Build Sea Walls for $22 Million

As six inhabited islands in Queensland’s Torres Strait are threatened by rising sea levels, the Government says it is now considering funding mitigation work in addition to Pacific Islands aid promised, while the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said this week that the rollout of the National Broadband Network would reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by 5%.

By Jeff Waters, on ABC News (9 December 2009):

The Australian Government will consider a request to provide about $22 million in climate change mitigation aid to the Torres Strait Islands.

Residents of the islands had said their appeals for funds were being ignored by authorities – even while the Federal Government was promising $150 million in climate change aid to Pacific Island nations.

Now, following an ABC report broadcast on the Australia Network, Environment Minister Peter Garrett says the Government will consider the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s aid request.

“We’ll continue to look at the best ways to enable communities both to adapt and to deal with the impacts of climate change,” he said.

Six inhabited islands in Queensland’s Torres Strait are threatened by rising sea levels, an assertion that has been backed up by a Department of Climate Change report.

But those who live there call themselves the forgotten victims.

Residents have been shocked by recent king tides which damaged homes and threatened fresh water supplies. More king tides are expected in January.

Infrastructure needed

Dr Kevin Parnell, a coastal erosion expert at Queensland’s James Cook University, has studied the islands and says the two mud islands, Boigu and Saibai, may soon have to be abandoned unless they are given significant help.

“The options for some of the islands are much reduced or less than some of the other islands,” he said.

Dr Parnell says the complexity of currents, winds, and other conditions means no two islands are affected in the same way.

He says four coral islands also need funds to build infrastructure.

“With appropriate adaptation strategies put in place, with support for those adaptation strategies, there’s no reason that these communities won’t be able to survive for a significant period into the future,” he said.

The Torres Strait Regional Authority says it needs roughly $22 million to build sea walls and other infrastructure.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has visited some of the low-lying islands in the Torres Strait, and says the Government should spend money at home before helping Pacific Island nations.

“Obviously Australia’s first responsibility is to its own citizens before it is to those of other countries,” he said.

“Plainly it is very understandable that Australian citizens would be angry if the Government is giving $150 million to cope with the impact of climate change in the Pacific Islands and elsewhere but [is] apparently not interested in giving assistance to the Islands of the Torres Strait which are affected by inundation by the sea.”

Source: www.abc.net.au

Mitchell Bingemann in The Australian (11 December 2009):

KEVIN Rudd tied together two of his most contentious election promises yesterday — the $43 billion national broadband network and the emissions trading scheme — by claiming both were vital to the effort to tackle climate change.

Speaking at a government-backed forum on the future of broadband in Sydney, the Prime Minister said the rollout of the NBN would reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by 5 per cent.

The NBN aims to connect 90 per cent of the population to a fibre-to-the-home network capable of delivering internet access speeds of 100 megabits per second, almost 100 times faster than today’s average.

“Together, the NBN and Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme are critical to Australia’s efforts to address climate change,” Mr Rudd said.

In his first major speech on the NBN since announcing the project in April, he described it as a “historic act of nation-building” and essential for Australia to compete on the global market. Mr Rudd told the forum, attended by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, the government would inject $26.5 million into projects that would “stop the rot” in broadband infrastructure for rural and regional areas.

“The reality is that Australia’s current broadband infrastructure is not up to scratch,” he said.

The funding forms part of the government’s $60m digital regions initiative, announced in the May budget. The money will go to seven projects to deliver better health, education and emergency services to regional, rural and remote communities.

More than $3m has been allocated to regional bushfire prevention and detection schemes using advanced technologies, while the biggest allocation of $7m will help 17 remote towns in the Northern Territory get e-health services, benefiting about 30,000 mainly indigenous patients.

Source: www.theaustralian.com.au

Rescue Plan for a Sinking Ship?

 “WE are all in the same boat. A hole at one end will sink us all”. These are the words of former head of the United Nations Kofi Annan, who now runs the Global Humanitarian Forum.  He was talking to Graham Readfearn in the Courier Mail about the so far unseen response from world leaders on climate change.

Graham Readfearn in the Courier Mail (11 December 2009):

“WE are all in the same boat. A hole at one end will sink us all”

These are the words of Kofi Annan and he was talking about the so far unseen response from world leaders on climate change.

After 10 years as the head of the United Nations, Mr Annan is now the president of the Global Humanitarian Forum. In recent weeks he’s been pushing for a “fair and just” deal on climate change. But what does this mean and what will need to change?

Here are his answers to questions I put to him, via email.

