Australia is so irrelevant. India is cancelling fifty times as many nuclear power plants as Australians ever dreamed of building.
Let’s build another million wind farms.
If we abandoned the country and talked our Kiwi and Canadian friends into moving to Mars with us, we could not make up the carbon credits this decision just vaporized.
Energy Post – thanks to GWPF.
The Financial Express, one of India’s major newspapers, reports that the Narendra Modi government, which had set an ambitious 63,000 MW nuclear power capacity addition target by the year 2031-32, has cut it to 22,480 MW, or by roughly two-thirds.
The drastic reduction in planned construction of new reactors will diminish India’s plans to rely on nuclear energy from 25% of electrical generation to about 8-10%. The balance of new power requirements will likely be met by use of India’s enormous coal deposits.
Please tell us again how coal is a stranded asset?
The country accounts for eight percent of world’s total coal consumption. About two-thirds of India’s electricity generation comes from coal.
India holds the fifth biggest coal reserves in the world. The country’s proved coal reserves are estimated at 61 billion tonnes. India accounts for about seven percent of the world’s total proved coal reserves.
India’s population is 1.35 billion. It is forecast to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation around 2024. At last count 20% of India did not have electricity, which is about 270 million people still to be connected, presumably thanks to coal.
This time last year India was already meeting it’s climate goals “early” by doubling coal, and keeping it as main energy source for next 30 years. How pointless was that Paris agreement?
Both nuclear and coal are great. The choice comes down to the particular economic circumstances in given situations.
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Speaking purely from an economic viewpoint, it is wise to use their coal. That can tide them over ’till fusion, or whatever, is proven.
i’m an old phart and the second half of my life has seen wondrous advances but mainly in electronics. The young scholars out there must change that focus and champion the new steam age.
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When the Socialist ALP take control in Oz late next year I predict the following.
1. 50% RET by 2030 to be fast-tracked, ie 50% raised to well above 50% and the 2030 target brought forward.
2. Coal-fired Power Stations to be all closed; no nuclear option; large scale gas fired power stations only in WA (where they are the big player already).
3. Electricity costs in the eastern states to escalate further via “reliance on RE”. Manufacturing industries to head offshore or re-locate to WA.
4. The deteriorating Economy in the eastern states to result in “high youth unemployment levels” as is the case now in many EU member nations.
5. An outraged Oz electorate to toss out the ALP Govt in the 2022 Federal Election. The Coalition will reform and promote “fossil fuels” to be re-
introduced as a matter of urgency.
6. Oz to withdraw from the “Paris Agreement” for economic reasons and also reject the “IPCC’s Theory of AGW” because of little tangible evidence of
GW on planet Earth despite rising CO2 emissions.
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I understand that the Chairman has been told he has six months to lift his game.
80
Mal’s already had nearly 2 years….
Mal hasn’t finished his job yet…..
And, how can you sack the boss of a party he owns?
100
Same way that he was appointed by a majority of Liberal MPs voting to replace him.
70
You are kidding,aren’t you?The only way that would happen,would be when the party admits that THEY were”Wwwwwwrong”That has NEVER EVER happened since the”Dawn of Time”(a politician can Never be wrong)
00
King Geo … When the Socialist ALP take control in Oz late next year I predict the following.
—
A deep multisector recession before end of their term.
40
The green-left loons are going to look like racists when the Indians start asking why the Adani mine can’t get going and what is more they will give the Indian nationalists, i.e. the Indian ‘One nation’ equivalents, the perfect excuse to sneer at us as a nation of racists who will not sell India coal. You reckon China is starting to throw its weight around, wait till the Indians find it worthwhile to ostracise us.
50
Precisely. Why do nuclear which takes much more money to build and run, takes much more discipline to stay out of trouble with, etc. when you can build less expensive plants using a cheaper fuel and not need nearly the tons of money and discipline that nuclear requires?
And I say that though I’m not anti nuclear.
30
Coal is king .
180
And nuclear is queen.
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When will the wedding take place?
50
Probably when China enters the scene.
30
you guys are poets 🙂
30
robert, if I had my way in the US, I would emphasize coal for immediate power needs, and cut back on natural gas and oil. Oil is too valuable for transportation and and lubrication and gas is too valuable as feed stock for fertilizer, plastics, medicines, etc..
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And coal can be converted into lube, distilates and gas.
30
This is just one more reminder of how our country is governed so badly.
First we had the nuclear scare: the association with the bombs of the same name didn’t help and later Three Mile Island and more recently Fukushima.
The nuclear failures are always about ignoring the known engineering imperatives to save a dollar or two and perhaps enrichment of a politician or two in the approval chain.
Good governance would automatically placed HELE Coal and Nuclear as the obvious choices.
Paradoxically the renewables are only show ponies and involve the creation of more CO2 per kWh than coal or nuclear.
It’s a weird weird world.
KK
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Why do you think other nations build their coal fired power stations so readily? They understand it’s a win-win. It provides cheap energy with minimal impact to the environment. Australia on the other hand has decided to go against the world-wide trend and close down coal fired power stations, not build new ones that produce far less CO2 and focus on renewables. It’s suicidal. Australia likes to waste 100’s of billions of dollars to destroy itself. Who needs to worry about possible threats from afar? We are doing the job very nicely. Once we’ve completed the job China will simply step in and “save” us; in fact I suspect we will beg them to do it. Then watch them build coal fired and nuclear power stations in no time. Of course we have the power of democracy to prevent all this from happening but I doubt we will ever apply it in time.
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There have been orders of magnitude less people harmed by nuclear power than there have been by the mining and burning of coal.
