By John Mathews, Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Australia knows how to provide public leadership in the complex coordination of public events. Just look at the recent staging of the opera La Traviata on Sydney Harbour. It was a one-off event that required…
Australia is trying to decarbonise by 2050. The technology is there, but we need an economic revolution.
Owen James
The recent announcement that Australia is on track to meet its Kyoto Protocol target for greenhouse gas emissions is an indication of satisfactory performance, not an exemplary outcome. The target is 108…
The Big Dish, developed in Canberra, could be a renewable energy winner if the government focussed funding.
WizardPower
Let’s start with a question: why has Denmark been so successful in renewable energy creation and uptake?
It can’t be that Denmark is a windy place (although that helped) or that it was a social democratic…
ANU's "big dish" solar is the envy of Asia, but the Australian Government has turned its back.
AAP
By John Mathews, Macquarie Graduate School of Management
I am here in Seoul, the burgeoning and confident capital of a burgeoning and confident Korea, to investigate the country’s formidable “Green Growth” strategy.
Back in August 2008, the Korean government…
Campbell Newman says Queensland's carbon-reduction policies aren't needed under a carbon price, but what does he mean?
AAP
In justifying their recent abandonment of state-based climate schemes, the governments of Queensland and Victoria have both claimed that the schemes will be redundant under the federal emissions trading…
Emissions spiked, thanks to more intensive energy use.
Louis Vest
By Frank Jotzo, Australian National University; Andrew Macintosh, Australian National University; David Stern, Australian National University; Paul Burke, Australian National University, and Peter Wood, Australian National University
Recessions are not the way to permanently cut greenhouse gas emissions. Global emissions surged during 2010, cancelling out the reductions from the global financial crisis (GFC).
Emissions took off in…
A behind-the-scenes subsidy is likely to stick around longer than a cash subsidy.
bicyclemark/Flickr
The sudden cessation of the Federal Government’s subsidies to solar hot water installations illustrates why subsidy-seekers mostly prefer industry assistance to come in hidden forms, rather than cash…
Most forms of energy generation are a blight on the landscape: why single out wind?
eidlog42/Flickr
Wind farms make noise. Coal fired power stations pollute the air and atmosphere. Coal-seam gas mines pollute underground water aquifers. All electricity generating sources, to some people, pollute the…
Companies too often replace genuine innovation with regulatory shenanigans.
eMagineArt.com
IDEAS AND OWNERSHIP: The concept of protecting ideas and innovation by legal means dates back to antiquity. But many of our existing laws are under strain, their suitability and ultimate purpose called…
US-China competition could lead to a brighter clean energy future, or a trade war.
whitehouse.gov
There is a trade war brewing between the United States and China over intellectual property relating to clean technologies – particularly solar power.
Steven Chu, a scientist, Nobel Laureate in Physics…
Running an economy on oil is a risky business.
behang/Flickr
When you’re complaining about the price at the bowser next time, consider this. Australia’s oil imports amount to a little over 1% of GDP. In Fiji, the oil import bill was around 14% in 2010. It’s probably…
There are dark days ahead for Australian forests if renewable energy plan gets the nod.
jwbenwell/Flickr
We are poised at a pivotal moment for native forests, the wood products industry and climate change. Australia is moving away from a damaging native forestry industry – and a damaging conflict over its…
With so many barriers to large-scale solar, roof-top panels may still be the way to go.
murphyz/Flickr
The “collapse” of the Solar Flagship Program has recently hit the news. With Minister Ferguson re-opening the bidding for the photovoltaic (PV) component of the program, and extending the deadline for…
Domestic solar panel use has risen dramatically in recent years; commercial uptake can't be far behind.
EPA/Patrick Pleul
A recent report by the Clean Energy Council claims that the capacity of domestic solar panels in Australia has increased 35-fold in the past three years. This (among other factors) means we are well on…
The Federal Government's draft energy white paper outlines a future where Australia still depends on fossil fuels.
AAP
The release of Australia’s draft energy white paper has outlined a future where Australia continues to be largely dependent on fossil fuels, embraces uranium and expands existing deregulation and privatisation…
India's power needs are growing at a staggering rate and coal won't do the job.