Australia is the world’s biggest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases and one of the largest exporters of coal. You are asking for a deal on climate that is just and fair – what does that look like for countries like Australia, the US and UK whose economies rely heavily on the coal industry? What lifestyle changes may a just and fair global deal mean for the citizens of these countries?

A workable and effective deal must do two things. First, it must lay the basis for a global regime and subsequent agreements that limit temperature rise in accordance with the scientific evidence. Second, it must have climate justice at its heart. This means it must provide clarity on the mobilization and volume of financial resources to help developing countries adapt to climate change. For it is a tragic irony that the countries which have done least to cause climate change are not only those which will suffer most from its impact, but are also those least resourced to protect their people. If you believe in the “polluter pays” principle, as I do, the implications for countries like Australia are clear. On one side, they need to find innovative ways to reduce emissions dramatically. They have the intellectual, technological and financial resources to do so. On the other side, they need to support poor countries in protecting their populations and meeting the incremental costs of climate change. These resources must be additional to and separate from existing development aid commitments. While there are bound to be some lifestyle changes for Australians as a result, I am convinced that they will be to the better, both for them and for the planet as a whole.

In your home country of Ghana, there have been reports that climate change is threatening the future of the cocoa industry and predictions of increased drought, floods and excessive heat. How can poorer countries like Ghana prepare for the future and should the “west” help? And is it time for major “developing” countries such India and China to commit to a common global future?

Every country, regardless of whether it is Ghana, Australia or China, needs to do its part in accordance with its capacities and historic responsibilities. Industrialized countries such as the United States and Australia must naturally take the lead in reducing emissions and supporting others in following suit, but developing countries like India or China also have an increasing responsibility to do so as their economies continue to grow. Unfortunately, it is the poorest and least responsible that will have to bear the brunt of the climate challenge as rising temperatures exacerbate poverty, hunger and vulnerability to disease for billions of people. As I have said before, they need both immediate help to strengthen their climate resilience as well as long-term support to adapt to climate impacts, reduce deforestation, and pursue low-emissions, clean energy growth. The bottom line is clear. The climate cannot be “fixed” in one country or continent and not in another. Climate change does not respect national borders. We are all in the same boat; a hole at one end will sink us all.

On the chances of a fair deal in Copenhagen – are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I am a realist. Despite the mounting evidence of the negative effects of climate change, reaching a deal will not be easy. It will require extraordinary political courage – both to cut the deal and to communicate its necessity and implications to the public. It will require leaders to think for future generations, and for citizens other than their own. Short-term considerations, including from special interest groups and electoral demands, will need to give way to long-term solutions.  But it is important to remember that any agreement in Copenhagen – however ambitious, universal, and fair it may be – is only the beginning of an enormous challenge for all of us.

Your career was spent working your way to the top of the United Nations – how hard was it to step away, knowing the enormous challenges the world still faces from climate change?

There will always be enormous challenges in the world and I am confident there will always be people who are willing and able to take the lead in tackling them.

Australia, with its relatively small population, is not a major player in the politics of climate change. How much difference, realistically, will our citizens signing an online petition make to the bigger scheme of things?

Every person on the planet has an important role to play. As individuals, you can make a contribution by the choices you make everyday – the food you eat, the transport you use, the energy you consume. You can help to increase awareness of the issues at stake and lobby your political leaders to cut a fair deal in Copenhagen. Signing an online petition is not only an unmistakable sign that you are committed to this cause, but also provides organizations like the Global Humanitarian Forum with the necessary political clout and legitimacy. That, in itself, is a priceless achievement.

Source: www.blogs.news.com.au

Waves Breaking for New Clean Energy

Michael Ottaviano, CEO of Carnegie Wave energy company, has been in the news this week with licensing go ahead for a 5MW commercial demonstration project off Garden Point, Western Australia, while low emissions generation moved closer with Queensland’s ZeroGen project being short-listed under the Federal Government  Clean Energy Initiative CCS Flagships Program.

Report from Carnegie:

Licence for Perth wave energy site signed

• Carnegie & WA Government sign wave energy license

• Allows the installation of commercial scale CETO unit off Garden Island

• This will be the first commercial scale wave power unit deployed in Australia

Wave energy developer Carnegie Wave Energy Limited (ASX: CWE) is pleased to advise that it has executed a deed of licence with the State of Western Australian Government for access to a designated area of seabed in waters to the west of Garden Island off Perth, Western Australia.

Carnegie has been working with the Department of Regional Development and Lands (DRDL) who manage Crown Land in Western Australia, along with other State Government Departments, to process Carnegie’s license application over recent months. Execution of the licence provides Carnegie with permission, subject to specific covenants, to install and operate a commercial scale, autonomous CETO wave energy device to verify its energy delivery performance for a period of up to 3 years.

