives," Professor Garnaut told the Perth forum.

"My own assessment is that if we put a lot of resources in to support for (the) research, development and commercialisation of geosequestration technologies we could possibly end up with much better timetables than have been discussed." Professor Garnaut told Greens senator Scott Ludlam that while there was a risk that renewable energy would be pushed to the margins, there would be other incentives to help new technologies come onto the market.

"One is the price on carbon which means that the resource will be more competitive.... the second is the.... funding for research development and the commercialisation of new technologies.... the third (is a) commitment to.... the rationalisation of the electricity grids to make sure that there's no systematic exclusion of new sources of electricity because they're in locations away from the established grids," he said.

The Australian Energy Supply Association, which represents Australia's electricity and downstream gas businesses, attacked Professor Garnaut's claim that coal-based electricity generators were not interested in developing geosequestration technologies.

The association's chief executive, Brad Page, said Professor Garnaut did not appear to be aware of the research work already being undertaken within the industry. "That is the most outrageous, unfounded comment I've ever heard," Mr Page said. "It demeans the man."

Financial gain, not just pain

Australian
Tuesday 8/7/2008 Page: 4

AUSTRALIA stands to make huge financial gains if it seizes the initiative ahead of global rivals by moving quickly to a low emissions economy. The claim came yesterday from leading American climate scientist Ben Santer, who is famous for linking human activity with global warming, and worked as a lead author of the groundbreaking 1995 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In a public lecture in Adelaide, Dr Santer reacted to the release of Ross Garnaut's draft report on an emissions trading scheme by saying it was in Australia's financial interests to swiftly develop the technology and policies demanded by a low-emissions economy. "There are tremendous economic benefits to be won for those first countries to grapple with climate change," he said at the University of Adelaide. He suggested that those countries that made the running in regard to the development of climate-friendly technologies would stand to make a significant financial benefit by exporting it to the rest of world.

Low-carbon and zero-emission energy sources were among the most pressing priorities, he said, rejecting the "false dichotomy" of "the environment or jobs." Dr Santer is an expert in global climate modelling and specialises in gleaning the effects of human activity on the earth's climate. He said the "best modelling" predicted a global temperature increase of between 1.5C and 3C this century.

Dr Santer is no stranger to controversy. He was criticised by energy industry interests for changing the wording of the final IPCC report in 1995, allegedly to comply with the IPCC's political agenda. Dr Santer and others rejected the criticism, asserting that he did not alter the overall findings of the report, which expressed some doubt about the role of human activity in climate change.

Dr Santer said yesterday that the debate over human-induced global warming had largely been settled in mainstream science, industry and political circles. He even admitted he had some reason for optimism, after 15 years of struggling to communicate the implications of climate change to the wider community. "We have spent decades trying to convince people that there is a problem," he said. "I think the message has gotten through, even in the US." Dr Santer and the IPCC are preparing the fifth IPCC report, due out in 2015.

He said a huge part of the new report would be devoted to improved climate modelling, so that policy-makers struggling in Australia with a planned emissions trading scheme might act with more confidence. Dr Santer admitted that modelling of the climate's future would never be 100 per cent accurate, but said this was no reason not to act. "If we wait until we understand every aspect of climate change, then we will be waiting for something that never happens," he said. "Meanwhile, the human imprint on climate will increase."

Garnaut hits back at Costa criticism

Australian
Tuesday 8/7/2008 Page: 4

THE Rudd Government's climate change adviser rounded on Michael Costa after the NSW Labor Treasurer warned that "Chicken Little" politics were pervading the global-warming debate. However, three state governments joined Mr Costa yesterday in supporting compensation for electricity generators under an emissions trading scheme. Ross Garnaut hit back at Mr Costa after his attack in The Australian yesterday, and there were calls from within the Labor caucus for him to be disciplined by NSW Premier Morris Iemma.

