ISSUES 64
RENEWABLE ENERGY
SEPTEMBER 2003

Editorial

What Is Renewable Energy?
Australian Greenhouse Office
Renewable energy use is expected to expand significantly in Australia in the next decade. This is due to market forces and government initiatives. Most of Australia has an abundance of sunlight and many parts have good wind, water or biomass resources.

What is Wind Power?
National Trust, Victoria
Wind farms have suddenly become a major industry in Victoria, and there are now over a dozen proposals for their construction, mostly along Victoria's coastline. Many parts of Victoria's coast are treasured for their unspoilt, often rugged and spectacular character, while others support fragile coastal ecosystems. The National Trust believes that it should be obvious that the most significant of our coastlines be spared the visual and environmental effects of large-scale modern developments like wind farms, but the State government and its various departments have been deafeningly silent up until now.

What is Green Power?
Greenpower
Most Australians don't realise that over 90 per cent of their electricity is generated by burning coal. This creates greenhouse gas pollution that contributes to global warming and climate change. You can ask your electricity supplier to source the energy you use from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro-power. Choosing a clean energy alternative makes it easy for everyone to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at home and work.

Energy in Victoria
Sustainable Energy Authority, Victoria
Energy underpins the development of the Victorian economy and the standard of living of all Victorians. Demand for energy is on the rise. This is largely due to modern lifestyle trends and growth across various sectors of the Victorian economy. At current growth rates, total electricity consumption is predicted to increase by over 15 per cent by the year 2010.

Sustainable Energy
Uranium Information Centre
Energy resources are available to supply humankind's expanding needs without environmental detriment. Wastes remain a major concern whether they are released to the environment or not.
Ethical principles seem increasingly likely to dominate energy policy in many countries, which augurs well for nuclear energy. 'When viewed from a large set of criteria, nuclear power shows a unique potential as a large-scale sustainable energy source' (OECD 2001). 'The competitive position of nuclear energy is robust from a sustainable development perspective since most health and environmental costs are already internalised' (OECD 2001).

Can We Rely on the Wind?
Australian Wind Energy Association
Wind energy is often criticised for being unreliable. Critics claim that wind energy can never replace existing power stations, or remove the need for new power stations to be built, because the wind cannot be relied upon. In technical terms this argument boils down to the question: 'Can wind energy be regarded as having a capacity credit?'

Australia's Energy Future
Julian Cribb, CSIRO
Experts agree that Australia's significant new fuel for the twenty-first century will be hydrogen: but how do we get there and what are the big opportunities on the way? Julian Cribb talks with two of the nation's leading energy scientists about Australia's energy future.

5000 MW Wind Power in Australia by 2010
Australian Wind Energy Association, Greenpeace
Globally the wind energy industry is reaching new heights with an annual growth rate of over 30 per cent. While in Australia wind energy is not yet being installed at the volumes seen in the northern hemisphere, the industry is now showing signs of transforming from a niche activity to a large-scale energy resource for Australia.

The Solar-powered School
Brett Bidwell
Barraba Central High School in northern NSW runs its entire computer hub from its solar array. Brett Bidwell recounts how community spirit and vision made it happen.

What's Wrong with the Dash for Wind?
Andrea Sharam, Energy Action Group
In 2000 the Commonwealth government mandated a renewable energy target of 9500 GW hours by 2010. In practical terms this means that electricity retail companies must purchase approximately 2 per cent of their energy requirements from renewable energy sources. In addition, some states, such as NSW, have introduced equivalent state-based schemes. The Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) is a measure to assist the growth of the renewable energy sector. At a broader, non-government level it is part of a vision to supplant greenhouse gas-emitting electricity generation with clean generation. The purpose of this article is to examine some of the issues of the increasing utilisation of wind power in addressing climate change in Australia.