‘Tsunami' of new wind and solar projects drives renewables output to a record

Renewable energy supplied more than a quarter of the National Electricity Market last month amid windy weather and a "tsunami of new wind and solar projects" reaching completion, The Australia Institute said.

Large-scale solar's contribution to the grid is just beginning to soar.

The progressive think tank's latest energy and emission audit found renewables including hydro and rooftop solar generated a record 25.6 per cent of electricity supplied to the market that serves about four in five Australians.

Read the by Peter Hannam from The Age - “‘Tsunami' of new wind and solar projects drives renewables output to a record.”

Developing new Galilee Basin coalmines will cost 12,500 jobs, analysis shows

Developing new coalmines in the Galilee Basin would cost 12,500 jobs in existing coalmining regions and replace only two in three workers, modelling by the Australia Institute shows.

An open-cut mine in the Hunter Valley. If the Galilee Basin produces
150m tonnes of coal a year, then existing coal regions will likely
 curtail production by 115m tonnes a year, analysis shows.

Job creation has long been an aggressive rallying call for supporters of Adani’s Carmichael megamine and other proposals in the untapped Galilee Basin, which combined would produce 150m tonnes of thermal coal each year.

But the Australia Institute report concludes that even if Australia’s thermal coal exports increase, and the world does not act on climate change, highly automated new mines in the Galilee would on balance cost the industry jobs.

The modelling is based on 2017 analysis by consultants Wood Mackenzie, who work closely with the mining industry. Wood Mackenzie said huge volumes of coal mined in the Galilee would curtail established operations in the Hunter Valley, Bowen Basin and Surat Basin regions.

Read the story by Ben Smee from The Guardian - “Developing new Galilee Basin coalmines will cost 12,500 jobs, analysis shows.”

Diesel cars help drive Australia's energy emissions to highest level, report shows.

Australia's love affair with diesel cars has helped push the nation's energy emissions to a record high, new analysis shows, in a warning that road transport rivals electricity as the most pressing energy challenge facing the Turnbull government.

Australia's love affair with diesel cars has helped
 pushed the nation’s energy emissions to a record
 high, a new analysis shows.

Respected energy analyst Hugh Saddler compiled the disturbing report on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute. Dr Saddler said the failure of successive governments to invest in efficient transport infrastructure, such as rail, has allowed transport fuel emissions to keep rising - a trend bucked by the rest of the world.

Among developed nations, only Australia and Turkey are breaking emissions records for energy combustion

Read the story by Nicole Hasham in today’s Melbourne Age - “Diesel cars help drive Australia's energy emissions to highest level, report shows.”

Climate forces consolidate as coal backers rush for government help

Forces on the green-energy side are positioning for a renewed climate change debate in coming months, as the Turnbull government struggles to convince internal dissenters of the need for tougher carbon reduction measures.

Ben Oquist, executive director of the Australia Institute. 

The nation's preeminent advocate of strong laws against carbon emissions, the Climate Institute, will close its doors on June 30 after a dozen years in operation, and transfer its assets and intellectual property to high-profile progressive think tank the Australia Institute.

The financial terms of the new arrangement have been kept confidential.

As the recipient body, the economically-oriented Australia Institute will in turn establish a dedicated "Climate and Energy Program" with the aim of stepping up the public pressure on lawmakers to meet Australia's obligations under the Paris Accord. 

Read Mark Kenny’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Climate forces consolidate as coal backers rush for government help.”

Coalition supporters back quicker shift to renewable energy

The wisdom of a campaign by the Turnbull government emphasising the risks of moving too rapidly to renewable energy has been thrown into question by polling that suggests a majority of its supporters don't agree.

Left-leaning think-tank the Australia Institute surveyed 1420 voters on whether the country was moving too slowly or too quickly in embracing renewable sources wind and solar.

It found two-thirds of voters – and 55 per cent of those who identified as Coalition voters - believed the shift was too slow. Only 9 per cent – and 17 per cent of Coalition supporters – said it was happening too fast.

Forty-five per cent believed electricity prices would go up if the national renewable energy target of about 23.5 per cent by 2020 was abolished. Only 19 per cent thought bills would go down.

Read Adam Morton’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Coalition supporters back quicker shift to renewable energy.”

Inquiry Targeting Green Groups Accidentally Exposes $145 Million Mining Tax Dodge

Greg Hunt - parliamentary inquiry mining
industry tax lobbying loophole.

The Australia Institute has revealed that the mining industry enjoys a bigger tax break on its lobbying activities than the environmental organisations forced under the microscope of a parliamentary inquiry.

Lobbying organisations like the New South Wales Minerals Council kicked up a stink earlier this year, complaining that environmental groups have been engaging in ‘political’ lobbying at the same time as enjoying a tax-deductible status on donations.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NSW mining lobby, Stephen Galilee, argues “the fact that these groups can ask the public for money, promoting donations as being ‘tax deductible’ is an outrageous abuse of taxpayer dollars”.

“These protest organisations should not receive special tax treatment,” Galilee said in February.

By March, the Federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, had established a lower house inquiry into the tax-free status of donations made to green groups listed on the Register of Environmental Organisations.

Read the New Matilda story - “Inquiry Targeting Green Groups Accidentally Exposes $145 Million Mining Tax Dodge.”