Professor Garnaut said Mr Costa's position as a climate change sceptic had been known for some time. "The NSW Treasurer is a well known denier of the science (of climate change)," he said. "I'd be very happy to have further discussions with him in Sydney on Thursday." South Australian Energy Minister Pat Conlon accused Professor Garnaut of being indifferent to the fate of coal-fired electricity generation to the point of irresponsibility."

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh also favours compensation but rebuked Mr Costa over his colourful attack on the Garnaut report, which argues against special treatment for the generators. "It is far too serious an issue for name calling. This is the biggest challenge being faced globally and we need to work together to find solutions," Ms Bligh said. She also backed the Rudd Government's plan to introduce an ETS in 2010, saying that, though it would demand extraordinary effort, she was confident Australia could rise to the challenge.

A Victorian Government spokeswoman said it wanted to ensure the federal government understood the impact of an ETS on low-income families, power generators and trade-exposed companies in the state. After meeting Professor Garnaut in Perth yesterday, West Australian Premier Alan Carpenter said it did not appear Mr Costa would get his wish of free permits for the power industry. "I doubt whether the ultimate model will be one of free permits," Mr Carpenter said.

"I don't think that will happen. .. what Professor Garnaut has suggested is a stepped approach where initially for the first two years you have a fixed price for the permits and then after two years the market price will prevail. "Ultimately though, for us in Western Australia, we have to understand there are going to be costs in the implementation of an. .. emissions trading scheme." Professor Garnaut said it was not surprising there were dissenting views about global warming, as it was "a complicated issue."

"This is a democratic country and every interest has a legitimate right to put its case and that case will be put vigorously I'm sure," he said. "What we must make sure of is that we have a strong centre of the public policy process so that the public interest is looked after." NSW Labor backbencher Steve Whan called on Mr lemma to give Mr Costa "a boot up the bum" for contradicting government policy.

Mr Whan, the member for the southern seat of Monaro, said Mr Costa's calls for electricity generators to be given free permits conflicted with his Government's policy, and reflected the Treasurer's interest in revenue from coalfired power stations. "If I, as a backbencher, came out and contradicted government policy like that, I'd get a boot up the bum," he said. "I think that's what he should be getting from the Premier as well." Federal Climate Change Minister Penny Wong also rejected Mr Costa's warnings after he argued in The Australian that: "Chicken Little arguments are no substitute for getting right the important details on issues of far-reaching consequence, but Professor Garnaut himself has said his detailed economic impact modelling won't be available until August."

Ms Bligh wrote to Professor Garnaut last month saying there was a case for transitional assistance for electricity generators for the disproportionate burden they suffered under an ETS. Mr Conlon took a similar approach. "An ETS in Australia's situation must take into account the current generators remaining commercial, something which the Garnaut report never seems to have embraced," he said.

Wind woos Walkaway man

Countryman
Thursday 3/7/2008 Page: 44

Walkaway farmer Bruce Garratt doesn't notice the 15 big white wind turbines dotted over his property and hasn't once seen a dead bird under one. "Neither have my neighbours. We've never worried about them, and it doesn't affect our farming at all. The sheep and the cattle use it as shade," he said.

"As for their noise, it's not a worrying noise, more of a soothing noise. They are just another bit of the farm." The turbines have been on the farm for four years. The wind farm has helped Bruce and his wife Andrea to stay in farming, particularly over the past couple of years, giving them an extra income boost, while a private company leases part of their land.

Their farm is on 1800ha spread over two properties and they leasing another 600ha. While the farm is ideally located close to Geraldton, Bruce reckons it's unfortunate that land is becoming so dear. If the farm can't make its own repayments then he says there there is no point expanding it. Like many other farmers in the district Bruce has dropped his sheep numbers and has stopped breeding them all together.

The Garratts still breed cattle but also buy and sell them too, having 160 head of cattle at present and turning over 160 of them last year. "I don't know whether we will buy anymore sheep this year but I will buy cattle if I can get them for the right price," Bruce said. "Cattle are easier work. less hassle while sheep seem to take more people to work.