40
Yes.We abandoned”Electric Cars”100 years ago and”Windmills”about 60 years ago(they were only ever fit for pumping water)Remind me”Why”they are referred to as the”Future”by the”Greens”
00
Where I live in Ontario Canada, the premier is still patting herself on the back for tripling our electricity prices by closing a grand total of 8 coal plants which were replace by wind, solar and the necessary gas back ups. 8 = a slight inventory miscount in India or China.
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On the plus side, Greg, according to the polls, the electorate is preparing to show her the door. On the minus side, it’s not too clear that the Conservatives know how to fix the power system. They plan to scrap the cap’n’trade program, and the Green Energy Act, which are a good start, but then they will “reduce hydro [electricity] bills by 12%”, presumably by fiat, i.e. debt. That’s not the way to fix our exorbitant electricity rates (ahem, Premier Wynne).
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Ford can stop the Green Energy act, but I don’t think he can do anything about existing contracts, which is the big problem. If we could cancel existing FIT contracts the 12% would be easy. I would feel nothing for the operators affected, most of them are cronies with ties to McGuinty and Wynne.
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It’s the same trend all over the West. For historical reasons the West is on the big decline and the developing nations are on the big rise. Eventually they will cross over. Trump might will stall it for the US but not for much longer. He can’t be there forever. Besides he’s already showing signs of folding to the “deep state” going by the news from Syria.
60
I thought you Canadians had lots of hydro power, like about 60% of your demand. If Australia had that, we would be paying low power prices and be laughing.
50
I believe there are things afoot that cannot be rationally explained and I love rationality. Lets just say that by design the free world is awash with useful idiots and over time by osmosis their influence has finally permeated to the top where the most damage can be inflicted. Ardern, Trudeau, Corbyn and others. Idiots all who disguise authoritarian designs within the free societies that nurtured them. Sane people wouldn’t elect them to a school board if they knew what they were. We need to start with our media who are the enablers. They are the biggest traitors. No profession in history has betrayed it’s own honour as much as they have (except maybe climatologists amongst whom there will be the angry and disillusioned) Maybe journalism is a joke, a mirage. Maybe it actually doesn’t exist. Old style media is dying and news is no longer like boarding school food i.e. eat it or go hungry. Proper journalists need to grow a spine and question that which they know to be dodgy, even if it compromises their own prejudice. That is what they are supposed to do.
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… and I meant to say, there are many journalists that hint at being rational sceptics but none have the guts to actually come out and start that debate. Stand up and say something for crying out loud.
90
All of the above, Ceetee.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jaccuse
40
Thanks Beth (the serf?), great link.
20
Well said, Ceetee – your finger’s exactly on the pulse of what’s going on!
30
Guardian spin, with plenty of links, but none to the YouGov/Galaxy poll (survey):
16 Apr: Guardian: Paul Karp: Voters split on whether Coalition should build new coal plants or stop closures
Poll shows strong support for energy efficiency measures despite divide on generators
Voters are divided on whether the government should intervene to stop coal power stations closing, or subsidise the construction of new coal plants, but strongly back energy efficiency measures, a new poll has found.
The results of the poll, commissioned by the Property Council, the Energy Efficiency Council and the Australian Council for Social Services, come ahead of a meeting of energy ministers on Friday to discuss the design of the national energy guarantee…
The YouGov Galaxy poll of 1,000 respondents found that 91% think it is important or very important for the government to help reduce households’ and businesses’ energy bills…
Investing in energy efficiency was the most popular option to do so, with 88% in favour and just 5% opposed…
The poll found strong support for renewable energy with a call to reduce incentives for renewable energy and energy storage supported by just 34% of respondents and opposed by 50%…
***The Property Council wants governments to adopt measures such as the NSW government’s $500m environmental investment package, which seeks to attract up to $3bn of investment in energy efficiency and advanced energy measures such as battery storage…
In a separate piece of research, the Australian Wind Alliance has estimated that windfarm construction has delivered an economic boost of almost $4bn to regional Australia in direct and indirect benefits.
The estimate is based on research by Sinclair Knight Merz for the Clean Energy Council in ***2012 that found a 50MW windfarm could generate up to 48 full-time equivalent direct jobs from spending during construction and 160 indirect jobs.
The AWA report also found that windfarms pay between $19m and $21.5m to landholders and community enhancement funds every year.
“Australia’s 82 operational windfarms are delivering significant financial and social benefits to their host communities,” said Andrew Bray, the national coordinator of the AWA. “Wind power is making a long-lasting, positive contribution to rural Australia’s social fabric…
The federal energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, has tried to win support from the Australian Capital Territory with a significant peace offering that emissions reductions can be reported nationally, not regionally, so the ACT’s windfarms in neighbouring states are counted…
Labor governments in Queensland and Victoria are hedging their bets about whether they will support the Neg, with both standing by commitments to a 50% renewable energy target by 2030.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/apr/16/voters-split-on-whether-coalition-should-build-new-coal-plants-or-stop-closures
more to come.
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pat mentions this: (my bolding here)
What a pity they don’t deliver what they are supposed to deliver.
Electrical Power!
Tony.
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“Australia’s 82 operational windfarms are delivering significant financial and social benefits to their host
communitiesforeign investors ,” FIFY.200
Good point Tony but the most appalling aspect of this whole farce is that renewables create more CO2 per kWh of electricity delivered than the sensible alternatives: coal and Nuclear.
When the CO2 budget is done renewables should be excluded, if CO2 was important.
Tokenism at its best.
