ALP

The Victorian government has released a number of policies and programs during 2010 which outline a range of measures that are intended to drive investment in renewable energy and hence create ‘green jobs’.

The following documents outline these measures:

• The Climate Change White Paper, which provides a climate change strategy for Victoria for the next 10 years, outlining new initiatives, investments and timetables for action. The Action Plan is available here,

• the Blueprint for Regional Victoria, available here, which outlines opportunities for future growth and prosperity in regional communities, including new green industries and jobs.
• the Future Energy Statement which maps in considerable detail the steps needed for Victoria to transition to a low carbon energy mix and ensure secure energy supply, available here,

In 2007, Victoria was the first State to introduce a Renewable Energy Target, sparking new investment in renewable energy across the State. Victoria’s target scheme transitioned into the Commonwealth’s expanded national Renewable Energy Target in 2010. This is expected to generate about $4 billion of new investment and an extra 7,000 GWh of large scale renewable energy in Victoria over the next ten years.

What are “green jobs”?
Traditionally, green jobs were associated with protecting or conserving the natural environment. Green jobs today also include employment in industries that are developing cleaner and more sustainable processes and products, or provide green skills and services.

A green job may involve work that:
• reduces energy, water and resource consumption;
• reduces greenhouse gas emissions;
• minimises the generation of waste and pollution;
• conserves, protects and restores ecosystems and biodiversity;
• produces environmental or low-emissions goods;
• provides environmental services;
• trains people in green skills; and
• undertakes environmental research and development.

Future growth in green jobs is anticipated in areas such as building and construction, renewable energy, energy auditing, carbon markets, new manufacturing processes, energy and water efficiency retrofitting, and the recycling of materials.

Some aspects of these programs which will drive investment in renewables include:
Solar Energy Hubs for Victorian Communities

The Victorian Government will allocate $5 million for a new Solar Energy Hubs program to assist the creation of up to 10 solar energy hubs across the State by 2013 – many of these in regional Victoria. Communities will be able to benefit from bulk purchases of solar panels and installation services, reducing the cost of individual rooftop solar system installations.

The aim is to deliver 8.6MW of community-based solar power and providing opportunities for the more than 500 accredited installers in this sector.

Source: Jobs for the Future Economy. Victoria’s Action Plan for Green Jobs

Green Door for Renewable Energy
Provide a Green Door for Renewable Energy to support a projected $4 billion of private sector investment

To streamline development of renewable energy projects the Victorian Government will establish a Green Door for Renewable Energy.

The Green Door will be a ‘one-stop shop’ – for energy projects that meet a low emission threshold of 0.5 t CO2/MWh – which includes both renewable energy and low emissions gas projects.

Projects will benefit from the Green Door only if they commit to applying good practice consultation principles with local communities (see details below). These guidelines will require investors to consult meaningfully with the local community on the development of renewable energy projects.

Project proponents will be assisted by an expert team through the Invest Assist facilitation program, and eligible projects will also benefit from streamlined planning approval processes.

Major reforms to Victoria’s planning laws now underway will also include provisions that support the Green Door process.

Planning schemes have been amended to include a definition of renewable energy facility, providing greater guidance and certainty to councils, industry and the community in regard to renewable energy projects.

Other initiatives to support renewable and low emission energy generation projects include a Grid Connections Review to ensure that investment is not delayed or discouraged due to difficulties and inefficiencies relating to grid connection.

Source: Jobs for the Future Economy. Victoria’s Action Plan for Green Jobs

Green Door – Good Practice Principles

Renewable energy projects will benefit from the Green Door facilitation and streamlined approval processes only if developers commit to applying good practice consultation principles with local communities. These Include:

• early and inclusive engagement of the local community in the development of the project to ensure robust and effective input into its decision making process; for example at the point of identification of potential sites;
• an open and transparent consultation process where all relevant information is made available to the local community;
• timely and responsive feedback so that those involved in the consultation have a good idea of how their feedback and comments are being used;
• maximise benefits to host communities: Renewable energy developments will need to minimise impact on residential properties that are located near development sites and clearly identify benefits for local communities; and
• all reasonable efforts must be made to resolve conflict.

Investing in Low Emissions Regional Industry

[NB: not all these measures relate directly to the development of renewables]

$7.4 million to develop new green industries in regional Victoria

To support the development of green industries in regional Victoria the Government will:
• invest $3.4 million in matched funding through the Green Regional Industry Investment Program to attract new green industries to regional areas;
• expand the successful Regional Industry Water and Energy Efficiency initiative by $4 million to significantly cut power and water consumption and reduce the
carbon footprint of regional industries; and
• identify emerging opportunities for regional industries through a study of bioenergy potential to best target future investment.

Large-scale renewable energy projects will offer local jobs in construction as well as in ongoing maintenance. The emergence of second generation bioenergy also signals potential for downstream job growth through the production of biomass.

Source: Jobs for the Future Economy. Victoria’s Action Plan for Green Jobs

Sustainable Research and Development

$12 million for new research and industry science projects supporting 56 high-skill green jobs, including a number that relate directly to renewable power.

The Victorian Government will provide $12 million from Victoria’s Science Agenda Investment Fund to support seven new research and industry partnership projects that will have a total value of more than $40 million. The funding allocations (relevant to renewables/ low emissions energy sources) are:

• $3 million for the establishment of the Victoria- Suntech Advanced Solar Facility at Swinburne University, which will develop new thin film photovoltaic technology to improve the efficiency of solar collectors;
• The Victorian Government will also provide a $150,000 investment in low-emissions technologies. This will support initiatives such as training for the installation of ground source heat pumps in residential houses, which will be delivered by the Centre for GeoExchange and Renewable Energy Infrastructure mostly in regional areas.

Source: Jobs for the Future Economy. Victoria’s Action Plan for Green Jobs

The Energy Future report

FoE response, May 2010:

This report is indicative of similar recent initiatives by the state government such as the Jobs for the Future Economy (green jobs) package. It is forward thinking, aims to build on Victoria’s capacity for innovation and other existing strengths, looks to job rich options as we transition to a  lower carbon future, and seeks to ensure that benefits flow to rural communities, while equity considerations are factored into the costs and opportunities that will come with transition.

While we welcome the release of this report, we do hold grave concerns about some aspects of it, including the fact that:

• overall emissions appear unlikely to decline before 2020 at the earliest,
• there is no cut off date for removing the option of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) from future energy mixes. While Mr Batchelor noted this morning that CCS would have been abandoned by 2030 if not proved to be commercially viable, the government must set an earlier date for this, as the current high risk strategy of hoping CCS will work is a disincentive for significant investment in renewables,
• gas is seen as growing massively as an energy source in coming decades. Yet gas prices will rise considerably as local supplies dwindle and we are forced to rely on imports. In contrast, local renewable production like wind and geo thermal will not be subject to the  same vagaries of the market,
• it continues to propose new forms of ‘low emissions’ coal as future energy sources. There are  technological barriers and new costs to this. There is also considerable community concern about these technologies and they are even more water intensive than conventional coal – hardly a viable option in a water stressed future”.