The Garratts are cropping 480ha canola, 320ha barley, 350ha wheat, 340ha lupins and some hay and so far they have had a pretty good start besides a couple of hiccups with seeding. "Our canola, wheat and barley got in really well. We lost probably 12ha of wheat and barley seeded on the white sand. When we got those strong winds it cut the crop off," Bruce said. "We might go re-seed it; it's not too late for barley.

"We might not get much crop but at least it will cover the ground." It was the first year Bruce had seeded the property on his own. He said it was a bit different sitting on the tractor all day and night. The Garratts normally deliver 3500 tonnes each year.

"In 2007 it was about 1400 tonnes so it was certainly an improvement but it was nothing like what we should be. We've just got to hope that this year is better." Drought was tough but Bruce has always loved farming, starting on a family set up south of Walkaway before taking over his father- in-law's property, shifting only 20km.

"When we left our family partnership, my father-in-law gave me an opportunity to farm at his place," he said. With 107mm falling on the Walkaway property, Bruce reckons it has been a good start this year, but he is always realistic.

Wind is best in west

Australasian Science
July, 2008 Page: 14

Australia's most promising offshore wind sites lie off the coast of Western Australia, a new study has found. Prof Dong-Sheng Jeng of the University of Dublin and Sydney University postgraduate student Yun Zheng evaluated Australian offshore sites on the basis of wind speed, water depth, environmental impact and development costs.

So far Australia has put all its windmills on land, but many European countries are shifting them out to sea as a shortage of remote onshore sites and the greater reliability of offshore winds overcome the high building costs of sea-based windmills.

But Zheng says she does not anticipate that offshore wind farms will be built in Australia in the near future. "What makes Australia different to Europe is that there is so much space on land to build wind farms there's no need to go offshore at this stage," she says. Nevertheless, development overseas may eventually bring costs down.

ACT residents can produce own electricity under new law

AAP Newswire
Thursday 3/7/2008

CANBERRA, July 3 AAP - ACT residents can now harness their own electricity and sell it back to the grid, under new laws passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly. Under the Electricity Feed-in (Renewable Energy Premium) Bill 2008, Canberrans can install photovoltaic (solar) cells or other renewable sources, produce their own energy, and sell it back to the power grid.

In return, they'll be paid a tariff 3.88 times the retail cost of electricity for the clean energy they feed back for up to 20 years from the date they sign up to the scheme. A spokeswoman from Chief Minister Jon Stanhope's office says the tariff is the highest in the country, ahead of South Australia which also has legislated feed-in laws.

"It offers Canberrans an incentive to invest in renewable energy production. .. that they can feed back into the grid at a rate much higher than energy they would have otherwise bought," ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said in a statement. The cost of the scheme will be passed on to consumers in proportion to the amount of electricity they use.

That means companies who use much larger amounts of electricity will be billed higher than low-income families and pensioners in small dwellings. "Coal-fired electricity will become more expensive as a price is put on carbon, and drought affects supply," ACT Conservation Council spokeswoman Genevieve Wauchope said in a statement.

"When packaged with a suite of initiatives, such as a short-term emissions reduction target, energy efficiency measures, and better public transport, the tariff will position Canberra as the Australian leader in a carbon constrained future." Ms Wauchope said the federal government should consider a national feed-in tariff, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Raise price to pass on carbon cost: Synergy

West Australian
Friday 4/7/2008 Page: 4

WA's electricity retailer will lobby the State Government to allow it to pass onto residents the full cost of a carbon trading scheme, estimated to be an extra $200 a year per household. Synergy Energy boss Jim Mitchell said a price rise was the only way to ensure customers limited their energy use, which was the aim of a carbon tax. Energy Minister Francis Logan said yesterday any extra cost of climate change above the amount which had already been factored into planned rate increases from July next year would "probably" be passed on to residential customers.