CO2 can’t be the whole story, maybe there’s something else involved but hidden.
Perhaps it’s Money that’s the real driver of green evangelism?
KK
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I don’t think it’s hidden at all. It’s all about the destruction of Western Capitalism and leveling the international playing field, otherwise known as the bottom of the birdcage.
50
Not about CO2. Never was. CO2 is at minuscule levels. At 180 ppm we are at risk of collapsing our entire ecosystems. We are now at 420 ppm give or take, from memory. At 1000 ppm this planet rocked with sound and fury such was the fecundity. ‘The Planet’ as the stupid greens love to say was a veritable disco ball. Not about Kaaaarbon as that awful Gillard insect use to pout at the waiting microphones of her supplicant media buddies.She was too intellectually challenged to work out the difference between an element and a compound. Its about extremely horrible people insinuating themselves into our lives in order to control us for no other reason than their self righteous arrogance. It’s the Spanish Inquisition all over again. Dogmatic and cruel. Grannies die of cold or heat in 21st century first world societies because of 20th century left wing dogma.
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At a news conference [22Jan2015] in Brussels, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of U.N.’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, admitted that the goal of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity, but to destroy capitalism. “This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution,” she said
IPCC official, Ottmar Edenhofer, speaking in November 2010: “But
one must say clearly that we redistribute, de facto, the world’s
wealth by climate policy. … one has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. Instead, climate change policy is about how we redistribute, de facto, the world’s wealth…” “This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy, anymore.”
Why are OUR politicians playing along with this”Charade”?They can’t be that stupid,can they?
20
““Australia’s 82 operational windfarms are delivering significant financial and social benefits to their host communities,” said Andrew Bray, the national coordinator of the AWA. “Wind power is making a long-lasting, positive contribution to rural Australia’s social fabric…”
Not the lack of “for example…….” or “because…………”
They are extracting subsidies from the many for the benefit of a few. Hepburn Springs wind turbine is a clear, standalone, simple ,public example of the rort.
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link to YouGov/Galaxy survey on “energy efficiency” from here:
16 Apr: EnergyMatters: Aussies want energy efficiency and lower power bills: YouGov Galaxy Poll
A YouGov Galaxy survey (LINK) shows 90 per cent of voters think governments should play a role in reducing power bills. And 88 per cent support government investment in energy efficiency.
The results send a clear message to government as energy ministers prepare to meet this week to discuss the design of the new National Energy Guarantee (NEG)…
Poll respondents were meanwhile divided on whether government should invest in new coal-fired generators. This measure received just ***4 per cent net support…
The YouGov poll was commissioned by the Property Council of Australia (PCA), Energy Efficiency Council and Australian Council for Social Services (ACOSS). As results show, investment in energy efficiency is the most popular policy the government could introduce…
According to ACOSS CEO Cassandra Goldie, householders could also save $600 per year by upgrading their home appliances from two to five energy rating stars.
https://www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/energy-efficiency-lower-power-bills/
the entire purpose/design of the survey is to promote “energy efficiency”. a few random excerpts starting with some from the opening “Executive Summary”:
Executive Summary:
Energy prices have been driven up by multiple factors, including expenditure on the electricity network, the retirement of old generators and the development of gas export terminals in Queensland…
The International Energy Agency reports that energy efficiency programs in many other countries have cut households’ bills by 10 to 30 per cent in recent years…
A large body of evidence shows that homes and businesses need support to tap into their full potential for energy efficiency…
Public support for government action on energy efficiency is very strong, and rated higher than other policy interventions…
Investing in energy efficiency’ was the most popular energy policy option available to governments. It’s popularity cut across party lines, with support from 90 per cent of Coalition and 89 per cent of Labor voters…
Voters had mixed views on other key energy policies, like support for new coal-fired generators and reducing incentives for renewable energy…
Background and Methodology
Background The Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS), the Property Council of Australia (PCA) and the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC) all share the goal of ensuring that energy bills are affordable for homes and businesses. In February 2018 these groups commissioned YouGov Galaxy to survey on the views of Australians on energy policy, ***with a focus on energy efficiency…
Figure 5. Support for various energy policy options
The only policy option that attracted more opposition than support was reducing incentives for renewable energy and energy storage. Opposition for reducing these incentives was especially strong in Queensland and older age groups – potentially because these groups have heavily invested in onsite renewables and may oppose reductions in the payments that they receive for their energy output…
(EXAMPLE OF QUESTIONS)
APPENDIX 1 – SURVEY QUESTIONS
C5: Australia has some energy efficiency programs to help reduce households’ energy bills. However, some other countries have introduced stronger programs that are cutting energy bills by hundreds of dollars a year. Which of the following existing or new programs would you support?
GUARDIAN SURE WERE SPINNING THIS ONE.
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The general level of ignorance around power generation is astounding. It seems the 50% of the population really believe that wind and solar alone could provide the base load necessary to run a modern society. Statements that solar panels could power Queensland show the stupidity of some people what about night time. Also the myth of using windmills to pump water uphill disregarding when the wind does not blow on a cloudy day and the losses inherent in any energy conversion.
We here on this site all understand the issues but the populace who watch 7, 9 or 10 news and then MKR or MAFS do not have a clue. I am afraid that until the grid collapses we will continue to march to the edge of the cliff.
I hope I am wrong.
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When you get people like Professor Will Steffen announcing that the sunlight on Victoria is enough to provide twice as much electricity as we need, it influences people. Climate Commissioner. PhD in Chemistry. Credible. People are happy to hear that solar is more than adequate, all on its own.