The activities to be undertaken under the licence form part of Carnegie’s 5MW commercial demonstration project supported by $12.5m of State Government Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) funding.

Activities in the licence area are well progressed. Deployment of the first commercial scale, autonomous CETO wave energy unit will begin shortly with the installation of the unit’s mooring system. This will be the first commercial scale wave energy unit to be deployed in Australia.

About CETO

The CETO system distinguishes itself from other wave energy devices by operating out of sight and being anchored to the ocean floor. An array of submerged buoys is tethered to seabed pump units. The buoys move in harmony with the motion of the passing waves, driving the pumps which in turn pressurise water that is delivered ashore via a pipeline. High-pressure water is used to drive hydroelectric turbines, generating zero-emission electricity. The high-pressure water can also be used to supply a reverse osmosis desalination plant, replacing greenhouse gas emitting electrically driven pumps usually required for such plants.

CETO Technology characteristics include:

• CETO converts wave energy into zero-emission electricity

• CETO is environmentally friendly, has no visual impact and attracts marine life

• CETO is fully submerged in deep water away from popular surf breaks

About Carnegie

Carnegie Wave Energy Limited is an Australian, ASX-listed (CWE) wave energy and clean technology developer. Carnegie is the owner and developer of the CETO Wave Energy Technology intellectual property.

Source: www.carnegiewave.com

Tim Boreham, Criterion in The Australian (9 December 2009):

Investors are already spoiled for choice on carbon-friendly plays. Despite that, says Carnegie Wave’s Michael Ottaviano, the true clean-energy sector accounts for only about 0.5 per cent of the local market’s capitalisation.

Carnegie (CWE, 12.5c) is a pertinent example of the disconnect between the local market’s caution (and, perhaps ignorance) of the sector and the more gung-ho valuations ascribed in Europe.

“The market here is still grappling with what all of this means,” Ottaviano says. One misconception is that the failure (to date) of the emissions trading legislation spells the end of renewable-energy incentives, but a 20 per cent renewables target is already l-a-w law.

Having secured a crucial government lease permit this week (and a jack-up rig from the NorthWest Shelf), Carnegie is about to build a 5 megawatt demonstration plant off Garden Island, aimed at proving the viability of its patented CETO wave technology.

CETO deploys sub-surface buoys to harness the waves, with the pressurised water used either for onshore generation or desalination.

Existing facilities, popular in Scotland for example, directly generate from offshore plants.

Despite expectations, Carnegie’s virtues didn’t convince the feds to assign the company a grant from the big-ticket Renewable Energy Development Program. Carnegie shares were poleaxed as a result.

Chief executive Ottaviano says the sell-off was unjustified: such grants might have an impressive headline value but the cash comes in dribs and drabs and depends on the company putting up two or three times more dough.

In any event, Carnegie has procured a $12.5 million West Australian government grant to co-fund the $50m project.

Source: www.theaustralian.com.au

ZeroGen short-listed for CCS Flagships funding (8 December 2009):

Low emissions power generation with carbon capture and storage moved closer this week with Queensland’s ZeroGen project being short-listed by the Federal Government for funding under its Clean Energy Initiative CCS Flagships Program.

The company is proposing to build a commercial scale baseload Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) low emission coal power plant in Central Queensland by late 2015.

ZeroGen Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Tarr said ZeroGen was clearly now well placed to become one of the first commercial-scale IGCC with CCS projects in the world following the announcement by the Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson.

ZeroGen is a project of world significance as part of the national and international collaborative effort to accelerate the deployment of low emission technologies.

The project is currently funded by its partners the State Government, Australian Coal Association Low Emissions Technologies Ltd (ACALET), and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

“The ZeroGen project ensures Queensland is a world leader in the development and deployment of this crucial technology. Our IGCC with CCS project will capture and safely store up to 90% of CO2 emissions, while at the same time support a sustainable future for Australia’s $24 billion coal export industry and the 130,000 jobs it supports,” Dr Tarr said.

“CCS has been identified by leading organisations such as the International Energy Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, WWF-Australia and the Global CCS Institute as being essential in lowering greenhouse gas emissions globally,” Dr Tarr said.

“It is widely understood that if several large scale integrated CCS demonstration projects are not developed within the next decade, there is a real possibility we won’t be able to deploy the technology in time to prevent greenhouse gas emissions from exceeding reasonable limits.

The Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, of which Australia and Japan are members, recently recognised the project as one of the most important Carbon Capture and Storage projects in the world and it is one of 10 new projects now added to the existing CSLF portfolio of Research and Developments projects.