But he said a final decision on how to cover the cost of carbon permits had not been made and would depend partly on long-awaited recommendations to be released today by the Federal Government's key adviser on climate change, Ross Garnaut. Mr Logan said a direct subsidy to Verve Energy, the utility's generating arm, was still a possibility. But Mr Mitchell said a taxpayer funded subsidy would not be true to the spirit of a carbon tax scheme.

"We've been arguing that we must have cost-reflective tariffs because our customers ultimately have to pay," he said. "Rather than it just coming out of general taxes, we should target users. That actually then encourages customers to do some terrific stuff in energy efficiency. We don't know what that (extra) cost will be but there is a recognition that one must pass through that cost as it happens." There is mounting speculation the State Government underestimated the cost of a carbon-trading scheme when it set a schedule for a 72 per cent increase in power rates over the next six to eight years, starting with a 10 per cent increase from July next year.

The increases were based partly on an estimate that the carbon trading scheme would add 17 per cent to the cost of power production over two years. But Verve Energy chief executive Shirley In't Veld has previously revealed that the real cost of a carbon scheme would add an extra 25 per cent annually. Mr Mitchell's comments echo those from the Business Council of Australia, which yesterday argued that businesses must be allowed to pass on to consumers the costs they incur under the scheme and that consumers must prepare for significant rises when it starts in 2010.

BCA president Greg Gailey said the nation's biggest employers, including building products manufacturers and minerals processors, would be forced to close or move their operations offshore unless they got special treatment under the emissions trading scheme.

Treasurer Wayne Swan has indicated that "every cent" of the revenue from the trading scheme will be spent on compensating households and businesses for the higher prices. The Greens, whose support will be vital in getting the legislation through the Senate, want some of the revenue spent on clean energy sources.

Canberrans warm to new solar energy law

Canberra Times
Friday 4/7/2008 Page: 9

Canberrans are delighted with new laws that allow residents to be paid for solar energy and hope the ACT will become the "solar capital." Residents who produce solar power will be paid almost 60c for every kilowatt hour of electricity they generate, a payment called a "feed-in tariff."

Executive director of Canberra community group Sea Change, Vanessa Morris has a solar hot water system and is keen to add some panels to her roof to make the most of the tariff when it comes into effect next year. "I want to boil my kettle knowing that I am using the sun, not some old technology," she said. "The subject of solar power is immensely popular in Canberra.

People are really excited by it." The group's Jamison arts, which encompasses the suburbs of Cook, Aranda and Macquarie, has set itself the ambitious goal of reducing the ecological footprint of the three suburbs by 30 per cent in the next three years. The group held a public meeting to gauge Canberra's interest in solar energy. About 200 people showed tip and the group proceeded to use its strength in numbers to get a provider to sell it solar systems as cheaply as possible.

It negotiated a deal with Armada Solar and about 53 people have signed on to buy solar panels. "So many have a vision of Canberra as the solar capital. We have the public inclination, we have the roofs and we have such a need to increase the amount of renewable energy uptake in Australia," Ms Morris said. The ANU's director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Professor Andrew Blakers, was enthusiastic about the legislation.

"I think it's a wonderful thing to have happened. I congratulate Mick Gentleman for a well-run campaign to get (the legislation) accepted and I think it's going to put Canberra on the solar map," he said. A feed-in tariff was a better incentive than the Federal Government's rebate because those enjoying the tariff had a vested interest in making sure their system worked for 20 years.

The rebate encouraged residents to buy the cheapest possible system and possibly use it only in the short term. Professor Blakers estimates that over the course of the year in Canberra a resident could get $900 to $1000 a year through the tariff, depending on system size. "The system costs a fair bit so you're not going to make a fortune for it," he said.