Who actually stops to think that that implies covering half the state in trillions of solar panels, does not work at night or on cloudy days and would cost hundreds of trillions of dollars. Nor where anyone would live or grow food or grasses or even where the animals might live.
It was a statement intended to comfort people that a real PhD had done the calculations and he is right. Yes, he is. I did the calculation too. It is just insane.
People with degrees in science. Instant geniuses expert in everything, even kangaroo boy.
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They also use the term ‘free’, as if wind and sun are free. Sure. So is coal. Wind was discarded as near useless in the 18th century. Solar is new, extremely inefficient and quite incapable of powering our society. Still it strongly influences unthinking people like politicians who must seriously wonder why electricity costs so much when wind is free and far cheaper than coal.
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Allegedly.
70
Free they may be but both incur extraction/utilisation costs. Coal mining costs are nearly 100% local with the haul trucks etc being the import component. Wind and solar use little local labour input. My son had a job on the solar farm of Korea Zinc where they were installing 1 mill + solar cells. He was walking down the line plugging in the cells.
Australia the smart country. BULL
170
Truth is the ignorance of the voting public is astonishing.
Sadly there are two reasons that our IQ is in decline, a qtr mill of uneducated [I really mean low IQ] immigrants each year and that our educated women are too posh to push.
If anyone has an interest in sociological norms check out Stefan Molyneux. I assume you know of Jordan Peterson. 🙂
201
According to Peterson one of the major issues is the push for equality by the left – it allows people to dispense with responsibility and so we lose our freedom and fairness. According to him if it continues long enough it will destroy the West, and I agree.
200
Yes, he says the left want equality of outcomes when all that can be achieved is equality of opportunity.
90
As long as the people are “educated” by the likes of the ABC, SBS, Universities and schools that teach CAGW is real and must be dealt with forthwith, and both major parties are hell bent on supporting renewables at the expense of coal fired power stations, things will continue to decline and get much worse. The trend can be reversed but only if enough voters wake up and vote for a party that has policies that favour coal and possibly nuclear, in particular the ACP. Otherwise, forget it.
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And they believe that all that is needed are more big batteries.
90
Yes and they don’t even realize that to”Produce”a Tesla battery for a car,produces”8 Years worth of CO2″So,how much does it cost for these”Back-up”batteries again?
10
Its probably time “coal” is given a facelift to reflect modern reality.
The left want to maintain the 1940’s “Industry of Parade” newsreel image of belching smokestacks,
workers with grimy faces, an a somber bass rendition of “the tragedy of black lung”.
A modern coal plant with fluidized bed or other efficient combustion, fully scrubbed,
is a cost effective way to generate power and a good neighbor. No soot, no mercury,
no radiation, of course, and 24/7/365 reliability. Modern coal mining is also pretty
reasonable (in the US at least), and we can and do afford environmental restoration.
Its not perfect. But some of us are happier driving through a restored mining area than
a wind farm — beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have driven a number of greens
to my local coal plant so that they could point out the horrors to me. We have a
great view of the plant walking through the attached nature preserve and manatee viewing area.
One or two may have changed their minds.
For countries that have large coal reserves, and a mature enough industrial base to fully accept
the best practices for clean burning, there is no better fuel. Easy to handle, non-volatile to transport and store(at very low cost),
and pretty efficient upon conversion, coal is a good deal.
BTW, adding “carbon capture” would had a high risk & potentially lethal non-breathable gas store to a pretty safe operation;
a carbon dioxide leak from storage might well become the highest risk aspect of the plant from a public point of view.
On the kind of day when fog hugs the ground, a leak from storage could be a high risk. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gas-cloud-kills-cameroon-villagers
Of course. that couldn’t possibly happen here, what with modern safeguards and all.
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I would also recognize the Green strategy to get coal first. Petrol proved too costly as it was obvious. So to me it is quite clear that the people against everything have prioritized the attack on coal. Dirty black stuff. Big factories. Chimneys. Attacks on gas, petrol and diesel can wait.
Especially diesel which had companies like Audi touting their diesel cars as Green. Less CO2 per mile, the stuff of life like any animal but more NO2 which is poisonous and turns into nitric acid in your lungs. So we are importing diesel to replace coal.
Then when coal is dead, they will attack petrol again.
Attacking coal also has the strategic benefit that oil and gas companies will support you. The Green finally realised that the coal people are the enemies of the gas people. For example coal can be used to power electric cars, wiping out petrol. So by selecting your enemies you can get them to fight each other and fund your attack on coal.
The Greens are learning. Communists and anarchists, so concerned about your welfare.
230
Enviro-fascists, all.
80
17 Apr: AFR: Resources are still boosting Australia despite China slowdown
by Paul Bloxham
(Paul Bloxham is HSBC’s chief economist for Australia, New Zealand and global commodities)
National income has picked up for a somewhat surprising reason.
The driver has been higher iron ore, coal, LNG and other commodity prices, which have boosted corporate profits and tax revenues. This aspect of the story makes perfect sense…
But the deeper cause of those higher prices is somewhat counter-intuitive. Commodity prices have risen despite slower growth in construction in China, an expectation that it will slow further, and ongoing reforms affecting the country’s heavy industry. These developments would typically weigh on demand for commodities and on commodity prices…
So, although China has generally had less demand for hard commodities, it has been seeking to buy more high-grade materials from Australia, which has boosted the prices of these products…
As a result, when the Treasurer delivers the federal budget in May, he could tell us that a key reason the budget is in better shape than expected is that Chinese environmental and industrial reform policies have supported commodity prices…
Very profitable
The coal industry provides the clearest example. The story began in the middle of 2016 when the Chinese authorities sought to cut back on the domestic production of coal by restricting working days at coal mines to 276 days, down from 330 days.
