RENEWABLE ENERGY
MYTHS
5 MYTHS BUSTED THAT AUSTRALIAN ENERGY
COMPANIES DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE!
The evidence is in: renewable energy is viable, reliable, cheap, and ready to go. But
Australian energy companies don’t want you to believe it.
Covering 77% of all small electricity customers, Origin, Energy Australia and AGL
are Australia’s energy giants. Their business models rely heavily on coal and gas and
together they are attempting to crush Australia’s Renewable Energy Target. The target
would see at least 20% of Australia’s electricity generated from renewable sources by
2020.
Don’t let ‘The Dirty Three’ fool you. Please share the busted myths far and wide on
Facebook and Twitter.
MYTH 1
RENEWABLE ENERGY IS TOO EXPENSIVE
Renewable energy is becoming cheaper than coal and gas power. Right now, the fossil
fuel industry is heavily subsidised and if its subsidies were stripped away then
renewable energy would be cheaper than coal and gas power.
Under the Renewable Energy Target, household electricity bills will decrease by $50 a
year by 2020. If the target is kept in place, Australians will see savings of up to $140
each year after 2020.
In addition, there are no input costs for wind and solar energy. So for example, while
one needs to buy coal for a coal-fired power plant to generate electricity (and coal
mining itself has massive environmental costs), solar and wind energy don’t have
input costs like that – sunlight and wind are free.
Did you know that the rising cost of Australian energy bills are mainly due to network
costs and soaring rising gas prices? So don’t let your energy company blame it on
renewables!
MYTH 2
RENEWABLE ENERGY CAN’T SUPPLY ELECTRICITY
24/7
The latest scientific research has shown that even if 100% of our electricity came from
renewables, it could still be as reliable as our power supply is today. Source
The key to getting a constant supply of electricity from renewable energy is to have a
mix of sources including solar and wind power. As the sun goes down, so wind
production generally increases, and as the winds drop in one region they pick up in
another.
MYTH 3
RENEWABLE ENERGY ONLY BENEFITS THE WEALTHY
Support for solar cuts across all demographics and political affiliations. In fact, most
Australians who have solar live in rural regional areas, or postcodes where median
incomes are low.
So not only does solar benefit lower income homeowners as well as the wealthy, it
also drives down the costs of electricity for everyone and has huge benefits for the
economy. Since 2001, the Renewable Energy Target has created over 24,000 new
jobs. Over the next six years it’s forecast to create a further 18,400 jobs. The target
has already generated $20 billion of investment, and if left alone, is projected to
generate a further $15 billion to 2020. So it’s good news all round.
MYTH 4
RENEWABLES ARE UNRELIABLE
Did you know Australia already generates enough renewable electricity to power the
equivalent of almost 4 million homes? That’s around half of all Australian
households! While this is great news, it is apparent that Australia is getting left
behind. Japan and China are the biggest investors in renewables and Europe is also
achieving some impressive results in the sector.
In 2013, Austria generated 68% of its total electricity from renewable sources, closely
followed by Sweden, which achieved 67%.
Germany is also excelling in the renewable energy sector and has a target to produce
80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050.
It’s not just developed countries who are aiming high. Mexico recently released an
ambitious target to increase its share of electricity from renewable sources to 33% by
2018.
As proven by other countries around the world, renewable energy is not only
achievable but also doable! In fact, Australia is the sunniest country in the world, and
one of the windiest, so we really should have no excuse but to lead the way in
renewables by tapping into the sun more. Australia, we can do better.
MYTH 5
RENEWABLE ENERGY IS BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
There are so many reasons why renewables are better for the planet than dirty fossil
fuels.
Birds and bats: A common argument against wind farms is that
they kill birds and bats. However, if environmental impact assessments are conducted
and migratory patterns are assessed before construction, this impact is greatly reduced.
Of course every effort should be made to minimise this impact, but it should also be
looked at in the context of other projects and their effect on birds. Coal power plants
have a far greater effect on birds, with coal mining, onsite collision and electrocution,
downstream poisoning, acid rain, mercury pollution and climate change all causing
significant bird deaths. In fact, if we replaced all fossil fuel generation with wind
turbines worldwide we would save roughly 70 million birds' lives every year.
