Friends of the Earth’s campaigns coordinator, Cam Walker, has chimed in to the Renewable Energy Target debate with a letter published in The Border Mail. TONY Abbott says his government is “inching closer” to a deal on the renewable energy target “Renewed … Continue reading RET WATCH: Target has big impact
This article was originally posted at The Conversation. View the original post here.
The review of the Renewable Energy Target is due to be handed to the federal government any day now, yet amazingly there are still conflicts over whether the policy makes electricity more or less expensive.
Amid claims that the target raises power prices, most people will want to know what will happen to their bills if the scheme is wound back or scrapped.
The economic analyses carried out so far have delivered wildly differing results. The most recent report says bills will fall if the target is scrapped, while others say the exact opposite. Continue reading “How does the Renewable Energy Target affect your power bills?”
This article originally posted at The Conversation. View the original post here. Ever since Clive Palmer announced that the Palmer United Party (PUP) would support the retention of the Renewable Energy Target (RET), The Australian and News Corp’s tabloids have … Continue reading When will Australia have its Kodak moment on renewable energy?
This article originally posted at The Conversation. View the original post here. Australia’s “carbon tax” is being axed – so what does it mean for you and for Australia? We asked Conversation readers to tell us on Facebook and Twitter what questions you’d like us to … Continue reading Carbon tax axed: how it affects you, Australia and our emissions
Originally posted at Eco-Business. View the original post here. While Prime Minister Tony Abbott says renewable energy significantly increase electricity bills, a new study finds wind energy actually forced down wholesale power prices by more than $3.2 billion over six years – … Continue reading Big savings from renewable energy target but consumers miss out
Originally posted at RenewEconomy. View the original post here. As Prime Minister Tony Abbott again attacked renewables for their presumed impact on consumer bills, wholesale energy prices in Queensland have slumped to unprecendented lows as rooftop solar continues to boom … Continue reading Energy prices crash as Queensland solar takes hold
The letter below was written by Nigel Morris, Director at SolarBusinessServices. The original letter can be found here. Dear Prime Minister I don’t like to publicly criticize leaders but I am compelled to take you to task. Can you please … Continue reading Nigel Morris: Dear Prime Minster Tony Abbott – can you please stop lying about the RET
Published at Renew Economy.
In the last week of May, Friends of the Earth visited solar homeowners in affluent bayside suburb of Brighton East.
We had previously visited Victoria’s leading solar suburbs of Werribee, Hoppers Crossing and Point Cook. Our trip to Brighton East was to get a sense of what people in a long-standing Liberal seat think of the Warbuton Review and Australia’s energy future.
It turns out that there isn’t really any difference between the two. Like the residents of Melbourne’s western suburbs, the people we spoke with in the seat of Goldstein – the seat held by senior cabinet minister, Andrew Robb – see renewables as the future. The people we spoke with don’t want politicians to weaken the Renewable Energy Target.
Upon arriving at the Coats household in Brighton East we were presented with the inverter and a quick briefing on how much electricity the rooftop solar set up had produced to date.
The Coats’ 1.5kW solar energy system has made the home a suburban a clean energy power station. For the past five years, it has covered all of the household’s electricity needs.
“It’s fantastic knowing that we never have to worry about another electricity bill. In fact, our energy company owes us,” said Mrs Coats. “It also gives us a lot of pleasure to know that we’re producing our own clean energy and feeding it back into the grid for other people to use.”
Every solar homeowner I meet has an immense pride about their solar system. There’s a sense of achievement in generating your own energy and acting to address climate change. And, let’s not forget the power bill that is now perpetually in credit.
There are an estimated 2,792 solar homes in the seat of Goldstein. Solar has delivered $1.56 million worth of savings on power bills to those who have panels. In the wake of the Victorian government’s decision to reduce the feed-in tariff for solar, the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) is the next best support mechanism for those with solar aspirations. Continue reading “RET Road Trip #7 – Blue seats and renewable energy”
On May 22, Friends of the Earth visited Anglesea for the sixth leg of the RET Road Trip. The seaside town of Anglesea is best known for its surf and summer vacations. What’s lesser known is that Anglesea is home … Continue reading RET Road Trip #6 – Special treatment for fossil fuels in Anglesea
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has today released its report on climate change mitigation – how to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
It follows hard on the heels an earlier report on the impacts from climate change which pointed to devastating effects on the poor and wildlife. This new mitigation report outlines what must be done if dangerous climate change is to be avoided. It represents a wake up call to the Australian governments, whose love affair with dirty fossil fuels is leading to disaster.
Here are five hard facts from the report:
If Australian politicians are serious about protecting us from the impacts of climate change they will heed the IPCC’s warnings and take action. Continue reading “IPCC Report: Act now on climate, build renewables”
yes2renewables.org 