This policy cut onshore production of coal as planned, but also drove a sharp rise in coal prices. Thermal coal prices rose from $US45 a tonne in mid-2016 to well over $US100 a tonne, and coking coal prices increased from $US70 a tonne to over $US300 a tonne by late 2016.
This sharp jump in prices was not expected. The Chinese authorities then removed the working day restriction, but the essence of the policy moves remained in place and much of the capacity that was taken off line stayed off line. This has continued to support coal prices.
So, Chinese government plans to cut back on coal usage that might, at a first pass, have been expected to be negative for Australia’s coal industry actually revived it. Loss-making coal mines returned to being very profitable. Chinese environmental policy actually supported the Australian coal mining industry…
We expect China’s focus on environmental policy to continue to provide significant support for iron ore, coal and LNG prices, which favours Australia…
http://www.afr.com/opinion/columnists/resources-are-still-boosting-australia-despite-china-slowdown-20180417-h0yv6c
17 Apr: Reuters: China move to restrict coal imports may drive price divergence: Russell
by Clyde Russell
What does appear somewhat clearer is that the authorities in Beijing wish to restrict growth in coal imports in order to support domestic coal prices and encourage ***an increase in local production…
Imports of all types of coal rose 16.6 percent to 75.41 million tonnes in the first three months of 2018, compared to the same period last year, according to China’s preliminary customs data…
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-column-russell/china-move-to-restrict-coal-imports-may-drive-price-divergence-russell-idUSKBN1HO1JV
30
as the weather warms up…
17 Apr: Reuters: UPDATE 1-China’s March coal output at lowest level since Oct on falling prices
China’s coal output at 290 million tonnes in March
That marks lowest since October
But was up 1.3 percent from same month in 2017
The data showed Chinese coal output for the January-March period grew to 804.5 million tonnes, up 3.9 percent from the same time last year.
Adding to worries of potential oversupply, China has approved five large-scale new coal mines since January. Traders and analysts said new supply from these mines could put further downward pressure on prices. ..
https://www.reuters.com/article/china-economy-output-coal/update-1-chinas-march-coal-output-at-lowest-level-since-oct-on-falling-prices-idUSL3N1RU1P1
40
17 Apr: Guardian: Don’t believe the hype on natural gas. It’s a fossil fuel just like coal
The scale of growth of Australia’s natural gas industry is inconsistent with our Paris commitments
by Fiona Stanley, Graeme Pearman and Richard Yin
(Fiona Stanley and Richard Yin are members of Doctors for the Environment Australia. Graeme Pearman is an adjunct senior research fellow at the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University)
By the end of 2018, it is likely to overtake Qatar as the world’s largest liquified natural gas (LNG) exporter…
Increasing heat and rainfall extremes, bushfires and storms have already directly affected the health of many Australians both physically and psychologically. Those most vulnerable in our communities – children, older Australians and the economically disadvantaged – are already disproportionately affected…
Further warming will undermine many of the global health gains secured over the last century. The impacts of climate change will unfairly affect people in developing nations, the poorest in those countries, those least able to cope and those least responsible for the problem.
The good news is that WA and most parts of Australia have an abundance of renewable resources, notably wind and solar, critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel required in battery technology, a technically advanced workforce able to progress renewable-based hydrogen and the potential to export electricity to Indonesia and other neighbouring countries.
If we want our children to have a healthy and sustainable future and do our fair share in addressing climate change, we need government and business to see beyond the short term. We need to begin now to transition to an economy that harnesses our renewable resources and prepares us for zero-carbon future…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/17/dont-believe-the-hype-on-natural-gas-its-a-fossil-fuel-just-like-coal
16 Apr: Xinhua: Australia to join global initiative tracking progress on health, climate change
A number of Australian universities said on Monday that they will join a global initiative which tracks the link between health and climate change.
First published in October 2017, the Lancet Countdown report measures 40 indicators related to climate change including change impacts, adaptation planning, mitigation actions, economic costs and public and political engagement.
“A group of Australian academics and researchers will collect data from different sources including policy analysis, renewable energy programs, health impacts and disease data,” senior lecturer at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health Zhang Ying told Xinhua.
“Australia is one of the top countries for carbon emissions per capita and we really want to track the progress of what we have done in terms of health, protection, policy and environmental management,” Zhang said.
“But most importantly we need to know where the gaps are to make improvements for the future.”
Hoping to raise awareness of health issues related to climate change among Australian medical professionals, the inaugural Australian report is planned for release in late 2018 and will be updated annually until at least the year 2030.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/16/c_137114634.htm
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“Don’t believe the hype on natural gas. It’s a fossil fuel just like coal”
Tells us three things.
1. The Guardian think gas might not be a fossil fuel
2. Coal is the current easy strategic focus, black and nasty.
3. Neither the Guardian journalists nor their readers have any idea of chemistry.
Really, why not just ban Carbon? Greenpeace have banned Chlorine before. If Carbon is so evil, especially Coal Carbon, just ban it. So the Green can then believe in free wages for everyone, marijuana for everyone and a carbon free world. Nutters.
150
This
Those minerals, and their refining? Pretty much negate this
Just because we don’t hear much about the Chinese laborers who die early, nasty deaths doesn’t mean they aren’t dying early, nasty deaths. Just means the media isn’t getting the story out.
