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UKIP’s dangerous precedent for Australian conservatives
The sweeping success of UKIP in last week’s local elections has implications for Australia. The first is that no policy document should be more than three words long. But Tony Abbott already understands that, and it’s bad news for climate change and clean energy policies. -
Are renewables doomed to failure in Australia?
WA’s new energy minister doubts the fact of climate change, is pro-nuclear, thinks brown coal is clean, hates windmills and says solar is too expensive. He also thinks a ‘negawatt’ is an activist plot. Given that Australia now has a full house of backward-thinking, conservative energy Czars, what chance do renewables have in this country? -
IPART delivers another free kick on green energy to utilities
IPART continues to demonise the costs of renewable energy support mechanisms, at the same time as adding to those costs by sanctioning above market cost pass-throughs. And consumers will pay nearly double those costs to feed into a kitty so that their neighbours can be offered “discounts”. Anyone hear the sound of laughter? -
Origin turns to lolly wrappers to tell tales about energy
It is finally dawning on Australia’s largest energy utilities that not only are their customers unfaithful, they are also ignorant. So Origin Energy has turned to lolly wrappers to try and inform its target market. Sounds like fun, but it belies a deeper problem for the energy industry: the age old oligopoly is under threat from the democratisation of energy. -
Rooftop solar – natural hedge against dirty energy system
New report suggests rooftop solar should be embraced as a natural hedge against volatile electricity prices, and to hasten transition to low carbon system. But it warns that incumbents are lined up against the technology, but politicians would be ill-advised to side with the owners of legacy assets. -
100% renewables for Australia – not so costly after all
An analysis by Australia’s energy market operator suggests 100% renewables would cost the country well over $200 billion. In terms of consumer electricity prices, that’s about the equivalent to the cost of the recent network upgrades. And, it notes, it is all quite doable.
