14/01/08 Heat is on Victoria to get smart about energy use The Age our highlighting Links

11/01/08 Heat is on for power supply Josh Gordon, The Age our highlighting

11/01/08 Investment flows with the weather Adam Morton, The Age , with AFP Worldwatch Institute our highlighting

06/01/08 Greenhouse emissions soar ; Adam Morton, The Age Links

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Heat is on Victoria to get smart about energy use

January 14, 2008, The Age

A MILDER weekend has been a merciful respite after last week's ferocious heat, which resulted in electricity use peaking at a record 9268 megawatts. In the world of television and government advertising, a sky full of black balloons would have blocked out the searing sun, and that in effect is what Victorians tried to do as they turned up the air-conditioning. In the hot months to come, when businesses are back at work and schools resume, the strains on the generating system and the risks of costly blackouts are likely to be even greater. Acting Premier Rob Hulls appealed for people to turn off appliances, saying: "With the extreme hot temperatures it's important that people … only use air-conditioners and the like when they need to." Clearly, though, in extreme heat people need to. The state is facing a critical shortfall of generating capacity, which has led to calls to build another power station of at least 1000 megawatts' capacity — never mind the multibillion-dollar cost and all those extra black balloons.

Government policy has yet to match the dimensions of the related challenges of cutting greenhouse gas emissions (a third comes from electricity production) and meeting the state's energy needs. A report last year to Energy Minister Peter Batchelor warned that demand could jump 20% within a decade.

Neither the planet nor the state can afford that. The sensible alternative, smarter energy use, is the focus of Earth Hour Melbourne. At 8pm on March 29, businesses and households will turn off their lights for an hour as a show of resolve to cut their emissions by 5% in 12 months. As the world's heaviest energy users, our scope for improvement is vast. This does not involve great economic cost. Some of the simplest and easiest measures make financial sense and will save money year after year (particularly if electricity price increases of up to 17% on January 1 are a portent of things to come). As an example, the Holiday Inn in Flinders Lane spent $27,000 on more efficient heating and water use, but saved $48,000 in a year.

The gains are huge when everyone does their bit. That is the crux of the state's reliance on voluntary individual action — a parallel exists here with water saving — rather than mandating efficient, sustainable energy use across all sectors: residential (responsible for about 27% of use nationally), industry (47%) and small business and other users (24%). The Government should heed the findings of last year's report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which highlighted the role of buildings in producing more than a third of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. It found that residential and commercial buildings have the potential for the most dramatic and affordable cuts in energy use and emissions of any sector in the coming decade. Building emissions could be cut by almost a third by 2020 at zero net cost, but this depends on "stronger political commitment and more ambitious policy making" — namely, tougher building and planning codes, appliance standards and tax incentives.

Victoria has set the bar too low: three-star energy ratings (with an unfulfilled promise of four) for new commercial buildings, five for new housing (some other countries require six or seven stars) and no matching goals for existing commercial buildings, where energy savings of 50 to 75% are achievable with "aggressive" renovations and more efficient appliances, according to the IPCC. A recent call by the Property Council and Australian Conservation Foundation for tax breaks and other incentives for green retrofitting merits a positive response. The head of construction giant Grocon, Daniel Grollo, admits he got it wrong in thinking a four-star energy rating was good enough two years ago and now says five stars is commercially preferable and anything less is foolhardy. Melbourne has six-star projects completed or in the works. Why has the state been so timid about lifting its three-star requirement when it can build the six-star K2 public apartments, which use about 50% less energy and water than conventional counterparts? K2's solar hot water system is cost-effective, too, which points to another of the simple steps that the Australian Government is only now taking: the phasing out of electric water heaters — which account for 28% of energy use in the 50% of Australian homes that still have them.

Gas heating is better than electricity but solar is best of all for localised use. Installation costs can be recouped in as little as five or six years and then the zero-emission energy is free. The replacement of incandescent bulbs by fluorescent lights is similarly cost-effective, but lighting uses only about 4% of household energy. Ordering appliance manufacturers to reduce standby use to 1 watt (currently this can be as high as 20 watts) by 2012 will cut the "phantom load" that accounts for 7% of household demand. It is hard to see any good reason to continue accepting other inefficiencies in appliances. A report by consultant McKinseys found that for every tonne of emissions saved by energy-efficient appliances, the cost was minus $150 to $175, so the change saves money. An old refrigerator, for instance, can hog a sixth of household electricity use.

