Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Submission on draft RenewableEnergy Amendment Bill 2009

Renewable Energy Policy Overview

Climate Action Groups believe that the Federal Government

’

s current policieson renewable

electricity

•

Fail to map out a clean, renewable

electricity

future for Australia;

•

Fail to recognise the substantial role that renewable

electricity

can play inreducing Australia

’

s emissions;

•

Fail to drive substantial investment in renewable

electricity

;

•

Fail to promote investor certainty and confidence in renewable

electricity

;and

•

Fail to encourage Australia

’

s renewable

electricity

experts to remain inAustralia.While we have prepared detailed comments on the Renewable EnergyAmendment Bill below, we believe that a major overhaul of renewable

electricity

policy in Australia is required as there is little merit in commentingon existing policies that will not drive the types of investment and innovation inrenewable

electricity

that are required.Climate Action Groups believe that a comprehensive, holistic renewable

electricity

policy is required for Australia and call on the

Government tourgently establish a Renewable Electricity Task Force to work on a timelineand implementation plan for a rapid roll-out of renewable electricity inAustralia.

Joint Submission by58 Climate Action Groups

20 February 2009

This high-level task force should analyse and report back to the Australianpeople by 31 July 2009 on the following key areas:

•

Mapping out appropriate renewable electricity supply corridors (includingtheir proximity to the grid) for solar-thermal and photovoltaic (PV), geo-thermal, wave, biomass, wind and other renewable energy technologies.

•

Base-load energy supply through renewable electricity generation.

Climate Action Groups note that base load solar-thermal isalready proven and available

Climate Action Groups also note that substantial proven geo-thermal reserves exist in Australia and that the technology for retrieving and converting this energy to electricity is wellunderstood and frequently utilised around the world.

•

Infrastructure investment requirements to improve the capacity of thegrid to efficiently integrate energy from a myriad of renewable sources.

•

Current structural impediments to distributed energy in Australia.

•

Detailed economic modelling of the costs and benefits of a rapid roll-outof 100% renewable electricity into the Australian electricity grid, includinganalysis on economic growth, employment and training / skills growth,investment, energy prices and inflation.

Climate Action Groups note that large-scale implementation of renewable technologies has already led to economic, social andenvironment benefits including growth in jobs, training andinvestment in many countries (including Germany and Spain).

•

A “Just Transitions” plan to ensure an equitable and fair transition for employees and communities affected by a rapid transition to 100%renewable electricity.

Comments on the Renewable Energy Amendment Bill

Comments on the draft Renewable Energy Amendment Bill 2009 are set outin the following 6 key areas:1.

100% Renewable

Electricity

in Australia by 2020

2. MRET Cannot Cut Emissions Under Current CPRS3. Replacing MRET with a Gross National Feed-in Tariff 4. Continuing Renewable Energy Rebates5. 2030 RET Phase-out Paves Way for a Return to Fossil Fuels6. Removal of “wood waste” reference in MRET

The Solar Thermal technology pioneered by Ausra is price competitive with coal whenGovernment coal subsidies and the cost of pollution are taken into account. This technologywas developed in Australia by Professor Mills and taken to California by venture capitalistVinod Khosla. See: AUSRA Australiahttp://www.ausra.com.au.

1. 100% Renewable Electricity in Australia by 2020

While the proposed Mandatory Renewable Energy Target of 20% by 2020appears to be a step in the right direction, it is completely out of line withcurrent climate science.Climate Action Groups from across Australia recognise that “if humanitywishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilisation developed andto which life on Earth is adapted” then “CO

will need to be reduced from itscurrent 385ppm”

.In this context, over 150 Climate Action Groups from across Australia recentlyadopted a movement wide position of working towards stabilising global levelsof CO

at 300ppm, enabling the Arctic sea ice to refreeze and therebyfacilitating a return to a safe climate zone

.Australia

’

s current policy frameworks/agreements lock us into CO

stabilisation targets of 500ppm or more, thereby committing us to dangerousclimate change.Climate scientists from across the world are making it clear that strong,decisive action is required to dramatically reduce emissions and facilitate aglobal agreement that aims to return our planet to a safe climate zone withinthe next few decades.Climate Action Groups believe that every emissions reduction tool currentlybeing considered and explored in Australia should be underpinned by thisglobal imperative of stabilising CO

at 300ppm.Given that stationary energy accounts for around 50 % of Australia

’

semissions

, renewable

electricity

generation systems can play a critical role inreducing Australia

’

s emissions.Renewables are clean, emissions-free in operation and sustainable

. Theyhave been demonstrated to be commercially viable, with small, medium andlarge-scale installations already operating in many countries that havefavourable renewable

electricity

policies.Renewable

electricity

can also be rapidly rolled out – in years, rather thandecades (as is the case for CO

Capture and Storage and nuclear power) –

Hansen, J. et al, (Nov 08) “Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?”, pg 1.

Position adopted by the movement on 2 Feb 2009 in Canberra at “Australia’s Climate ActionSummit”, which included participants from 150 Climate Action Groups from across Australia.

Australian Government Fact Sheet (Dec 2008) “Australia’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions”,pg1.

Climate Action Groups define renewables to include the full suite of wind, wave, solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, geothermal and sustainable biomass. NOTE: Sustainablebiomass does not include the use of native forest woodchip waste or the use of palm oil or sugar cane grown specifically for biofuels (both domestically and internationally).