Noise: Studies have shown that noise complaints, especially those
related to wind farms, are often unrelated to actual noise. In most cases it was found
that people were actually opposed to the farms on aesthetic grounds – which would be
the same with coal or nuclear plants. It was also found that ‘noise’ complaints dropped
off rapidly when local communities derived income from the renewable energy
projects in question.
Land use: The land used for renewable energy projects, like solar
and wind farms, can still be used for farming and cattle grazing. International
experience has shown that livestock are completely unaffected by the presence of
wind farms and will often graze right up to the base of wind turbines.
Carbon Footprint: Renewable energy doesn’t emit carbon like coal
and gas does and therefore has no negative effect on the climate. Unlike coal,
renewable energy pays off its carbon footprint and does so relatively quickly.
Depending on where they are made, solar panels offset their carbon footprint in about
four years.
WHERE TO FROM
HERE?
The good news is that Australia is investing in renewable energy. Australia has
incredible renewable energy potential and the target has created thousands of new jobs
and savings in electricity bills. But it has recently come under attack from corporate
interests, which puts all of this progress we’ve made in jeopardy.
You can play a role to protect renewable energy. Say yes to clean, cheap, viable and
reliable energy – help us save the Renewable Energy Target!
© 2014 Greenpeace Australia Pacific
A new report from the Climate Council demonstrates that
targets hit their mark, and I’d suggest this is as relevant
for national targets as it is for portfolios, buildings or
organisations.
The Climate Council's recent report, The Australian Renewable
Energy Race, finds that those states with a favourable policy
environment and with established renewable energy targets winning
the renewables race.
South Australia, having already met its 2020 renewable energy target
of 33 per cent, now sources more than a third of electricity from
renewable sources and a quarter of homes have solar PV panels. South
Australia has installed more large-scale renewable capacity since 2001
than any other state, and has now set a 50 per cent target.
The report finds the ACT is also “punching above its weight” with a
target of 90 per cent renewable energy by 2020, and a feed-in tariff
scheme attracting investment in large-scale projects.
No other Australian state has a current target to increase renewable
energy, and during 2014 the federal government made moves to water
down the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The GBCA, just like many
other industry bodies, made our reaction perfectly clear.
On a positive note, NSW’s Minister for Environment and Heritage,
Rob Stokes MP, declared in July that the Baird Government intended
NSW to be “Australia’s answer to California,” with investment in solar
for government buildings and a better climate for renewable energy
solutions. Unfortunately, this has yet to generate significant change
within the state.
Renewable energy targets have been found to stimulate innovation,
set a direction for industry and provide the impetus to invest in new
technologies. Independent modelling commissioned by the Climate
Institute, for instance, has found that abolishing the RET could
diminish investment in renewable energy by almost $11 billion.
More than 21,000 Australians are currently employed in the
renewable energy industry and this may increase to 32,000 in 15 years
with a strong and consistent policy environment.
With 2014 the hottest year on record, climate change is getting harder
and harder to ignore. While national action has stalled, the action of
some state governments demonstrates that setting goals and targets –
and sticking to them – can deliver real, lasting change. So what does
this mean for our built environment?
Around Australia, more than 800 Green Star-rated projects consume,
on average, just a third of the energy used by traditional, non-green
buildings. From green schools that complement geothermal energy
with hydro power from the grid, to bank buildings complete with wind
turbines and co-generation plants, to apartments with heliostats and
entire communities tapping into precinct-wide tri-generation systems,
energy targets encourage investment in technologies and solutions
that are being found in buildings across Australia.
For our nation to grow its renewable energy industry, and to deliver
better, greener buildings, we must have clear standards, benchmarks
and targets. The building code sets the standards, Green Star sets
practice benchmarks, and policies such as the RET set the targets,
which help us do better.
The bottom line is simple. The property industry has made
considerable investment in recent years in renewable energy
technologies. As the Property Council of Australia points out, installed
capacity of solar panels on commercial buildings increased nine-fold
from 2010 to 2013. The RET has been a driver of good technology –
and future investment in greener buildings depends on it.
Robin Mellon 3 Feb 2015