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behind paywall:
Peabody sees role for coal in energy policy
The Australian-22 hours ago
Peabody mines both coking, or metallurgical, coal used to make steel, and thermal coal, used to generate power, in Queensland and NSW. Its Australian mines, some of which were losing money two years ago, recorded nearly 40 per cent before-tax operating profit margins in the last quarter…
“renewal” used throughout for “renewable”:
14 Apr: Xinhua: UN urges Africa to develop solar, renewal energy to combat climate change
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on Friday urged African governments to embark on massive development of solar and renewal energy to help combat climate change.
UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim told the governments to view climate change as an opportunity by resorting to the alternative clean options.
“Climate change should be viewed as an opportunity in disguise that should be utilized well in bringing people out of poverty,” Solheim said during the closing ceremony of the 10th Africa Carbon Forum in Nairobi.
“Solar power’s usage and popularity rose in 2017 above coal and gas-fired power, the highest ever globally,” he added.
He challenged African governments to liaise with China and India through South-South cooperation to help them exploit solar potentials in the Sahel region and other regions.
Solheim observed that China has set a good example of a country that started its development agenda from agriculture before moving to other development areas and finally settling in renewal energy.
The UNEP chief noted that renewal energy offers the continent a good opportunity to leapfrog to creating energy revolution as happened in the telecommunication sub sector.
Solheim said that green energy sector alone is capable of creating additional job opportunities for graduating students if harnessed well…
The 10th Africa Carbon Forum that was convened by the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) was attended by delegates from 47 African countries, members of the civil society and experts from around the globe.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/14/c_137109483.htm
12 Apr: Xinhua: World Bank calls for joint efforts to develop carbon trade in Africa
Venkata Putti, World Bank’s Program Manager of Carbon Markets and Innovation, said individual countries in the continent are unable to develop their own systems due to low mission profiles.
“Carbon markets and pricing is one area, which has huge potential hence the need to give it attention through a strong collaboration,” he said at the 10th Africa Carbon forum which kicked off in Nairobi.
He noted that since Africa did not benefit as much as other regions under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of Kyoto Protocol, there is need for specific attention in this area.
“In collaboration with international partners and the Nairobi Framework Convention (NFP), the World Bank has plans to focus on this area in the near future,” Putti noted…
“The bank is already working on carbon tax in South Africa, market infrastructure in Morocco and Tunisia, and feasibility of carbon pricing in Cote d’Ivoire,” he added…
He cautioned delegates to put their strategies in order and start focusing on climate change with emphasis since Africa remain the least contributing region for climate change, but is disproportionately impacted.
Putti said 43 million more people in the continent will become poorer by 2030 and over 85 million people will undergo internal migration due to adverse climate impacts.
He said through Africa business plan, the bank is in the process of mobilizing nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars by 2020 to implement priority climate action.
“You need to create enabling environment and give incentives to make it easier for international partners to bring in their expertise,” said Al-Hamandou Dorsouma, the African Development Banks (AfDB) Manager for Climate Change and Green Growth.
Dorsouma told delegates that it is high time that climate change was seen as a business opportunity and not a disaster…
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/12/c_137104171.htm
shame of these International bodies.
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Our intrepid leaders are trying to add to those who do not have access to electricity by backing the unreliables sector.
They are working on 2 fronts.
Firstly, you can only have power when the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Even then it will have to be rationed.
Secondly, they are making it more expensive so that only the ‘annointed’ will be able to afford to pay for it anyway.
Is there anything that a Government can’t stuff up?
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Mini grids, small enterprises and a population prepared to pay for electricity.
India and Japan are working closely on energy and renewables are a useful part of the mix.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/16/asia-pacific/push-solar-power-lights-options-indias-rural-women/#.WtZseWZL2i5
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Alarmists are only obsessed,
With any coal use in the West,
While the East has a goal,
To burn mountains of coal,
And in coal-powered stations invest.
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17 Apr: Guardian: More than 95% of world’s population breathe dangerous air, major study finds
Poorest are hardest hit with many developing countries falling behind on cleaning up toxic air pollution
by Fiona Harvey
Cities are home to an increasing majority of the world’s people, exposing billions to unsafe air, particularly in developing countries, but in rural areas the risk of indoor air pollution is often caused by burning solid fuels…
The report by the Health Effects Institute (LINK) used new findings such as satellite data and better monitoring to estimate the numbers of people exposed to air polluted above the levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation. This exposure has made air pollution the fourth highest cause of death globally, after high blood pressure, diet and smoking, and the greatest environmental health risk…
Experts estimate that exposure to air pollution contributed to more than 6m deaths worldwide last year, playing a role in increasing the risk of stroke, heart attack, lung cancer and chronic lung disease. China and India accounted for more than half of the death toll…
Burning solid fuel such as coal or biomass in their homes for cooking or heating exposed 2.6 billion people to indoor air pollution in 2016, the report found. Indoor air pollution can also affect air quality in the surrounding area, with this effect contributing to one in four pollution deaths in India and nearly one in five in China…ETC ETC
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/17/more-than-95-of-worlds-population-breathe-dangerous-air-major-study-finds
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Ruairi has commented here,
and is as usual clear,
I’ve looked forward to these,
and always am pleased,
to you sir a virtual beer!
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You really wonder what our politicians are thinking with startling and significant news like this? Their tight focus is on what they think Australians believe and they believe Australians get their information from MKR. So do they.
Then they are cunning, hiding the massive RET ripoff and talking about ‘subsidies’, as if they are being generous. Weatherill even made out he was building the windmills, not private companies with stolen public money from your electricity bills.