NASA
As the Australian Labor Party changes its stance on trading uranium with India, a pertinent question arises: why is India so keen to buy this controversial fuel? And what do India’s energy resources look…
Protesters have a point: big polluters' approach to patents isn't helping developing nations clean up.
Tck, Tck, Tck
DURBAN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE: In a global day of action for climate justice, thousands of protestors complained about the slow progress in international debates on climate change at the United Nations…
New climate institutions are finally putting Australia on track to meet its Kyoto obligations.
amandabhslater
By Bill Hare, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
DURBAN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE: Australia’s new climate legislation is a historic breakthrough reform for the nation. Putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions ranks alongside any of the “big” reforms…
Passing the carbon price through the Senate is a victory, but there is plenty yet to be done.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
At long last, the Gillard Government’s carbon price is law. On July 1 next year, approximately 500 of our biggest companies will start paying the government $23 for every tonne of greenhouse gas they emit…
The CEFC isn't the be-all and end-all of green power, but scrapping it would be a mistake.
Truthout.org/Flickr
Last week the Coalition announced it would scrap the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) if it forms government.
As the main renewable energy investment measure included in the Clean Energy Future…
Project: Quantify the benefits of decentralised, renewable energy production Cost: $3 million Timeframe: Three years
Burning fossil fuel causes CO₂ pollution. But organisations making profits from selling…
Could offshore be a new dawn for wind power in Australia?
Vattenfall
The Victorian Government is severely limiting areas where onshore wind farms can be built. The New South Wales Government might soon attempt to follow.
So, if Australia is to cut its greenhouse gas emissions…
Responses to climate change are becoming a crucial part of business strategy.
AAP/Google
By Paul Brown, University of Technology, Sydney and Suzanne Benn, University of Technology, Sydney
In early September, Google publicly disclosed details of its carbon footprint for the first time, launching the Google Green website in the process.
The search giant revealed a carbon footprint of 1.5…
Climate and weather are vital in planning energy generation.
AAP
Billions of energy-investment dollars are exposed to the vagaries of climate. Those billions include dollars committed to or planned for renewable energy generation in this country.
Now a new branch of…
There are several options for future energy generation. We just need to get there.
waldopepper
In news today, the Greens are calling for an end to federal funding for a proposed coal- and gas-fuelled power plant in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. Others have suggested the plant provides a source of…
Victorian planning amendments treat wind farms as a menace on the horizon.
greenery/Flickr
Wind farms, like much new technology, have generated both strong community support and vocal opposition. Victoria has recently amended its planning laws and regulations to restrict locations for wind farms…
Everyone has an opinion on how best to fund renewable energy.
kincuri/Flickr
By Paul Twomey, University of New South Wales and Neil Perry, University of Western Sydney
With the anticipated introduction of an Australia-wide carbon pricing scheme, there have been some calls to rationalise or scrap targeted climate policies, such as renewable energy support schemes, both…
Which way is the wind blowing for NSW's renewable energy policy?
Auntie K
Not so long ago, Victoria was the poster child for renewable energy policy in Australia.
It had a Climate Change Act put in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% between 2000 and 2020. It had…
Taking on climate change can put us on the path to a green industrial revolution.
Matt de Neef
Despite the poor outlook for the Earth’s climate, putting in place acceptable solutions is proving difficult. Mired in economic uncertainty, some countries are scaling back climate change efforts. But…
To meet the energy challenge we have to think big.
AAP Image/Snowy Hydro Limited
Today’s carbon navel-gazing by politicians, business leaders and media scribes seems determined to constrain Australia to the stone age of industrial competence, workforce skills and international environmental…
The debate about coal seam gas drilling in Australia is intensifying, amid calls from The Greens to further investigate its emissions profile.
So what is the emissions profile of coal seam gas? How does…
Solar is now a viable industry that should be taken seriously
AFP Photo/Sakis Mitrolidis
A solar energy revolution is brewing that will put the coal and nuclear industries out of business. Solar is already reaching price parity with coal in many parts of Australia. In contrast to coal and…
To harness the full power of renewable energy, we need to develop better storage methods.
Roger Lovell/AAPImage
Project: To develop better batteries for renewable energy Cost: Around $1.2 million per year (for a team of eight people across several disciplines)Timeframe: First generation technology within three years…
A renewables boom is on the horizon for Australia.