The International Energy Agency’s 2009 World Energy Outlook predicts fossil fuels will account for 77% of the increased global demand for power between 2007 and 2030. Demand for coal will grow by 53% in that time.

Dr Tarr said projects like ZeroGen are essential in enabling the rapid and widespread commercial deployment of low-emission technology around the world, including emerging countries such as China and India.

ZeroGen supports a portfolio approach to achieving Australia’s energy targets and meeting global demand for energy, a portfolio that includes a combination of low-emissions coal, renewables and energy efficiency.

“Importantly, projects like ZeroGen will play a critical role in such a portfolio, significantly reducing technology risks and costs to pave the way for rapid commercialisation of low-emission coal fired power plants in Australia and around the world.”

ZeroGen’s CO2 drilling exploration program is continuing in Central Queensland and is the most advanced of its kind in the world.

“Our team in the Northern Denison Trough has drilled more than 50% of all the wells in the world for the specific purpose of geological storage of CO2,” Dr Tarr said.

“Test injections of CO2 are now underway and results to date have been encouraging and have confirmed the geology’s ability to safely and securely store large volumes of CO2. Investigations are ongoing to determine the amount that can be stored cost-effectively.”

An extensive prefeasibility study, to be completed mid 2010, is examining the potential for the power plant to be built in the Central Highlands region, close to coal supply, existing infrastructure and a secure storage site for its CO2 emissions .

An Environmental Impact Study will also be completed as part of the feasibility process and on current timelines all studies are expected to be completed by September 2011. An extensive community consultation program will be carried out throughout these studies.

Source: www.zerogen.com.au

Linfox Sees Green Business as Big Business

Regardless of what happens in Copenhagen, green business is becoming big business. For trucking firm Linfox the need to show its international customers it was meeting world-class environmental standards was the driving force behind its program — not any new law in Australia. Peter Fox says the initial target of reducing emissions by 15% has been met ahead of time.

Glenda Korporaal  in The Australian (11 December 2009):

LINDSAY Fox reckons he doesn’t know what an ETS is, but the 72-year-old founder of the international Linfox trucking and logistics empire, and his son Peter who now runs the company, committed to an ambitious environment and climate change policy some years ago.

The impetus was not any change of policy in Australia or any international agreement on climate change, but pressure from the group’s big US customers.

Linfox provides trucking services in Australia and Asia for many big US companies, including Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Kellogg’s, Mars and Campbell Soup.

Fox senior says the group has some 40 people involved in its GreenFox strategic plan for 2008-11, designed to cut the group’s greenhouse gas emissions globally by 15 per cent of its 2006-07 level.

With more than 14,000 staff and 5000 trucks operating in 11 countries it was a big ask.

The plan included shifting to hybrid vehicles for company cars, programs for fuel-efficient driving, paper recycling, switch-off-lights programs, tree planting, energy audits, carbon mapping software to analyse carbon emissions from each step of the supply chain, and closer monitoring of fuel usage (the major source of the group’s emissions).

Peter Fox says the initial target has been met ahead of time.

“It came about by seeing our American customers,” explains Lindsay Fox.”They asked us what was our green program.”

The bitter political debate over the Rudd government’s proposed emissions trading scheme, and the inevitable controversies at the Copenhagen conference, have overshadowed the ongoing and widespread pressure on businesses to become more fuel-efficient and to reduce their carbon footprint.

The failure of the ETS legislation has overshadowed the fact that green business in its various forms is becoming a big field, and is set to become even bigger.

In the case of Linfox the need to show its international customers it was meeting world-class environmental standards was the driving force behind its program — not any new law in Australia.

Having surfed to power on an anti-ETS platform, Coalition leader Tony Abbott still felt the need for a photo opportunity this week looking at rooftop solar panels.

Some of Australia’s companies already must report details of their carbon emissions under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme. Passed in the final months of the Howard government, the law requires large energy consumers and emitters to submit their first reports from last October.

Jonathan Jutsen, who 25 years ago founded consulting company Energetics, argues the controversy over the possible costs of carbon reduction in Australia overlooks the fact that companies can get real cost savings by taking a closer look at their energy usage, fuel and other carbon-related costs.

In the latest edition of The Deal magazine, in The Australian today, aviation writer Steve Creedy takes a detailed look at the plans of the big airlines, including Qantas, Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand, to cut fuel costs with a range of measures.

These include more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the A380s, more fuel-efficient flight paths and lighter catering trolleys, and installing dryers to reduce moisture in planes, cutting their flying weight.