ACT's renewable energy target broke investment drought, report finds

The Australia Institute has found
 the ACT's renewable energy target
helped break a drought in wind
farm investment, caused by
federal uncertainty. 

The ACT's leading renewable energy target helped break a 16-month investment drought caused by federal uncertainty, a new Australia Institute report has found.

The think tank's Carbon Emissions Index report was released on Friday morning, timed to coincide with an urgent meeting of state, territory, and federal energy ministers in Victoria.

The Australia Institute and consultancy Pitt & Sherry found the ACT's 100 per cent renewable energy target helped drive investment in two wind farms, one in Ararat in Victoria, and another in Hornsdale, South Australia.

Read The Canberra Times story - “ACT's renewable energy target broke investment drought, report finds.”

'Thumping majority' oppose government cuts to ARENA

A massive Reachtel poll of 10,271 people has found a thumping majority of Australians oppose the government cutting $1 billion from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

And there is even stronger support for an emissions intensity scheme that would force high emissions power plants to reduce their emissions.

The poll, commissioned by the progressive Australia Institute think-tank and conducted across the country on Tuesday evening, has been released as the Climate Change Authority released a final report that backed some kind of market mechanism - such as an emissions intensity scheme - as part of the push to reduce the nation's emissions.

The Authority's report stated that an emissions intensity scheme "should be part of Australia's toolkit" and that "mechanisms of this type are capable of making significant emissions reductions in a way that is both flexible and scalable".

The ARENA is facing a billion-dollar funding cut by the Turnbull government in its so-called omnibus savings bill, which was introduced to the Parliament on Wednesday.

Read James Massola’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “New poll puts pressure on Senate,Labor to save renewable energy agency.”

Inequality rises as government intends to again clip poorest

‘This tax cut means that someone on $60,000 a year pays $19.30 per fortnight less in tax as compensation for the carbon price’



The Australia Institute's Ben Oquist says the
 actual income of the lowest paid
had gone backwards over the past two decades. 

The Turnbull government's plan to close off carbon tax compensation in the form of the clean energy supplement to a range of new welfare recipients, will exacerbate inequality, driving the poorest incomes down to as low as 32 per cent below the poverty line within three years, according to new research by the progressive Australia Institute.

The study shows the 2016 budget decision to deny new welfare and Family Tax Benefit recipients the modest supplement at a saving of $1.4 billion to the Commonwealth, will add to a widening wealth gap in which the 10 richest Australians already own as much as the bottom 4 million put together.

Read Mark Kenny’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Inequality rises as government plans to clip poorest further.”

Report claims political donations preceeded mining decisions

Annastacia Palaszczuk, the premier of Queensland,
earlier this month. A new report contends
 that donations from the mining industry
bought access to Queensland state officials.

SYDNEY — Political donations by mining companies preceded legislative approval for several Australian mining operations, including plans to develop the country’s biggest coal mine, according to a report by an independent Australian policy institute released on Thursday.

The report, by the Australia Institute, examined six cases where mining companies made donations to Australia’s major political parties and received favorable legislation for mining projects in the state of Queensland.

The report contends that the donations from the mining industry bought access to Queensland state officials, giving the industry an “undue influence on our democratic processes” and resulting in decisions that “have poor outcomes for our environment, economy and our communities.”

“Taking money from mining companies undermines the integrity of political decision-making,” Mark Ogge, the report’s co-author said in an interview. “It should be illegal. It is a conflict of interest.”

Read The New York Times story - “Mining Companies Buy Political Influence in Australia, Report Says.”

Battery storage can reshape most everything, inlcuding the federal election

Battery storage technology has the potential to reshape not just the energy and transport sectors but also the upcoming Australian federal election, according to a new report.

The Australia Institute report Securing Renewables: How Batteries Solve the Problem of Clean Electricity includes polling indicating that 71% of Australians would be more likely to vote for a party that supported distributed small-scale solar and storage.

Based on a national opinion poll of 1,412 people undertaken between February and March 2016, the study also found 63% of respondents would be more likely to support a party that aims to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and that 45% would be more likely to support a party that attempts to accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles.

 “The combination of batteries paired with variable renewable energy such as solar and wind can now provide security of electricity supply, with zero emissions,” says the author of the report, Australia Institute strategist Dan Cass.

Read The Guardian story - “Most voters support transition to 100% renewable energy, says Australia Institute.”

Emissions from Carmichael Mine worse than those of New York City

C

oal from Adani’s proposed $16bn Carmichael project will create annual emissions similar to those from countries like Malaysia and Austria and more than New York City, according to calculations designed to highlight the scale of the mine’s environmental impacts.

The Australian Conservation Foundation has launched another legal action against the federal government’s renewed approval for the mine – this time on the grounds that environment minister Greg Hunt failed to consider its impact on climate change and therefore on the Great Barrier Reef.

Progressive thinktank the Australia Institute has sought to illustrate just how big those emissions will be. It says the average annual emissions from burning the coal from Carmichael – 79m tonnes of CO2 – is more than the annual emissions from Sri Lanka, more than Bangladesh with its population of 160 million, about the same as those from Malaysia and Austria and only slightly less than the annual emissions from Vietnam.

Read The Guardian story - “Coal from Carmichael mine 'will create more annual emissions than New York'.”