Category Archives: New Energy Sources

PLEA Network

29 June 2015, Renew Economy, Victorian solar project to create ‘perpetual’ fund for community renewables: A former timber mill in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges could soon host a community-owned commercial solar array, with a tender process for the government-funded and community-led project set to begin this week. The Woodend Timber Mill project, which was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Victorian Andrews government in February, aims to install an initial 30kW of solar PV, and then use the tenants’ electricity payments to reinvest in more solar panels, thus creating a “perpetual fund” for community renewables. 

Coordinated by the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group, the initial 120-panel commercial-sized project is expected to cater to most of the needs of the current tenants at the mill, and potentially ­attract more to the site, presumably with the promise of lower and more stable electricity bills. Funds generated would be directed to a newly formed Macedon Ranges Renewable Energy Fund. “We are hoping to reinvest this money on other solar projects and we intend to do that after consulting the Macedon Ranges community on where an appropriate site may be,” Group renewable energy adviser Barry Mann told the Herald Sun. Read More here

PLEA Network

25 June 2015, The Conversation, Burning wood: an opportunity for renewable power and heat: Burning some wood waste from native forests will be counted as renewable energy under revisions to the Renewable Energy Target (RET) passed this week. Environmental groups and the Greens have criticised the move as possibly encouraging the logging of native forests. Burning wood waste was included in the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act (2000). Under the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001, harvesting native forest just for energy generation was explicitly not eligible. Until 2011 some wood waste from native forest harvesting was eligible. The latest revisions reinstate some native wood waste under the legislation with the restrictions that existed until 2011.

The RET legislates that, by 2020, 33,000 gigawatt hours of electricity must be generated by renewable energy. This includes wind, solar, hydro, tidal and various bio-energy sources. The scheme works through the creation of certificates for energy generation, and the requirement for liable entities to purchase these certificates. The latest revisions cut the RET from 41,000 GWh to 33,000 GWh and make burning wood waste from some native forest harvesting eligible for certificates under tight restrictions. However, as recognised in the relevant legislation and as shown by developments in Europe, burning wood waste from a variety of sustainable sources offers great potential as another source of renewable heat and electricity. Read More here

 

PLEA Network

24 June 2015, Renew Economy, RET settled, so what next for renewable energy advocates? Now that at long last the RET debate is settled, what next for advocates of renewable energy? Since the first worrying signs that the Coalition may not support the Renewable Energy Target’s 41,000 GWh target before the 2013 federal election, the defence of the RET has, quite understandably, consumed much of the time and resources of the renewable energy sector.

One of the costs of this political fight has been that much important analysis and public debate have been deferred, especially around the question of renewable energy targets for 2030 and beyond. With the near-term crisis now settled it is time to reanalyse the cost and technical feasibility of achieving very high renewable energy penetration levels. Analytical work needs to be done now because the national conversation about increasing the RET for the years 2030 and beyond will inevitably start soon. The next election is never far off. Perhaps the best way to achieve this would be to update and extend the 100% renewable energy studycompleted by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). This study was commissioned by the Gillard Government under pressure from the Greens as part of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee (MPCCC) agreement.  It was published in 2013, with most of the analysis completed in 2012. Read More here

PLEA Network

24 June 2015, Renew Economy, Senate passes RET bill, cut to wind farms becomes law: Australia on Tuesday became the first developed country to cut its renewable energy target – adding to its honour of being the first to dismantle a carbon price – when the Senate passed legislation reducing the large scale target from 41,000GWh to 33,000GWh by 2020. The new bill will cut new investment in renewables by around $5 billion, just as the world accelerates its investment in wind farms, with more than $US3.7 trillion to be spent on solar alone in the next two decades, and $US8 trillion overall, according to a new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The legislation, which also allows native wood waste to be burned and included in the target, and introduces a “wind commissioner” to deal with complaints from nearby residents, will likely cause a huge scramble as projects stalled in the investment drought over the past two years seek off-take agreements and financing. While both the government and the Opposition – and some industry groups – hailed the passage of the bill as providing “certainty” – it is only a thin veneer.

Labor environment spokesman Mark Butler baited the government saying that it was “bad news for Tony Abbott” because it meant “those wind farms he finds so utterly offensive can start being built again, despite his best efforts to drive them from our shores.” The reality is that while the Coalition government has pledge no further review until 2020, it is just one vote short in the Senate from doing what it likes. With an election possible soon, and Labor struggling in the polls, that certainty may be short-lived.  Abbott has made clear he would stop new wind farms if he could. Read more here