Uncertainty about solar project

As Victoria’s planning minister considers the outcomes of four Greater Shepparton solar developments, no timelines have been set for a fifth solar project that had been earmarked for land south of Mooroopna.

Greater Shepparton City Council chief executive Peter Harriott had last year been optimistic of the first sod being turned on it last year.

More than six months later, the council last week said while the tender process had been completed on the project, confidential negotiations were continuing.

The News last week asked the council what the status of the proposal was and what the next steps were.

The council was asked whether a group had been selected to lead the proposal yet, whether the project had timelines attached and whether the project was awaiting a set of guidelines being created by the Victorian Government for such solar developments.

‘‘The tender process has been undertaken and confidential negotiations are currently under way,’’ council’s sustainable development director Geraldine Christou said in a statement.

‘‘There are no timelines available at this stage for when an announcement will be made.’’

Asked whether the proposal for a GV Link freight and logistics hub had the potential to impact the progress of the solar farm proposal or shift it to different land, The News was told the two proposals were planned for seperate but adjacent plots of land.

Former mayor Dinny Adem expected that developers of the council’s Mooroopna solar farm would be formalised at a council meeting last year, but that timelines had not at the time been set in stone at the time.

Following an expressions of interest callout to parties interested in leasing land south of Mooroopna for a large-scale solar facility, the council moved to a limited tender process to develop the facility.

Prior to this, the net had been cast out for those interested in developing a large-scale solar farm on GV Link land.

The council had last year hoped the development would be capable of producing a minimum of 10 megawatts, and that the facility might help reverse uncertainty caused by extra energy costs estimated as being in the millions for some businesses.

Story by Thomas Moir from The Shepparton News - “Uncertainty about solar project.”

Call for the release of NEG modelling

A call has been made by a group of energy researchers for the release of National Energy Guarantee (NEG) modelling.

Twenty three energy researchers from 11 Institutions, representing many decades of combined experience with energy markets and energy policy, are concerned that the carbon accounting and the reliability mechanisms of the NEG are poorly understood.

Beyond that details of the NEG have not received adequate review by Australia’s community of energy researchers.

Here is a copy of the request:

The Hon. Guy Barnett MP

The Hon. Lily D'Ambrosio

The Hon. Don Harwin MLC

The Hon. Daniel van Holst Pellekaan MP

The Hon. Dr Anthony Lynham MP

Mr Shane Rattenbury MLA

We, the undersigned, representing many decades of combined experience with energy markets and energy

policy, are concerned that the carbon accounting and the reliability mechanisms of the NEG are poorly

understood and have not received adequate review by Australia’s community of energy researchers.

The proposed National Energy Guarantee is the most significant change to the National Electricity Market

since the implementation of the National Electricity Laws in 1996.

While there is much discussion in the public sphere about the adequacy of the emissions targets, we recognise

that matter is not within the domain of the CoAG Energy Council. This letter is concerned solely with the

modelling of the twin mechanisms intended to address the trilemma of reduced emissions, high reliability and

low energy costs.

The Energy Security Board’s Final Decision Paper refers to an ACIL Allen study which purports to validate the

NEG design. The paper provides insufficient detail on the assumptions, methodology and results of the study

and indeed it is difficult to reconcile the claims with our own understanding of energy market dynamics and

the Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System Plan.

We call on the Ministers to request the ESB to release the ACIL Allen modelling in full, including all

assumptions that have a bearing on the modelling of price effects, and to provide access to the modelling

team, so that we may have the opportunity to peer review the work.

