By Ray Wills
Calls by the Rudd Government to “use it or lose it” could also equally apply to Australia’s renewable energy resources, according to the Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA).
‘Australia wastes energy every day, with enough renewable energy to power all of Australia going unused across Australia every day,’ says Dr Ray Wills, WA SEA Chief Executive.
Australia’s Minister for Resources and Energy, The Hon Martin Ferguson, has foreshadowed significant tightening of Australia’s “use it or lose it” provisions for non-renewable resources and a slashing of the 15-year period allowed from resource discovery to extraction.
Minister Ferguson is quoted ,“We will no longer tolerate oil companies sitting on assets that are commercially capable of being developed here and now. We will not accept that our natural assets are stranded whilst oil and gas is developed elsewhere in the world.”
‘Ironically and obviously, if we don’t use our non-renewable resources, they are still there to use up later, and as non-renewable resources, at some point they will run out. On the other hand, every day we spend extracting non-renewable resources in place of the wealth of renewable sources, you really are wasting and losing energy and the opportunity renewable energy provides,’ says Dr Ray Wills.
He points out: ‘Other nations are moving aggressively to develop their lesser renewable energy resources.’
Politicians focused on promoting inaction on Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions - and simultaneously inaction on Australia’s renewable energy resources - are often heard to say ‘What about China?’
Yes, China emits a lot of greenhouse gasses – but China is also vulnerable to climate change and global warming as it poses a significant threat to China. The Chinese government takes seriously the advice its scientists are providing, is responding to that advice, and this is why China also plans to become the world's leader in renewable energy.
China is investing massively into wind, solar and other greenhouse friendly forms of electricity to power development into the future.
Returning to Australia and the proposals by Minister Ferguson, under options before the government, explorers with claims on gas fields would have to prove they had made every effort to commercialise them and had considered all possible markets. The question can be asked, what about all energy resources on their lease?
Perhaps a condition of lease on areas for energy resources should include an obligation to develop the renewable energy resource found in that place.
‘While we have seen undoubtedly strongly growing support from the federal government for renewable energy uptake in Australia, this is off a very low base and we are still well behind the commitment to renewable energy seen in the rest of the world.’
‘As the nation with the world’s best renewable energy resources, the Minister needs to take his own advice and have Australia become even more ambitious in the support for renewable energy generation and ensure we are not wasting, and so losing, valuable renewable energy resources every day,’ says Dr Wills.
Media Contact:
Dr Ray Wills 0430 365 607
Editors notes:
1. Minister for Resources and Energy, The Hon Martin Ferguson http://news.google.com.au/news/more?pz=1&ned=au&cf=all&ncl=dpuQOuavwbkht...
2. China renewable energy stories http://news.google.com.au/news?pz=1&ned=au&hl=en&q=chinese+renewable+ene...
3. The Western Australian Sustainable Energy Association Inc. (WA SEA) is a chamber of businesses boasting a growing membership of 250 industry members from a diversity of businesses, and now the largest state-based industry body of its kind in Australia. www.wasea.com.au.