Australia’s small market and its abundance of cheap energy have meant it has not always led environmental developments. Much has been made of Australians in the solar power business having to go overseas to commercialise their ideas.

Conversely, Australia has a growing diaspora of expats who have developed expertise in various facets of green business.

Advance, established several years ago, initially in New York, to connect successful Australians around the world, has established an Advance Green Network of people in green energy businesses.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong launched the Advance Green Advisory Group in New York in September.

The group aims to promote networking among Australians in the green energy business around the world, advise the government on climate change and environmental issues, and help to identify green opportunities for Australian businesses overseas.

The group’s members include Jack Whelan, chief operating officer of Environment Business Australia, James Cameron, vice-chairman of Climate Change Capital, Martijn Wilder, global climate change and emissions trading business head at law firm Baker & McKenzie, Ken Newcombe, chief executive of Washington-based carbon finance business C-Quest, Geoff Sinclair, global carbon sales and trading head with Standard Bank and Josh Carmody, a fund manager with the Asian Development Bank’s Asia-Pacific Carbon Fund.

Another person to watch in the group is Mina Guli, a lawyer who worked with the Sydney Futures Exchange in 1999 to design the structure of the first exchange-traded carbon credits.

She is now based in China, running Peony Capital, which she founded about two years ago with business partner Tim Clisshold, author of the book Mr China.

Peony is a carbon fund that encourages innovation and action to reduce greenhouse gases in China.

Several members of the group — including Cameron, Newcombe, Sinclair and Carmody — will attend the Copenhagen conference.

The defeat of the ETS legislation in Canberra will not stop the global pressure on businesses to curb energy usage and emissions.

Regardless of what happens in Copenhagen, green business is becoming big business and Australians have a role to play.

Source: www.theaustralian.com.au

A Better Place With Local Hybrids & GoGet

Lend Lease Ventures’ investment is an endorsement of the Better Place model for an electric vehicle future, while Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has launched the first Australian-built hybrid car at Toyota’s plant at Altona, west of Melbourne, and Australia’s leading car share business GoGet is adding 50 more cars to its Sydney fleet.

GoGet, the Sydney based car share business, is excited to announce that it’s adding 50 cars – yes, 50 – to the fleet in December, just in time for Xmas!

Message from GoGet latest newsletter:

The 50 cars will be spread out across the Sydney network, so keep an eye out for them. We’ll let you know as they become available for booking.

And this month, you can find out how to “buy” someone a car for Xmas, or book one for a whole month at a much lower rate than car rental. We also unveil our 60 second GoGet video and we think we have found the youngest person to travel in a GoGet car!

Source: www.goget.com.au
ABC News reports:

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has launched the first Australian-built hybrid car at Toyota’s plant at Altona, west of Melbourne.

The new Toyota Camry has a 2.4-litre engine and an electric drive motor. It will produce 30 per cent less emissions than a regular car.

Mr Rudd was joined by Victorian Premier John Brumby and around 2,000 Toyota executives and staff to see the first pre-production car come off the assembly line.

Mr Rudd says production of a hybrid Camry will contribute around $90 million to the Victorian and South Australian economies.

“More than 50 hybrid-unique parts will be sourced from local suppliers,” he said.

In June last year, the Federal Government announced that it would allocate $35 million from its Green Car Innovation Fund to support the development of the Camry; it is expected that up to 10,000 hybrid cars will be produced each year from next year. The Victorian Government also committed to making a financial contribution to the project.

The Prime Minister says the manufacture of hybrid cars will help Australia cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s good for the economy, it’s good for jobs and it’s good for action on climate change,” he said.

He says the outlook for Australia’s car manufacturing industry is bright.

“This is the beginning of a whole new era in Australian motoring,” he said.

“Australia is one of only about 15 countries around the world that design, engineer and build a car from scratch, and that’s an important achievement for our country.”

Australia is the fifth country to produce a hybrid car after Japan, the US, China and Thailand.

Source: www.abc.net.au

Better Place Australia this week announced it has secured an initial round of funding of $25 million for its planned charging and services network for electric vehicles (EVs).

The funding round was led by Lend Lease Ventures, the venture capital arm of Lend Lease and included investments by ActewAGL and several private investors.

As the lead seed round investor in Better Place Australia, Lend Lease Ventures will also take a seat on Better Place Australia’s board.

Better Place Australia also today announced that global banking leader, Harrison Young will join its Board as independent Chairman. Mr. Young is currently a member of the Board of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the Court of Directors of the Bank of England, Chairman of the Howard Florey Institute Foundation and Deputy Chairman of the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre and Asialink. Mr Young was Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia from 1997-2003 and Chairman of Morgan Stanley Australia from 2003 until he joined the board of the Commonwealth Bank in 2007.