Adrian S Jones/flickr
Last week, Griffith University’s Vlado Vivoda argued that renewable energy “makes no economic or political sense” for Australia.
While we welcome Vivoda’s contribution to the national energy policy debate…
Winds of change: Julia Gillard's comparison is politically convenient, but doesn't make sense.
AAP
Prime Minister Julia Gillard last week used the example of Spain to indicate how Australia’s energy mix could be transformed.
The potential for this transformation is nothing more than wishful thinking…
We can use renewable energy even when the sun doesn't shine.
Martin Cathrae/flickr
The myth that renewable energy sources can’t meet baseload (24-hour per day) demand has become widespread. After all, the wind doesn’t blow all the time, and there’s no sunlight at night.
But detailed…
Four times Australia's GDP could be hiding in here.
AAP
Rare earth elements (REEs), for so long ignored by big mining companies, have recently become incredibly popular. But, contrary to what their names suggests, they are not particularly rare. They do, however…
The process of extracting REE from the ocean floor presents a Catch 22.
STR/AFP
News outlets recently reported a new paper in Nature Geoscience from a Japanese team documenting very large amounts of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in the mud at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
REE are…
Has this package got what it takes to get renewables off the ground?
Torresol Energy
In the lead-up to release of the carbon tax package, the government signaled a desire to end renewable energy support measures and rely solely on a carbon price to transform the Australian energy sector…
Direct geothermal energy provides more than half this Vienna building’s heating and cooling requirements
Energietecknik GmbH & Co, Vienna
While direct geothermal energy is extensively used in other countries, it is rarely encountered in Australia.
This might be because we have cheap sources of energy (although, regrettably, not the cleanest…
Supporting renewable energy is just the first step to a level playing field.
AAP
There is much hypocrisy in the statements of those who wish to terminate subsidies to renewable sources of energy through the certificate scheme associated with the federal Renewable Energy Target and…
Plants are expert photosynthesisers, but humans are catching up.
Galactic Circus Diplodocus/Flickr
Plants have been making fuel and food from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide for billions of years. Oil, coal, wood and natural gas can be called “old-photosynthesis” fuels.
As the human population approaches…
Europe is leading the world in renewable technology.
AAP
This week, unpublished estimates from the International Energy Institute showed that 2010 was the most carbon-intensive year in human history.
Chief Economist of the IEA Dr Fatih Birol responded to the…
Renewables or fossil fuels, we'll send them offshore when it makes sense.
Flickr/nosha
Australia is a major energy exporter. Are we going to continue to increase our contribution to Asia’s energy mix? Will it be clean energy? And is it possible that our best renewable energy resources will…
We need quieter wind farms that don't annoy the neighbours.
AAP
Wind turbines are often billed as one of the world’s best solutions to climate change.
And why not?
They are a mature and effective means of generating large amounts of electricity with next to zero…
Large-scale solar could be Australia's dominant renewable technology by 2030.
AAP
Australia has a huge solar energy resource.
Solar collectors spread out over a square 50 km could generate all of Australia’s current electricity demand.
Of course in practice, we would need a mix of…
The future is renewable. Do we want to live in the past?
AAP
This week’s budget, with its withdrawal of subsidies for renewable energy, has left many commentators wondering if we’ve turned our back on carbon-neutral power. They should focus on the main game – the…
The government has walked away from some of its solar commitments.
AAP
Sadly, the major environmental policy announced in the Federal Budget yesterday was not an environmental policy at all but the change to the Fringe Benefits Tax.
The government announced changes to the…
Battery-operated cars can plug a quickly emerging gap in the market.
Thomas Bräunl
With global warming, carbon trading and record-high petrol prices in the news, not to mention the ever-looming spectre of peak oil, we need to find an environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable…
An accident in a nuclear station is much more worrying than an accident at a wind turbine.
Flickr/Jaako
Before the Fukushima reactor was swamped by a tsunami, there had been a wave of enthusiasm for nuclear power. The problems in Japan have probably ended the risk of Australia going down the nuclear path…
Is Australia waiting for other countries to do all the hard work on renewables?
Torresol Energy
If Australia is truly serious about avoiding climate catastrophe we are going to need to move towards a zero-emissions economy.
A price on carbon emissions is an important component of climate protection…
