Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy

1. Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy Dr Mark Diesendorf Institute of Environmental Studies University of New South Wales m.diesendorf@unsw.edu.au

2. Global Warming is Accelerating • Melting of Arctic ice reduces reflection of sunlight and amplifies warming • Melting of permafrost releases methane and CO2 which amplify warming • Global warming increases water vapour in atmosphere which amplifies warming • Global warming warms soils which release more CO2 which amplifies warming • Global warming increases prevalence and intensity of wild fires which release CO2 which amplifies warming

3. Targets Needed for Long- and Short-Term • Long-term: 80% reduction compared with 1990 level by 2050 • Short-term: 30% reduction compared with 1990 level by 2020 • Therefore, strong policies and actions needed now to implement especially those technologies that can reduce emissions before 2020

4. Australian Government finally acknowledges that there is a problem

5. Federal Government’s Main ‘Solution’:Coal Power with Capture & Burial of CO2 • May not be commerciallyavailable for 20 years, if ever • Risks of escape of buried gas • Will cost more than wind power and bioenergy from crop residues • Necessary and cheaper at NW Shelf gas fields

6. Federal Govt’s Back-up ‘Solution’: Nuclear Power Still has all the old problems: • Proliferation of nuclear weapons • Superb terrorist target • Rare but devastating accidents • Still no long-term dump for high-level nuclear wastes • More expensive than wind power and some bioelectricity Chernobyl

7. Is Nuclear Power part of the Greenhouse Solution? • Too slow to build, so it’s not a short-term solution • Emits increasing amounts of CO2 as uranium ore grade decreases, so it’s not a long-term solution • Therefore, based on existing technologies, nuclear power is a dead-end alley, a diversion from genuine action.

8. It’s not a choice between coal and nuclear! X X ‘Clean’ coal could not make a significant contribution before 2025 Nuclear could not make a significant contribution before 2022 Both are dirty and dangerous technologies

9. The Genuine Solution Sustainable Energy Future for Australiabased energy efficiency, renewable energy and natural gas (the cleanest fossil fuel) during the transition

10. Rocky Point, Qld Albany, WA STE Energy efficiency Wind Biomass Solar, Geothermal SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PV Christie Walk, Adelaide Solar tiles

11. Energy Efficiency: Residential, Commercial, IndustrialCheapest and Fastest Technologies • Solar efficient design in new buildings & retrofits • Insulation of buildings • Efficient heating & cooling • Efficient appliances, equipment & lighting • Solar hot water with efficient shower heads & taps e.g. Residential Christie Walk, Adelaide City

12. Electricity GenerationExample of a Cleaner Electricity Mix for 2040 based on Commercially Available Technologies Efficient energy use to reduce demand. Then: Natural gas: 30% Bioenergy from crop residues & oil mallee: 30% Wind power: 20% Coal: (78% now) 8% Hydro: (8% now) 8% Solar electricity (conservative estimate) 4% Would achieve 80% reduction in CO2 emissions from electricity

13. Cleaner Energy Mix: Direct Local Jobs per Unit of Electricity Generated Principal source: MacGill, Watt & Passey (2002)

14. Energy SupplyBiomass residues could supply 30% electricity without competing with food Burning sawmill & sugar cane residues at Rocky Point, Qld • Fuels include wheat stubble, sugar cane residues & plantation forest residues. • Residues & organic wastes cheapest & fastest, but resource limited. • Price depends on distance that fuel is transported • Generates base-load power

15. Energy Supply Wind could generate 20% of Australia’s electricity in 2040 Albany wind farm, W.A. • 20% of electricity achieved in Denmark, 25% planned for 2010 • Changes to transmission network are needed • Large-scale dispersed wind + gas turbines can substitute for coal in grid = base-load

16. Gas as a Transitional Fuel • Combined cycle power stations: 30% of electricity by 2040 • Cogeneration of electricity and heat, especially in industrial & commercial sectors • Back-up for solar hot water, solar space heating & solar thermal electricity • Back-up for wind power with peak-load gas turbines • Post-2050, gas gradually replaced by solar (both PV and STE) and biofuels produced sustainably

17. Additional Baseload Under Development • Solar thermal electricity with thermal storage in water, rock bed or thermo-chemical system • Will be commercially available before ‘clean coal’ & ‘new generation’ nuclear power stations • Hot rock geothermal power (not yet operating) • Both are base-load

18. Matching Demand and Supply Conventional Renewable Hydro, gas, biomass Hydro & gas Solar PV, gas Coal & gas Gas, biomass, wind, solar thermal + storage, geothermal Coal ‘Base-load’ is artificial construct to justify inflexibility of coal & nuclear.

19. What we can do in response to delays by governments, Federal & State • Individual family & business actions are necessary. They set precedents and have limited educational value. • Individual & family actions are not sufficient. Governments make the laws, collect taxation revenue and make infrastructure decisions. • A social movement is essential for changing Government and Opposition policies and for changing business practices and products. • In USA and Australia, social movements are growing. They involve local governments, some businesses, environmental NGOs, churches, trade unions and concerned citizens.

20. Key Govt Policies Needed • Ratify Kyoto Protocol & support stronger targets post-2012– Federal • Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET): increase target & extend time period – Fed and/or States • Ban all new conventional coal-fired power stations – States • Introduce general carbon pricing, either by carbon tax or emission permits with cap & trade – preferablyFederal; otherwise group of States • R & D funding for expensive renewables with huge potential: solar electricity & bioenergy from dedicated crops – Fed & States • Fund urban public transport and intercity rail equally with roads - Fed & States • Fund a more geographically distributed transmission system – Fed & States • Remove subsidies to production & use of fossil fuels – mainly Fed

21. Emissions Trading: Requirements for an Effective Scheme • Broad scope: covers production & import of all fossil fuels • Tight cap on emissions: --> price of at least $35/tonne CO2 • Auctioned permits allow clean technologies to compete with dirty • Permits must be temporary licences, not property rights

22. Additional Key State Govt Policies Needed • Extend BASIX-type schemes to improve energy efficiency in existing residential & commercial buildings • Energy ratings & MEPS for all appliances & equipment • Foster solar hot water, space heating, electricity & clothes drying • Urban & regional planning to ensure locations of major travel destinations are supplied by public transport, preferably rail • Improve urban public transport, especially heavy & light rail, and integrate with urban planning • Stop building major roads; limit parking places in urban centres & subcentres

23. Stern Review of Macro-Economic Models • Cost of business-as-usual will be huge: 5–20% of annual global GDP by 2050 • Costs equivalent to a world war or a major economic depression • Costs of greenhouse response will be small: about 1% of annual global GDP by 2050

24. Micro-Economics of Sustainable Energy Mix • Sustainable energy = Energy efficiency + Renewable energy • Efficient energy use saves money and pays for most of the additional costs of renewable energy • Existing subsidies to production & use of oil can be transferred to public transport. • Any shortfall can be obtained from carbon pricing, either a carbon tax or auctioned permits. • Sustainable energy is least-cost & fastest greenhouse solution.

25. Further Reading Diesendorf M (2007) Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy, UNSW Press