The $25 million in funding represents the first part of Better Place Australia’s five-year plan to raise $1 billion for the deployment of an EV network powered by renewable energy in Australia. Macquarie Capital Group acted as advisors on the fund raising. This initial round of seed funding will finance a range of planning, engineering, demonstration and trial activities in the lead up to the first stage of deployment, which will commence in Canberra in 2011.

“We’re delighted to welcome Lend Lease Ventures as an investor in our Australian business – working with us to help the country take a generational leap forward toward oil independence and sustainability,” said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Better Place.

“The investment marks our second successful financing in 2009, and we believe it’s indicative of growing interest in Better Place from institutions and far-sighted corporations seeking thematic investment opportunities to fight climate change.”

Evan Thornley, CEO of Better Place Australia, said that Lend Lease Ventures’ investment is another in a growing list of endorsements of the Better Place model for an electric vehicle future.

“The backing of a strategic investor of the calibre of Lend Lease Ventures, our Canberra deployment partner, ActewAGL and some of Australia’s most successful business people is further validation that our plans are appealing to our industry partners and seasoned investors alike. The appointment of a respected business leader in Harrison Young as Chairman adds to the strong endorsement we have received from leaders in the energy, auto and oil industries who have also joined our senior management team in recent months.”

Chief Executive Officer of Lend Lease Ventures Anthony Pascoe said of the partnership, “Significant investment in new renewable energy generation combined with the commercialisation of new technologies and infrastructure solutions are critical to achieving Australia’s renewable energy targets.”

“Lend Lease Ventures’ mandate is to invest in emerging clean-tech companies that complement our global property capabilities and help keep the wider Lend Lease group at the leading edge of the curve in terms of sustainability. We believe that Better Place Australia is well positioned for success and are excited to be partnering with such an innovative and well credentialed organisation.”

Better Place, the leading electric vehicle services provider, is accelerating the global transition to sustainable transportation. Better Place is building the infrastructure and intelligent network to deliver a range of services to drivers, enable widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and optimise energy use.

The Better Place network addresses historical limitations to adoption by providing unlimited driving range in a convenient and accessible manner. The company works with all parts of the transportation ecosystem, including automakers, battery suppliers, energy companies, and the public sector, to create a compelling solution. Based in California and privately held, Better Place has operating companies in Israel, Denmark, and Australia.

Source: www.betterplace.com

New Technology designed to help building owners worldwide dramatically reduce their energy consumption and costs, improve tenant comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is launched, while a new CSIRO report says wide-scale adoption of low-emission distributed energy could reduce the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon future by as much a A$130 billion by 2050.

BuildingIQ has New Technology to Help Cut Buildings’ Energy Use

 Technology developed by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has the potential to help building owners worldwide dramatically reduce their energy consumption and costs, improve tenant comfort and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The BuildingIQ Energy Management System, now being commercialised worldwide under exclusive license by BuildingIQ Pty Ltd, uses sophisticated mathematical algorithms and other advances to actively and continuously optimise a building’s energy management control systems to achieve substantial reductions in energy usage.

As a result, BuildingIQ software promises to help cut a building’s operating expenses and improve its official National Australian Built Environment Rating System (“NABERS”) star rating. Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced last week that starting next year all buildings over 2000m2 must publicly disclose their energy efficiency whenever they are sold or leased.

The technology is the result of over 15 man-years of work by scientists at CSIRO’s Energy Transformed Flagship in Newcastle.

BuildingIQ is backed by leading Sydney venture capital firm Exto Partners and founded by Michael Zimmerman, a former venture capitalist and technology executive.

BuildingIQ will be launched in Sydney this week with its first installation of the system in partnership with Investa Property Group, one of Australia’s largest owners of commercial real estate and a global leader in innovation and sustainability.

BuildingIQ CEO Michael Zimmerman said interest from building owners and property fund managers had been very strong.

“Owners want energy management initiatives with strong near-term ROI (return on investment) profile and limited capital requirements, so our solution is attractive. The potential to increase a building’s NABERS rating when there is such a heightened focus from investors, tenants and the Government on environmental initiatives is adding to the interest” Mr. Zimmerman said.

A trial of BuildingIQ last year at the CSIRO’s 4.5 star rated Newcastle Energy Centre achieved cost and energy savings of up to 30 per cent.

Investa’s General Manager of Sustainability, Safety & Environment Craig Roussac said he was excited about the potential for BuildingIQ to enhance occupant comfort while also delivering environmental benefits and cost savings.

