There are times when an idea gets so confused it takes an outsider to see what is really going on.
I had this experience recently when a friend from England asked me why we had so little solar energy or wind farms in Australia. I explained that we didn’t have the political consensus to tackle climate change like the UK does.
“But,” he replied, “renewable energy has nothing to do with climate change.” And he was right, although it pains me to admit that a Brit could be right. Renewables are not about climate change, they’re about commonsense.
First of all, with renewables, you get local energy production. Local energy is important because centralised power generation is inefficient; about 10 per cent of our electricity is lost in getting it from the Hunter Valley to Armidale.
Furthermore, the infrastructure of transmission – substations, high-tension cables and so on – is expensive to build and maintain. In March 2010 we were told that electricity prices could go up by as much as 42 per cent over three years. This estimate was based entirely on the cost of upgrading NSW’s struggling transmission network.
Then there are the benefits to our physical environment. Our current energy supply is heavily dependent on coal, which can compete with land used for food production, destroy habitats and also biodiversity. Coal seam gas is often touted as a clean energy alternative, but this process poses serious risks to underground water supplies. The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association has itself acknowledged that “good management… could minimise the risks of water contamination, but never eliminate them.” (Sydney Morning Herald, August 3).
So if renewables are so fantastic, why don’t we have more of them? Two reasons; a lack of money and a lack of consistent policy. We are now in a unique position to address both of these issues through the carbon price legislation.
It would be nice to be able to talk about renewable energy without mentioning the carbon price, as it is such a divisive and emotive issue. Unfortunately the reality is that, for anyone who wants renewable energy to be a large part of our future, the carbon price is the best mechanism to achieve it.
The first issue – a lack of money – is dealt with at one fell swoop. $10 billion (over five years) will be set aside from the carbon price revenue and used specifically to invest in clean energy. Half of this money is for loans to support renewable energy – like largescale solar plants – and the other half is for other forms of clean energy. After years of underinvestment, this money has been described as putting “solar on steroids”.
The other issue – a lack of consistent policy – is addressed through the creation of a new body that is independent of government. This group (ARENA) will provide long-term planning for renewables, thereby avoiding the ad hoc approach that gave us the ‘now-you-have-it-now-you-don’t’ 60 cent feed-in tariff.
So we are at an exciting time for renewable energy in Australia. People are waking up to my friend’s idea of renewables being simply good sense and, for the first time, we have both the money and the political will to achieve a clean energy future. The question is, do we have the resolve to seize this opportunity, or will we let it pass us by?
What’s ahead
The HiCUB team has had a planning meeting to plot out activities for the remaining months of the project and it looks like being a very busy spring. The Walcha River project has started with the removal of the pine trees behind the Presbyterian Church – the area which will take all the spoil from the excavations in the riverbed; lots of plantings will take place in Uralla, Armidale and Guyra; ‘Woodland Week’ at the end of September will see guided bushwalks, spotlighting, barbecues, bush regeneration and nest box building.
A full calendar of events will be available soon on the HiCUB website and NEON. Check out the website and keep up-to date: www.hicub.org.au
Story: Hadley White