"But it's attractive enough for a lot of people to invest and the more people invest the more everyone's a winner in the long run." Labor backbencher Mr Gentleman said,"Where we have seen this (tariff) work in other countries, it has generated a social change within the community when people start to take it tip.

"It might start with an interest in solar electricity and then (people) start looking at other things they can do to combat climate change." Phil Harveyson, of solar business Green Frog Solar in Fyshwick, said a lot of his clients had been waiting for a tariff to install a system.

"It's certainly going to help in getting people over the line for solar, giving them an incentive, especially as the Federal Government made it harder for people to access the Commonwealth rebate," he said.

Low-carb diet for energy is essential

Adelaide Advertiser
Friday 4/7/2008 Page: 18

POWER stations to close down. Petrol price increases of 10, 20 or 30 cents. Industries from cars to cows needing special deals. No wonder research has shown that most Australians don't fully understand an Emissions Trading Scheme. Let's call a spade a spade. Under a fair-dinkum Emissions Trading Scheme, energy prices will rise. This is because 80 per cent of our power comes from outdated coal power stations and because petrol and gas are greenhouse emissions-intensive.

Switching to cleaner, low emission energy sources comes at a cost. But with careful design and the right policies, these costs can be turned to opportunities. Many studies have shown that significant reductions in greenhouse gas pollution can be made with ongoing strong economic growth. Monash University modelling shows that Australia could be carbon-neutral by 2050 and still triple its economy - boosting jobs and income.

Last week, the Climate Institute Australia released a report from economists at CSIRO and Australian National University which found that, for most Australians, income growth will outstrip increases in energy expenses from emissions trading. A strong package of energy saving reforms and public transport investments can lock this in. The story is more challenging for low-income households. Even with energy savings and public transport investments, some people will have to spend a greater proportion of their incomes on energy. It is a real concern for low-income families but there are measures to help.

A relatively small but significant part of the multibillion dollar emissions trading investment fund can be used for affordability payments and help those low-income and disadvantaged households genuinely impacted by the introduction of emissions trading. Victoria's brown coal power stations are also a big challenge.

Industry insiders jokingly refer to them as burning mud for power - you have to go to Estonia to find something more inefficient. It's difficult to understand how the companies that bought them didn't factor in emission permit prices. Special deals "buying time" for these companies aren't good enough. Any use of the Emissions Trading Investment Fund should be clearly linked to cleaner energy outcomes like renewables, Carbon Capture and Storage or gas. That way, we can ensure supply and a switch to clean energy.

With the debate on climate policies reaching fever pitch before the release of the Garnaut review's draft report today, we shouldn't lose sight of the big picture. Climate policies need to answer three questions.

First, how quickly will this turn around Australia's still-rising greenhouse pollution? Australia's emissions continue to rise with the biggest spikes from electricity generation, up 53 per cent between 1990 and 2006, and transport, up 27.4 per cent during the same period. We should, and can, reverse this trend by 2012, with cuts of at least 25 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020. Second, how will climate policies help achieve a global deal? Australia is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and an effective agreement is very much in our interest.

We can't be a positive player by saying one thing, and doing another. We need to plan significant reductions ourselves before we can ask them of others. Also, we need to clearly signal that we will invest in our neighbouring developing countries. It is in our interests to help clean up their development and prepare them for the unavoidable climate impacts mostly caused by developed countries. A guaranteed proportion of the emissions trading revenues should be set aside for such assistance.

Finally, how will climate policies help us be competitive in the emerging global low-carbon economy, creating jobs and prosperity for all Australians? Meeting emission reduction targets and building the clean energy alternatives will generate trillions of dollars of investment.

The more we waste protecting industries from cleaning up their act, the less we have to invest in unlocking these opportunities for Australian jobs and pay packets. Growing a low-carbon economy will require a full tool kit of policies but these are well within our grasp. With them, we can achieve a healthy economy and a healthy planet to hand on to our kids.

John Connor is CEO of the Climate Institute Australia.