“Investa is always looking for opportunities to collaborate on new technology that delivers value to our investors and tenants. BuildingIQ is unique in its potential to maintain or improve tenant comfort while improving energy efficiency. We are looking forward to seeing the results of this initiative” Mr. Roussac said.

The initial focus for BuildingIQ is heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, which consume up to 60% of total energy in commercial buildings. In addition to the building management control system software, BuildingIQ has an add-on called ComfortIQ which allows tenants to provide real-time feedback on comfort levels to the building managers and the BuildingIQ system.

ComfortIQ also broadcasts information to tenants about energy prices and the amount of energy being consumed or saved in their building.

Commercial building energy use background

Commercial buildings are responsible for more than a third of global energy related greenhouse gas emissions and have been identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as the largest and most cost effective sector for achieving greenhouse gas reductions.

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Co has estimated industrial and building efficiency upgrades could cut US end-use energy demand 17 per cent below 2008 levels by 2020.

The US building sector consumes 40 per cent of the energy used in the country and is responsible for nearly 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. HVAC

In Australia, the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act requires larger energy users and greenhouse gas emitters to report to the Department of Climate Change.

A recent study by Professors at UC Berkeley and Maastricht University showed that green buildings in the US sold for 16% more and had effective rents that were 6% higher than others.

Source: www.thegreenpages.com.au and www.buildingiq.com

Wide-scale adoption of low-emission distributed energy could reduce the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon future by as much a $130 billion by 2050, according to a new report released today by CSIRO.

11 December 2009

The CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship report:Intelligent Grid: A value proposition for wide-scale distributed energy solutions in Australia, outlines the potential contribution distributed energy can make to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and how these benefits can be realised.

Distributed energy is a term used to describe technologies and systems which provide local generation of electrical power, energy efficiency and management of when and how energy is used (demand management).

For example, a distributed energy system could include a solar panel on a home for electricity generation, more efficient heating and cooling systems, or devices that can balance out energy demand and supply to reduce energy infrastructure costs.

The report is the culmination of the Flagship’s three year Intelligent Grid project which examined the social, technological, environmental and economic value of widespread distributed energy use in Australia.

CSIRO project leader Anthony Szatow said the results provided a strong economic and environmental case for wider use of distributed energy in the Australian energy market with enormous benefits for all electricity users in Australia.

“Our modelling results reveal that under emission reduction targets consistent with the Garnaut scenario of global stabilisation at 450ppm atmospheric CO2, the present value cost savings (discounted by seven per cent) associated with wide-scale distributed energy use could be as great as $130 billion by 2050,” Mr Szatow said.

“We also found that water used for electricity generation can be reduced by as much as 75 per cent through a combination of distributed energy technology and large-scale renewables.

“Distributed energy technologies are available now and these low-emission local energy options offer an immediate and cost effective response to climate change.”

The 592-page report identifies important factors that influence the use of distributed energy relevant to key energy stakeholders including; policy makers, regulators, distribution companies, energy retailers, energy consultants, communities, academics and consumers.

CSIRO initiated the National Research Flagships to provide science-based solutions in response to Australia’s major research challenges and opportunities. The 10 Flagships form multidisciplinary teams with industry and the research community to deliver impact and benefits for Australia.

Source: www.csiro.au

Pricing Carbon To Meet Targets 

Reinforcing that a carbon price, through a cap and trade process, appears to have had an impact, new data shows all of the EU-15 members, except Austria, are now on track to exceed their Kyoto obligations. Europe as a whole looks likely slash emissions more than 13% below 1990 levels by 2012, Bradford Plumer reports in The New Republic.

Bradford Plumer in The New Republic:

There’s a fairly basic question about climate policy that gets asked a lot: Can a cap-and-trade program actually cut carbon-dioxide emissions? Set aside the question of cost and the endless debate over whether a mythical carbon tax would be sleeker. Can a cap on carbon actually do what it’s supposed to do?

Right now, the best example of an up-and-running cap-and-trade system is in Europe. And, for years, the continent was seen as a hopeless failure at cutting emissions. But judging by the latest data, the evidence is fairly encouraging that a carbon cap can actually work.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, members of the EU-15 had agreed to cut their greenhouse-gas emissions 8 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. To get there, the EU set up its Emissions Trading System, which first got underway in 2005. Initially, the program got ensnarled in all sorts of embarrassing mishaps: Regulators gave away way too many pollution permits (so that companies could easily comply with the cap without making any cuts) and utilities were allowed to hike up rates without having to reduce emissions.