The simplest, cheapest change we can make is in our own behaviour. A modest investment in an energy audit and a thermometer — to set the fridge, freezer and hot water at optimum temperatures — can cut energy use by 25 to 30%. Heating and cooling use about a quarter of household energy. A one-degree change in thermostat settings can alter use by 10%.

A year-long US Government study involving 112 households has found that simply enabling people to easily monitor and adjust their electricity use could reduce demand by up to 15% — enough for Victoria to avoid having to build a new power station. The houses were equipped with digital thermometers and computer controllers for heaters and clothes dryers, which they could adjust by a simple website setting. The householders could set their ideal home temperature and the range either side that they would tolerate. They responded to being able to see the real-time trade-off between comfort and energy costs by actively managing their demand. Their relatively small adjustments — without other renovations or new appliances — produced an average saving of 10%.

So affordable demand management technology already exists, but governments and power generators — which make money selling energy, not saving it — have largely left the urgent business of smart energy use to individuals. That is why events such as Earth Hour are needed to convince policy makers to put existing knowledge and technology into broad use for the public and planet's good.

Links

Earth Hour

Zero Emissions Network - enabling ideas for lower emissions and updates on climate change

Beyond Zero Emissions - enabling ideas for lower emissions and updates on climate change

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Heat is on for power supply

Josh Gordon, The Age our highlighting
January 11, 2008

As the temperature in Melbourne soared above 40 degrees yesterday for the fourth time this summer, the State Government took the extraordinary step of appealing to consumers to curb their use of air-conditioners and other electrical appliances.

But the appeal fell largely on deaf ears, as power consumption hit a record 9268 megawatts — 200 more than the previous record set in January last year.

The surge will add to pressure from industry for a new coal-fired power station — a fraught proposition at a time of pressure to curb greenhouse emissions.

While the system coped well with yesterday's demand surge, the state would quickly become vulnerable to blackouts if a large power station was disabled — as has happened in recent years.

Origin Energy spokesman Tony Wood said capacity added to the system in the past year meant Victoria was in a strong position to meet power demands — provided there were no major power plant breakdowns.

"The nightmare situation is when you get three of four days of this weather when everyone is back at work," said Mr Wood. "We'll be monitoring the situation very closely."

Paul Bird, communications director for the national electricity grid manager NEMMCO, said he was confident there would be enough power, with an additional 15% supply still available as a buffer.

As the mercury soared yesterday, acting Premier Rob Hulls pleaded with people to use air-conditioners sparingly. "With the extreme hot temperatures it's important that people are sensible, that they only use air-conditioners and the like when they need to," Mr Hulls said.

Demand for electricity peaked after 4pm as people started returning home and switching on air-conditioners.

With rapid growth in the use of household air-conditioning adding to pressure on the system every summer, the Victorian Employers Chamber of Commerce and Industry is pressuring the Government to build a new coal-fired power station.

In a submission ahead of the May budget, the chamber has urged the Government to kickstart plans for a brown coal plant using cleaner technology than existing plants, and with a minium 1000-megawatt capacity.

It follows predictions that Victoria's energy requirement will jump 20% over the next decade.

A document obtained by The Age under freedom of information laws show Energy Minister Peter Batchelor was warned in August that the energy supply outlook could be worse than previously thought if dry conditions persist.

The document, a Department of Primary Industry briefing paper, says that the forecast unmet demand for power "has worsened for the 2007-08 period" thanks to lower-than-expected power generation in the Latrobe Valley.

The warning comes as the Government strives to avoid a repeat of last January's blackouts triggered by bushfires.

A report by consultants the Nous Group found the power cuts — which affected 700,000 electricity users — cost the state economy $501 million.

The report found the loss of supply for 205,000 customers could have been avoided if staff and computer systems had been adequate.

Dan Ward, a spokesman for Mr Batchelor, said the Government had learned significant lessons from last year's power cuts and had implemented measures to prevent a repeat.

But an industry source said there was a growing recognition among power companies that in future years it was going to be a "tight squeeze" meeting demand for power in Victoria.

"It's not going to happen by osmosis," the source said.

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Investment flows with the weather

Adam Morton, The Age with AFP, our highlighting
January 11, 2008

CLIMATE change is dramatically rewriting the rules for business, investors and consumers worldwide, affecting more than $100 billion in annual capital flows, a new report says.

Global spending on renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal leapt by 27% to an estimated $66 billion last year, following a 33% jump in 2006, according to the annual Worldwatch Institute State of the World report.

Investment in carbon trading is growing even faster, nearly tripling in 2006 to an estimated $30 billion.