Sincerely,

Dr Martin Belusko

Senior Research Fellow Barbara Hardy Institute, University of South Australia

Dr Stephen Berry

Research Fellow, Barbara Hardy Institute, University of South Australia

Prof. John Boland

Professor of Environmental Mathematics, University of South Australia

Dr Anna Bruce

Senior Lecturer, School of PV and Renewable Energy Engineering

Research Coordinator (Engineering), Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets

University of New South Wales

Dr Roger Dargaville

Senior Lecturer, Renewable Energy, Monash University

Dr Mark Diesendorf

Honorary A/Professor, University of New South Wales

Emeritus Prof. John Foster

School of Economics, The University of Queensland

Dr Evan Franklin

Senior Lecturer, University of Tasmania

Simon Holmes à Court

Senior Advisor, Climate and Energy College, Melbourne University

Prof. Frank Jotzo

 Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University

Dr Scott Kelly

Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS

Dr Ariel Liebman

Senior Lecturer, Energy Informatics, Monash University

Salim Mazouz

 Research Manager, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU

Iain MacGill

Associate Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Communications

Joint Director (Engineering), Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets

University of New South Wales

Dylan McConnell

Researcher, Climate and Energy College, Melbourne University

Dr Franziska Mey

Senior Research Consultant at the Institute of Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

A/Prof. Bruce Mountain

 Director, Victorian Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University

Alan Pears AM

Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT

A/Prof Peter Pudney

Associate Research Professor of Industrial and Applied Mathematics, University of South Australia

Prof. John Quiggin

School of Economics, The University of Queensland

Prof. Chris Riedy

Professor of Sustainability Governance, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Hugh Saddler

 Honorary A/Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU

Dr Liam Wagner

 Lecturer in Economics, Griffith Business School, Griffith University

Green developers say $100,000 award will help them build a village

The group behind a series of "deep green" inner-city apartment projects – which attempt to cut profit-driven developers out of the construction process to reduce housing costs – has won a $100,000 state government award to push ahead with their latest project.

Architects Fairley Batch (left) and Rachel Nolan on the
 site of what will become Nightingale Village.

Nightingale Housing will on Thursday be given the first grant from the Andrews government's $1 million "Social Impact Investment" sustainability fund.

The not-for-profit organisation was established to share knowledge and support architects, who often invest in the projects. Profits are capped at 15 percent - far less than is normal in the Australian development sector.

Read the story in today’s Age by Clay Lucas - “Green developers say $100,000 award will help them build a village.”

Energy cartel laws waived by ACCC for food processors desperate to reduce costs

In the face of skyrocketing energy prices, Australia's competition regulator the ACCC is allowing a group of agribusinesses to jointly buy electricity and gas across an 11-year period.

ACCC allows energy-intensive food processors to
jointly tender to bring down electricity and gas prices.

Laws prohibit this type of cartel behaviour, but an exemption is granted if the benefit outweighs the detriment to the public.

Eight businesses have so far joined the Eastern Energy Buyers Group, including the large Rivalea pig farm, Australian Lamb Company, CSF Proteins, Diamond Valley Pork, Gathercole Group, Greenham and Sons, MC Herd Pty Ltd, Ridley Agripoducts, and Turi Foods and Farming.

One lamb processor told the ABC the plant's energy costs have skyrocketed this year alone, despite investments in solar power.

Read the ABC News story - “Energy cartel laws waived by ACCC for food processors desperate to reduce costs.”

Climate deniers want to protect the status quo that made them rich

From my vantage point outside the glass doors, the sea of grey hair and balding pates had the appearance of a golf society event or an active retirement group. Instead, it was the inaugural meeting of Ireland’s first climate denial group, the self-styled Irish Climate Science Forum (ICSF) in Dublin in May. All media were barred from attending.

Singer Gigi Love protests outside Trump Tower in New York.
Climate sceptics are prepared to ‘bet their children’s lives on the
 faux optimism being peddled by contrarians’. 

Its guest speaker was the retired physicist and noted US climate contrarian, Richard Lindzen. His jeremiad against the “narrative of hysteria” on climate change was lapped up by an audience largely composed of male engineers and meteorologists – mostly retired. This demographic profile of attendees at climate denier meetings has been replicated in London, Washington and elsewhere.

Read the piece on The Guardian by John Gibbons - “Climate deniers want to protect the status quo that made them rich.”