It’s time to think seriously about cutting off the supply of fossil fuels

There is a bias in climate policy shared by analysts, politicians, and pundits across the political spectrum so common it is rarely remarked upon. To put it bluntly: Nobody, at least nobody in power, wants to restrict the supply of fossil fuels.

Time to shut down the supply of fossil fuels.

Policies that choke off fossil fuels at their origin — shutting down mines and wells; banning new ones; opting against new pipelines, refineries, and export terminals — have been embraced by climate activists, picking up steam with the Keystone pipeline protests and the recent direct action of the Valve Turners.

But they are looked upon with some disdain by the climate intelligentsia, who are united in their belief that such strategies are economically suboptimal and politically counterproductive.

Read the story by David Robert from VOX - “It’s time to think seriously about cutting off the supply of fossil fuels.”

How a small town reclaimed its grid and sparked a community revolution

Martin Rühl never imagined this fight would define the rest of his life. Not for a moment did he reckon it would become so epic in length, in scale, in consequences. He just thought his speck of a town should run its own electricity supply.

Wolfhagen, a somnolent town whose biggest previous claim to
fame was that one of the Brothers Grimm had  swtayed there.

A modest proposal, but in the Germany of 2003 it was highly unusual. Gerhard Schröder was still chancellor and, although a social democrat, was pushing through more privatisations of public assets than any other leader in German history. This was in a Europe that had learned from Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan to stop worrying and start loving the private sector. Now here, swimming against history’s current, was one orderly, slightly anxious engineer.

Read the story by Aditya Chakrabortty on The Guardian - “How a small town reclaimed its grid and sparked a community revolution.”

Are we approaching Peak Oil Demand? Not if the oil industry can help it

Peak oil used to be about running out of supply; now some think that we will run out of demand. The oil companies will ensure that we never run out of demand.

Remember Peak Oil? It was all over TreeHugger, the idea that the easy oil was going to start running out and it would get more and more expensive and difficult to find.

We wrote post after post about Hubbert's Peak and how we were all gonna die, that we are "in the confusion stage now, followed by chaos and collapse and basically the End of the world as we know it as we slide down the slope from the Peak.”

Then along came hydraulic fracturing (fracking), tight oil, deepwater drilling, Trump, Zinke and Pruitt, and the oil and gas are flowing freely and people are piling into pickups. Peak oilman King Hubbert became "a punchline rather than a visionary." And now, over at the NRDC, Jeff Turrentine asks Could Peak Oil Demand Be Just a Dozen Years Away? But he isn't talking about oil supply, he is talking demand, suggesting that electric cars are going to cause a different kind of peak.

Read Lloyd Alter’s story from Treehugger - “Are we approaching Peak Oil Demand? Not if the oil industry can help it.”

La Trobe Valley's Loy Yang B coal-fired power station sold to Chinese-owned company

The role of brown coal in Victoria's energy supply has been bolstered by the sale of the La Trobe Valley's Loy Yang B station for an estimated $1 billion to Chinese-owned Alinta Energy after six months on the market.

Loy Yang Power stations A and B in Victoria's Latrobe Valley.

 The 1000 megawatt station, which generates 17 per cent of Victoria's energy needs, was offloaded by Japan's Mitsui and French energy giant Engie, the company that closed its ageing Hazelwood station in April this year as part of its long-term scheme to divest itself of coal-fueled assets.

The Hazelwood closure instantly removed 20 per cent of Victoria's energy generation capabilities, contributing to power price surges across the state.

The sale came only a day before the Coalition of Australian Governments meet in Tasmania, to discuss the implementation of the National Energy Guarantee, which places greater importance on the use of coal in power generation.

Read Cole Latimer’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “La Trobe Valley's Loy Yang B coal-fired power station sold to Chinese-owned company.”

Expert views make way for political expediency in climate debate

The patient's vital signs are not good. Power prices are high, and emissions haemorrhaging. Reliability and security of supply are in doubt. We need a treatment plan, and fast.

A Clean Energy Target would help make sure that
as ageing coal-fired power plants are retired,
 there is enough investment in renewables to replace them.

Such was the diagnosis of the national electricity market on Monday by Australia's chief scientist Alan Finkel, the man whose blueprint to improve the system was supposed to take the politics out of energy policy. So, how's that working out?

The answer is, pretty poorly. In his speech to the National Energy Summit on Monday, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg gave the strongest hint yet that the prospect of any clean energy target was dead and buried, claiming the falling cost of renewable energy meant the subsidies were no longer necessary.

Cue the cycle of politicking and tail-chasing that has wasted more than a decade of Australian climate policy, frustrating the business community and leaving the public wondering: is any leader capable of stopping the bleeding?

Read Nicole Hasham’s comment in today’s Melbourne Age - “Expert views make way for political expediency in climate debate.”

Energy supply, not cost, behind government's rush to renewables

There are some impressive numbers in the Andrews government's renewable energy target, which aims to boost the state's non-fossil fuel fired energy supply from more than 10 per cent today to 40 per cent by 2025.

Victorian Energy and Environment
Minister Lily D'Ambrosio. 

But the savings to consumers brought on by this leap to renewables isn't one of them.

The scheme will save the average household just $29 a year on power, modelling by Ernst & Young predicts.

It's enough to pay for a nice bottle of wine, but most would be forgiven for not breaking out the bubbly at the news.

Read the analysis by Adam Carey in today’s Melbourne Age - “Energy supply, not cost, behind government's rush to renewables.”.”

Energy efficiency workshop tonight in Shepparton

Greater Shepparton City Council has started changing their street lights to energy efficient lights as a part of the Watts Working Better project and residents can switch onto energy efficiency by attending a free workshop tonight, 18 March.
The Energy Efficiency workshop is the next level of thinking when it comes to energy efficiency in your own home.

This two hour workshop will take you beyond the brochures, developing your understanding of energy and electricity and how this relates to your own appliances and electricity bill.

The workshop will be delivered by an expert facilitator with a sound understanding of sustainability and considerations when making sustainable purchases, Rob Carolane.

Rob has maintained an independent power supply at home for over 30 years and is familiar with the dilemmas faced when comparing capital, operating, and lifecycle costs of decisions.

Sustainability and Environment Officer with the city council, Travis Turner, said Mr. Carolane will work with people to help them understand the considerations for making wise decisions about lighting and other energy-using purchases.

The workshops are free to all residents and are part of the Watts Working Better project; more workshops will take place in other participating councils.

The workshop will be held tonight, Wednesday, March 18, at Kids’ Town on the Shepparton-Mooroopna Causeway for two hours from 5:30pm. Light refreshments will be available from five o’clock.

Those planning to attend should RSVP to Romola Hopman at 5832 9700.

Further information is available  for the city council's website.