Energetic player powering up WA

Mining Chronicle
June, 2008 Page: 97

Griffin Energy is a rising star in Western Australia, committed to achieving a secure and environmentally-efficient power supply for the state. The Perth-headquartered diversified power supplier has built its business around the use of innovative technologies to achieve a competitive, reliable and sustainable supply of energy for WA while being secure and environmentally aware.

Griffin Energy specialises in the production, generation and sale of energy. Making use of cutting-edge power generation processes, the company's projects throughout WA are delivering direct power supply solutions in the state. Griffin Energy offers a reliable, competitive and sustainable energy supply for businesses connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) which use over 50 megawatts per hour of electricity a year.

Griffin Energy's practices embody the future of energy generation technology. Besides the coal-fired Bluewaters Power Station, Griffin Energy's other significant project is the Emu Downs Wind Farm near Cervantes. Some of the company's proposed projects include the Badgingarra Wind Farm, the North Peak Power Station and, most recently, a joint venture deal with Ocean Power Technologies for the development, construction and operation of a wave power station off the coast of WA.

The proposed Badgingarra Wind Farm is adjacent to Emu Downs and marks the second renewable energy collaboration between Stanwell and Griffin Energy. This facility is expected to come on line in late 2010 and will produce up to 130MW of renewable energy a year - the equivalent of the power required for more than 80,000 homes and saving around 455,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per annum.

Badgingarra will help the Federal Government meet its renewable energy target of 20 per cent by 2020. North Peak Power Station The proposed North Peak Power Station will be a modern and efficient electricity generation facility geared to help meet peak demands on the Perth power grid and improve the overall efficiency of the SWIS. The power station will have two open-cycle gas turbines, capable of generating up to 330MW of electricity.

Griffin Energy has chosen open-cycle gas turbines for this project as this is a proven, modern and efficient technology that allows quick response to short-term changes in power demand, such as on the hottest and coldest days of the year. North Peak is in the early stages of planning, with the preferred location yet to be confirmed. Wave power station Last month Griffin Energy inked a joint development agreement with international expert Ocean Power Technologies to build a wave power station capable of producing 10MW but with the potential for 100MW.

It would use OPT's technology, which uses bobbing floats on buoys to generate power. To generate 10MW, enough to power 10,000 homes, 40 buoys would be placed over 10ha about 5km offshore in water 50-60m deep. The energy produced would be fed into WA's main power grid. Griffin Energy's executive general manager, Wayne Trumble, says this project is part of the company's vision of delivering a balanced energy supply to WA.

"The WA Government has already announced it intends to implement a renewable energy target of 15 per cent by 2020, including powering key infrastructure such as the new Binningup desalination plant," Mr Trumble says.

"Our proposed joint-venture wave power project will put us at the forefront of a new horizon in renewable energy development and we look forward to working with government and OPT to realise our vision." Emu Downs Wind Farm Emu Downs is a wind energy generating facility with the capacity to produce 80 megawatts a year - the equivalent of that needed for 50,000 homes a year and displacing 280,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

This wind farm embodies the future of energy generation technology and is one of WA's largest green energy initiatives. Australia's fourth-largest wind farm, Emu Downs Wind Farm is a $180 million joint venture between Griffin Energy and Queensland's Stanwell Corporation. It has been in operation since late 2006, delivering clean, green energy to WA. About 200km north of Perth, the facility uses wind-powered turbine technology and optimises its coastal location.

Engineered to world-class design and incorporating local resources and equipment including blades that were a first of their kind for manufacturing in Australia, Emu Downs is providing a sustainable solution for WA's energy needs. The electricity from the wind farm is purchased by Synergy Energy and onsold to its customers, including the state's largest seawater desalination facility owned and operated by the Water Corporation. In acknowledgment of its innovation and community involvement, Emu Downs Wind Farm was a finalist in the WA Environmental Awards in
2006.