Energy Efficiency

Many years ago, the CSIRO developed the world’s first computer (we only recently – after extensive litigation with the kings of theft (the USA) – started receiving royalties) but this idea was squashed by politicans.

Fast forward to the 1960′s and Australia boasted the oldest branch of the International Solar Energy Society.

Today, despite an abundance of Sun, scientific skill and private investors poised to swing behind a solar industry that can deliver a climate-safe power sector and billions in export earnings, the Labor governments of Rudd and Bligh largely do nothing.

Although they all agree (Garrett if only in a jocular fashion) with scientists who say the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and transport virtually to zero in 40 years, they do nothing.

We in Australia had the solution long ago, plus a world-leading team in Queensland for Australian solar innovation. In 1974 a summary of global solar research pointed to the University of Queensland’s mechanical engineering department, where a team led by Dr Norman Sheridan worked on projects including a study for large-scale solar electricity generation. We were on the cusp of harnessing the sun, yet politicains snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in using solar power.

What killed Australia’s early solar promise ? The short answer is political greed, by keeping us locked into coal-fired power. The Rudd government’s inaction indicates us locked in using coal and gas for the vast bulk of electricity, protecting the coal and gas industry at the expense of new clean energy.  The USA, German and Chinese firms are making billion-dollar profits, much of it on the back of Australian innovation, while the Australian government has pulled much of the funding for solar.  Germany took a strategic decision to move into solar and created 148,000 jobs in a sector now one of the world’s largest solar equipment manufacturers yet its solar resource is but a fraction of Australia’s.  Even Spain’s Government took a decision three years ago to back solar power and its coherent policy approach means it now has the largest solar energy generation capacity in the world.

Spain’s planned 15.5 gigawatts of baseload power from solar thermal projects would more than power NSW, yet the Rudd Government does nothing. Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson is no fan of solar as proven by his support for the coal industry and prioritising an unproven clean coal technology. There is $1.5 billion for the Solar Flagships Program (to jump-start four solar projects) while four times that amount has gone to clean coal projects and funding - is in final stages of being allocated – has yet to start the first stage of the solar program.

Queensland state-owned utility CS Energy and US solar company Ausra six months ago applied for federal funding for a portion of a $200 million solar thermal generator as a 23mW bolt-on to the 750mW Kogan Creek coal-fired power plant near Chinchilla; Ausra says the project is shovel-ready and could supply zero-emission solar power within 12 months of a funding decision.

Ausra is the classic example of Australian solar brain drain, as the founder David Mills had to relocate his company to the USA in order to commercialise Australian solar technology. The federal government’s lack of leadership was clear when last year Solar Systems collapsed, taking with it plans for a $420 million solar plant in Victoria.

Clean energy proponents say until the Government adopts policies – such as a strong, national feed-in tariff for large-scale solar generators – investors are being asked to carry all the commercial risk without the commercial benefits. Australia’s renewable energy target is expected to lead to $20 billion being invested in clean energy capacity by 2020 but policy effectively sends that money to wind power, to the detriment of solar, geothermal, wave and tidal power.

Australia has one of the best solar resources and best researchers in the world, yet the Rudd Government and Coalition are sluts to the coal lobby and invest in dead-end fantasies like clean coal while other countries develop their solar thermal expertise and manufacturing. We need to proceed with the new standard in 24-hour solar plants now being built in Europe and the US, even if the battery technology is dearer. While solar power can be up to four times as expensive as coal-fired power, the damaging effects and costly health issues of GHG emissions is far more expensive.

Although Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner last year launched an ATSE (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering) report that estimated sun and geothermal energy costs were competitive against coal, gas and nuclear if the social and environmental costs of mining and burning fossil fuels – on human health, land and water quality and the climate – were accounted for, his party is not on board. Based on 2008 emissions, Australia has a carbon pollution damage bill of $17 billion a year; Harvard researchers last year said the cost of producing power from the sun and other renewable sources would be the same as from carbon-capture coal plants. But that didn’t include costs from transporting and permanently storing CO2 underground; nobody wants to even attempt to calculate the full cost of carbon capture and storage, nor the integerity of such containment.

Dr Sheridan (now deceased) estimated Australia’s primary energy demand could be met by an area 70km by 70km covered in solar heat collectors. He said poor attitudes toward solar were encapsulated by a retired electricity commissioner’s comment that, “I wouldn’t waste much energy in worrying about (solar). To get a significant contribution would cost the world.” As it turns out, coal will cost us our world …