The gamble is that no one wakes up. The Carbon Tax was bad. People could see that it would push their petrol prices higher and while petrol is incredibly taxed, up to 90%, all the taxes are hidden. Not the Carbon Tax, so it had to go.
No matter, the RET is doing the job. The only frustration for Malcolm is that his banker friends are not getting big commissions on carbon credits, so he is still pushing for carbon trading and will probably be out of the job before his dream comes true.
At least he stopped Abbott’s free Direct Action and adopted exact the Greens policy. Abbott did say “when did we start using Green party policy?” but the journalists and deplorables never noticed. Another win for the winners’ circle.
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hoping someone can access and excerpt this. have heard some of on radio, and it is scathing.
Claimed wind farm generation figures fall well short of actuals
The Australian-6 hours ago
Unfavourable winds appear to have clipped the wings of the wind farms in the national electricity market, with their actual power production coming in about … Production figures released by the Clean Energy Regulator show AGL’s Macarthur Wind Farm in Victoria produced 894,077 MWh compared with a claimed capacity of 1.29 million MWh for the financial year. AGL’s Oaklands Hill Wind Farm, also in Victoria, produced 170,182 MWh compared with a claimed capacity of …
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Macarthur wind farm generators have a maximum output of 420 MW, made up of 140 3 MW turbines on top of 140 towers, equal to 3.7 million MWhr per year. So production of 0.894 million MWhr per year gives a capacity factor of 24% compared to a claimed capacity factor of 34%. Macarthur gets paid the wholesale price in SA that is averaging $90/MWhr, plus they get paid an additional $80/MWhr through the government’s large scale renewable energy certificates that is added to our retail energy bills.
Macarthur website claims it produces enough power for 155,000 average homes. Of course that’s only when the wind is blowing on average. Thank goodness we still have some reliable baseload power to keep the lights on when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.
Yesterday afternoon all the wind generators in Australia according to AEMO were producing just 300 MW, this morning about 900 MW after a night time peak of 1500 MW.
That compares with a total demand of 26,000 MW at 6.30pm last night and a minimum overnight of 18,000 MW.
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can’t access – subscription required:
17 Apr: AFR: Wind and solar boom makes Malcolm Turnbull’s NEG a dead letter
http://www.afr.com/news/wind-and-solar-boom-makes-turnbulls-neg-a-dead-letter-20180417-h0yv41
17 Apr: AFR: Roll state-based renewable schemes into National Energy Guarantee, says former SA boss
South Australia’s former top public servant has called on Labor state governments to roll their ambitious renewable targets into a single national target, saying state schemes were “clearly a second-best solution” for cutting Australia’s carbon emissions.
Don Russell, the former chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet and SA Labor premier Jay Weatherill’s right-hand man before last month’s election loss, said a national framework was needed to cut carbon emissions.
“It is unsustainable for the commonwealth to outsource the individual state-based renewable energy targets responsibility from achieving national emission goals,” Dr Russell, who was also a former adviser to prime minister Paul Keating, writes in today’s Australian Financial Review.
“Geographic neutrality is an important principle when it comes to new renewables investment. It is how we place investment in the most sensible locations and maximise diversification benefits…
Dr Russell said investment certainty in the energy sector would only end when there was bipartisan agreement over climate policy, including the parameters for the NEG.
SA, which has more than half of its power from renewable energy but has experienced major blackouts two summers ago, was leading the charge against the NEG, but new Liberal Premier Steven Marshall has said he would sign up to the scheme. This has left Victoria, Queensland and the ACT to fight a rear-guard action.
Mr Frydenberg has previously called for state-based schemes in SA (50 per cent by 2020), Victoria (40 per cent by 2025) and Queensland (50 per cent by 2030) to be scrapped, but has backed away as he attempts to keep all states and territories on board ahead of Friday’s meeting.
Queensland Energy Minister Anthony Lynham broke his silence on the NEG saying the state Labor government still had major concerns about the proposed design of the NEG, especially the ability of future governments to amend the emissions target.
“The information to date lacks detail of the legislative mechanics for setting the national emissions target. One of our key concerns is that we want to know that the arrangements will not limit future government’s mandate to change the target,” Dr Lynham said.
“The risk for business, industry and consumers seeking certainty is that a future government may be forced to unwind the entire reform the achieve their mandate. As well, this is a rapidly changing market, particularly as the cost of renewables falls.”
‘Serious concerns’
Dr Lynham said they wanted to see more details about the NEG before they signed up to it, saying it could not threaten their “rock solid commitment” to a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.
ACT Climate Change Minister Shane Rattenbury said he still had “serious concerns” about the NEG which could lock in poor outcomes for states and territories who want to go harder on climate change as well as electricity consumers…He said the 26 per cent reduction target did not go far enough, saying the NEG framework still “propped up” coal-fired power stations…ETC
http://www.afr.com/news/politics/roll-statebased-renewable-schemes-into-national-energy-guarantee-says-former-sa-boss-20180417-h0yv65
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read all. don’t expect any criticism:
18 Apr: ABC: Renewable energy capacity set to exceed target Federal Government said was impossible
By business reporter Stephen Letts
Australia’s renewable energy capacity is set to exceed a target the Federal Government said was impossible to reach by 2020, according to new research from Green Energy Markets.
In its quarterly Renewable Energy Index, GEM said the amount of renewable energy generated in 2020 was set to exceed the original 41,000 Gigawatt hour (GWh) Renewable Energy Target (RET) that was in place before being scrapped in 2015 by the federal government led by then prime minister ***Tony Abbott…
The GEM study found estimated eligible generation would hit 41,381 GWh by 2020, not only exceeding the current RET, but the original RET as well.