Launching the report, which is in its 25th year, Worldwatch president Chris Flavin told reporters in Washington that the world had woken up to the environmental challenges facing it and was moving towards a "vibrant, sustainable economy".

Yale University environmental law professor Daniel Esty said there was a "sea of change in business attitudes towards the environment".

Global corporations such as General Electric, Toyota and Dow were embracing clean technology, not because they were "do-gooders" but because the bottom line was right, he said.

According to World Bank data, 39 countries experienced a drop in wealth of at least 5% when taking environmental damage — unsustainable forestry, carbon emissions, depletion of non-renewable resources — into account.

It coincided with clean technology growing rapidly — by 78% to nearly $3 billion in 2006 — to be the third largest area of venture capital investment behind the internet and biotechnology.

The report says more needs to be done, calling for a government policy overhaul to steer investment away from fossil fuels and towards sustainable practices.

"We have the tools today to steer the global economy onto a sustainable path," the report says. "The task now is to bring them together and scale them up so that they become the norm across today's economies."

The report praises Australia for the Howard government policy of replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which are four times as efficient.

■ Japan is expected to pledge $11.35 billion over the next five years to help developing countries such as China and India combat the effects of global warming.

The step, reported in the Nikkei business daily, comes after Japan was criticised by environmentalists for arguing against compulsory greenhouse emission reduction targets at last month's climate change summit in Bali.

With AFP

Links

http://worldwatch.org

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Greenhouse emissions soar

Adam Morton, The Age
January 7, 2008

ANNUAL greenhouse gas emissions from energy in Victoria have soared by nearly 30% since 1990, challenging State Government claims that it is serious about tackling climate change.

By comparison, annual NSW emissions have risen by only 7% since 1990, the benchmark year for atmospheric pollution under the Kyoto international climate change treaty.

Taken from the first annual report of the greenhouse indicator pioneered by the non-profit Climate Group and The Age, the contrasting figures from Australia's two biggest states suggest Victoria must shoulder much of the responsibility if the country fails to meet its Kyoto target of an 8% rise on 1990 emission levels by 2012. Victoria's dramatic increase - due largely to surging emissions from the brown-coal-fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley - is also at odds with the State Government's target of cutting pollution by 60% on 2000 levels by 2050.

Climate Group's Australian director, Rupert Posner, said that despite positive statements from the Government, the state was not yet doing enough to stop the growth in pollution.

"We need to change the energy mix in Victoria and we need to take action soon," he said.

Geology plays a role in the difference between the states. Victoria's brown-coal-fired plants emit up to 50% more greenhouse gas per megawatt hour of electricity than NSW's black-coal stations. The State Government effectively extended the operating life of the country's dirtiest plant, Hazelwood, until at least 2030 three years ago by giving it access to new coal reserves.

According to the greenhouse indicator, a world-first project designed to track a state's continuing contribution to climate change, Victoria emitted 103.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2007, compared with 80 million tonnes in 1990.

Last year, 59% of pollution was from coal, 27% from petroleum and 14% from natural gas.

Scientists have warned the developed world to cut its total emissions by between 25% and 40% from 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid the effects of dangerous climate change.

While coal-fired plants are the chief emitters, Mr Posner said, more action was also needed at a domestic level, including designing homes to better cope with temperature extremes and encouraging people to use more public transport and switch to fuel-efficient cars.

"At the moment we have got the ridiculous situation that you pay less tax if you buy a four-wheel drive," he said. "It just shouldn't be the case."

Victorian Government spokesman Alex Twomey said comparing emissions with NSW was problematic because of the different types of coal, but the state was investing heavily in clean-coal research.

He said Government policies to tackle climate change included requiring 10% of energy to come from renewable sources by 2016, spending $187 million developing low-emissions technology and introducing mandatory five-star energy standards in all new homes.

A Latrobe Valley Generators spokesman said the rise in emissions had coincided with Victoria's boost in brown-coal power production through the opening of Loy Yang B and the improved performance of all four power stations.

The greenhouse indicator covers about 90% of all carbon pollution in Victoria, but does not include emissions from agricultural land-clearing, which has fallen dramatically since 1990.

The Australian Greenhouse Office predicts total emissions will be up 9% by 2012 - possibly invoking penalties for exceeding the 8% Kyoto target, including tougher targets in a new global climate change treaty.

The greenhouse report comes as The Age revamps the greenhouse indicator, which appears in the paper each Monday, adding comparative totals for this year and last year at the same time.

Carbon dioxide emissions last week were 1.831 million tonnes - 4.5% lower than this time last year.

Links

www.theclimategroup.org/indicator

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