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THE EMISSIONS ISSUE
THE KEY TO REDUCING
AUSTRALIA’S EMISSIONS
THE CLIMATE COUNCIL BELIEVES THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR
NEEDS TO BE DOING MORE TO HELP ACHIEVE THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT’S EMISSIONS REDUCTION COMMITMENTS.
HERE’S WHY.
n a report released last
year, the Climate Council
labelled Australia’s
current emissions reduction target
as “woefully inadequate”.
This may come across as strong
language, but a cursory scan of the
report’s numbers gives context.
Australia’s share of the remaining
global carbon budget is about 5,500
MtCO2e (metric tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent). If our
emissions continue at current rates,
we have only 10 years remaining
before we will completely exhaust
our carbon budget before 2030.
To put this into perspective, if
other countries followed our lead,
the Climate Council predicts that
the global average temperature
rise could increase by up to 4°C,
resulting in serious challenges for
human survival.
In line with this, Professor
Andrew Stock, a Climate Council
member and 40-year veteran of
the energy industry, highlights that
I
our current emissions reduction
target is well out of step with the
current science.
“A more appropriate target for
Australia would be a 45–65%
reduction by 2030. We should be
aiming for zero net emissions well
before 2050,” says Stock.
In addition to this target
discrepancy, the government’s
suggested pro-rata reduction plan
between sectors may also not be
the most cost-effective or efficient
way to achieve emissions
reductions. The Climate Council
believes the electricity sector is
much better placed to reduce
emissions at lower cost than other
sectors such as agriculture, which
would require significant
investment, development and
policy changes — all of which are
very costly and challenging.
“We already have momentum
and proven, readily-available
renewable technology in the
electricity industry to reduce
emissions much faster than some
of the other polluters.
“With the right policy levers, we
can continue the rollout of
renewables to meet a target of 50%
renewable energy across the
sector,” says Stock.
So why aren’t we powering full
steam (or sun!) ahead? According
to the Climate Council, the blame
lies firmly at the feet of our
politicians – the Council labels
federal policy as the biggest single
barrier to Australia advancing the
rollout of renewable energy.
“Current Australian energy
policy is set by ideology
rather than economics
and engineering. Science,
economics and
engineering—those need to
be the three building blocks
for policy formulation. Coal is
not in the mix. Politicians who
refer to ‘clean coal’ are
stretching the truth to a point
where their claims are
untenable,” says Stock.
WHAT ACTION SHOULD
THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR
BE TAKING?
While we won’t achieve the
required emissions
reduction via electricity
sector efforts alone, we still
have a responsibility to do as much
as we can – as an industry, and as
individuals. Here’s what Professor
Stock recommends:
• Focus on energy efficiency across
the spectrum, along with
ensuring reductions in electricity
consumption, via better
standards for new and retrofitted
energy-efficient buildings.
• Ensure the energy we do use is
much less emissions intensive
by rolling out more existing
technologies, such as solar and
wind. This can be largescale
(such as wind farms), and also
at the customer level by
ensuring households,
commercial and industrial
businesses are using solar.
• H
ave the right infrastructure to
allow for deep penetration of
renewables — that means
ensuring the grid can deal with
changes in energy flow, and that
we bring along adequate storage
such as hydro, batteries and even
electric hot water.
Taking a big picture view,
Professor Stock recommends
looking at increasing grid
capability and implementing
better transmission connection
across the country.
“We should be expanding the
grid to ensure regions can support
each other; so, South Australia,
with a high level of access to
renewable energy can help regions
such as NSW. That support
capability will complement the
diversification and penetration of
renewables.”
As individuals, there are also a
number of steps that we can take in
our businesses. We should all be
familiar with the
technologies
involved in renewable
energy and get
appropriately licensed to
demonstrate you are a
reputable installer. Professor
Stock also recommends
future-proofing your
business by preparing for an
industry driven by
renewables.
“The renewables industry
isn’t immune to having
practitioners that take
advantage, so ensure that you
are appropriately certified by
the Clean Energy Council.
It’s also important to have a
business that can handle the
changing business cycles that
a greater focus on
renewables will usher in,
ensuring you are here for the
long-term,” says Stock.
JUN – JUL 2019 GEMCELL.COM.AU
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