“The Coalition’s argument that we can’t go any further than the target they’ve proposed without imposing some kind of huge economic shock and threat to reliability is obviously not true because we’re pretty much already there,” Green Energy Markets director Tristan Edis said.
“[Energy and Environment minister] Josh Frydenberg himself is saying that all the extra renewable energy that is about to enter the system will substantially push down power prices.”…
The Renewable Energy Index found renewables accounted for 19.7 per cent of the electricity generated on Australia’s main grids, or enough energy to power 8.7 million homes…
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-18/renewable-energy-capacity-to-exceed-impossible-target/9667870
below, ABC ignores the above claims.
it’s now a “scramble” to meet an “ambitious target”/”challenge” before RE investment falls “off a cliff”!
18 Apr: ABC: Renewable energy investment hits new high, but ‘likely to fall off a cliff’ under NEG
By business reporter Stephanie Chalmers
Annual figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) reveal a 150 per cent increase in Australia’s investment last year, to a record $US9 billion.
It took Australia to seventh in the global ranking.
Investment in large-scale projects rose 222 per cent as generators ***scrambled to meet the Federal Government’s large-scale renewable energy target (RET) of 33,000 gigawatt-hours of generation by 2020…
Industry rises to meet challenge of ambitious targets
BNEF’s Australian head Kobad Bhavnagri told RN Breakfast the record rise in investment in Australia shows the industry is willing to step up to a ***challenge…
“The renewable energy target has actually become quite an ***ambitious target over the next few years because we had this big pause of investment in the ***Abbott years, when policy was extremely uncertain,” Mr Bhavnagri said.
“The industry had to race to mobilise and catch up. That’s why we had to invest a huge amount last year and the industry’s shown that it’s perfectly capable of doing that.”…
However, Mr Bhavnagri is concerned the new National Energy Guarantee (NEG) policy is not ambitious enough to spur further investment.
“After 2020 when the current renewable energy target is met, investment under federal policies would likely fall off a cliff, because the national energy guarantee, as currently floated by the Federal Government, would require very little effort to achieve.”…
“A deeper emissions reduction target, or more action by state governments, will be required to sustain investment around the historic average,” said Mr Bhavnagri.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-18/renewable-energy-investment-hits-new-high/9339482
ABC is in full Abbott Abbott Abbott mode. lol.
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Morning All,
further to my dismay (I mentioned a stockpile of wind generators in another post) a ship sailed past this week (I work on the Port River, SA) with another cargo of tower sections. No-one can say SA isn’t doing its bit for the national Renewable Energy target!! Thanks also to the recent ‘trouble’ in Syria SA petrol prices are currently sitting at $1.54 a litre ($5.83 US Gallon). Oh what a state we are in … (there’s a pun in there).
have a great day,
Andy
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India setting the example. Malcolm Turnbull and Greg Hunt please take note, Sigh!!!! hopeful.
You just can’t change stupid.
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Contrary to the impression this piece might give readers, the appetite for coal-fired generation in India is cooling quickly. First, the monthly Indian Central Electricity Authority reports shows that over the 12 months to March, new net renewable capacity has outstripped new net coal capacity at 8,302 MW vs 2,768 MW. Second, while it is quite correct that coal-fired generation remains the major contributer to the grid and is still (slightly) growing in absolute terms, renewables increased their grid generation by 27% year-on-year while thermal generation increased by 4% in the same period. Over the last 18 months, coal consumption for power generation has increased at an annual rate of just one-fifth of one percent. The nuclear plant cancellations probably reflect the realisation that the seven current plants contribute just 3% of their grid energy, less than half of the renewable share. It’s also a bit misleading to suggest that the approximately 270 million people still to be connected will get their power “presumably thanks to coal”, since the major states for energy poverty, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (total population over 300 million) have very poor rural grid connectivity which will not be fixed any time soon. That’s why off-grid solar and storage projects are focussed in these regions and why many communities with micro-grids willingly pay more for a modest but reliable local DC supply than for the heavily subsidised, variable voltage, and frequently blacked-out grid, even where they do have connections. By the way, Jo Nova’s claim in the linked post that India “will double (coal) production by 2020 to a massive 1,500 million tons per annum” is a complete fantasy – admittedly one propagated by Coal India Limited, the major producer. The FY2018 target for CIL was initially 660MT, but had to be pared back to 600MT, and they didn’t achieve even this (567MT). The brightest outlook for coal in India over the next few years would appear to be a modest increase before a likely plateau and eventual decline.
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The Paris Pledge is dead . Why wouldn’t India burn all the coal they can ?
If 15 % of the UK citizens had no electricity at all is there any doubt coal wouldn’t be used
to address supply shortfalls ?
President Trump had the guts to call the world’s biggest con-game out . It would be nice if some other
“have country ” politicians were less keen on selling out their economies .
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AS a person Trump seems to have the usual failings of your standard egomaniacal financial demigod. To wit his reference to his willy on the campaign trail which I thought was as shallow as Hillary and her arrogance. Thing is though, I get that he actually stands for Americans, their jobs and what that country actually stands for. He is not establishment, brutally pragmatic and in some ways behaves almost as if the presidency is an extension of his tv persona. Perhaps not a bad thing. Perhaps what USA needs after the years of scaredy cat foreign policy and domestic pulpit cadence poetry from Obama. Perhaps a dose of where the world actually is. The Russians are crawling all over our public services, our private lives and they taught themselves how to do this at about the same time as Barack was learning how to play golf.
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