The whole plan looked like a total flop. But, by 2007, the kinks were getting smoothed out, and, as a Lehman Brothers analysis concluded , the system “succeeded, and fairly quickly, in imposing a price on carbon.”

That carbon price appears to have had an impact. According to new data from the European Environment Agency (EEA), all of the EU-15 members except Austria are now on track to exceed their Kyoto obligations. In fact, the group as a whole will likely slash emissions more than 13 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. That’s not as ambitious as the 20 percent figure European leaders have been murmuring about, but it beats what Kyoto demanded. So how’d they do it? Here’s the breakdown:

* A 6.9 percent cut in greenhouse-gas emissions from existing policies to cap carbon and promote renewable power and efficiency.

* They’ll get an additional 1.6 percent cut by 2012 if energy policies that are currently planned (like ratcheting down the carbon cap) get carried out.

* A 1 percent cut from better forest management.

* A 1.4 percent cut by financing clean-energy projects in the developing world.

* Another 2.2 percent cut by purchasing excess credits from other Kyoto countries that are below the cap.

Some of this can probably get filed under “creative accounting.” A few EU-15 countries are making tangible strides in cutting emissions—namely France, Germany, Britain, Greece, and Sweden (true, Germany has been helped by East Germany’s post-Soviet industrial collapse, but its policies to promote renewable power, especially feed-in tariffs [4], have made a difference, too).

Yet some EU-15 members are serious laggards, especially Italy and Spain, and they’ll need to buy up excess credits from other Kyoto countries to meet their targets. This would likely be true in a U.S. cap-and-trade system, too—some states would make big cuts, utilities and businesses in others would have to buy up credits to meet the cap. That’s the logic of a trading system.

Overall, though, it’s an encouraging picture. Even if you exclude iffy measures like offsets for developing-world clean-energy projects and tree-planting, the EU-15, on the whole, is still expected to cut emissions 8.5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012 just through existing and planned energy measures—including the cap-and-trade system.

And the EEA isn’t factoring in the effects of the economic slump. (The recession will no doubt drive emissions down even further, although that can’t really count as a victory for climate policy.)

That said, one thing that’s not so clear from the EEA analysis is the extent to which the cuts are coming from businesses and households inside Europe, and to what extent it’s from manufacturers moving their operations overseas.

The evidence here is mixed: In June, a survey by GHK found that  Europe’s carbon cap was forcing many companies to improve their energy efficiency—finding new ways to make cement, say. But, on the other hand, the Stockholm Environment Institute has estimated that Britain’s CO2 emissions have actually grown 20 percent between 1992 and 2004 when you factor in the growth of imports from China.

It’s a good reminder that a cap-and-trade may be effective domestically, but no single country can stop global warming all by itself.

Source: www.tnr.com

Cementing Lower Emissions on Water & Land

Emitting only water vapour, a new passenger boat powered by hydrogen fuel cells made its debut cruise on Amsterdam’s centuries-old canals, while a new report looking at the cement industry – responsible for 5% of global emissions – says it’s possible to cut emissions 18% by 2050.

Catherine Hornby for Reuters World Environment News (10 December 2009):

AMSTERDAM – Emitting only water vapour and gliding silently through Amsterdam’s centuries-old canals, a canal boat — a popular tourist attraction — powered by fuel cells made its debut cruise on Wednesday.

The “Nemo H2,” which can carry about 87 people, is the first of its kind designed specifically to run on a fuel cell engine, in which hydrogen and oxygen are mixed to create electricity and water, without producing air-polluting gases.

“That’s important in a city like Amsterdam with over 125 canal trips per day,” said project manager Alexander Overdiep.

A boat trip around Amsterdam’s concentric semi-circles of canals is a popular tourist pastime in the Dutch capital.

From spring, visitors will have the option of a ‘CO2 Zero Canal Cruise’, for an extra 50 (euro) cents, which will go toward further research into carbon-reducing technology, said Freek Vermeulen, managing director of Lovers boat company.

The new boat cost more than double to build than a canal boat running on a diesel engine, and needs to visit a hydrogen dispensing station for a refill once a day, while normal boats only need a fuel top-up once a week.

But developers of the 3 million euro project, which was partly government funded, said costs would decline as more boats followed this test phase, and if more advanced hydrogen distribution infrastructure emerged.

Source: www.planetark.org

By ClimateBiz Staff (4 December 2009):

Geneva, Switzerland — A new report looking at the technologies and methods for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the cement industry says it’s possible to cut emissions 18 percent by 2050, but only with the help of carbon capture and storage.

“Cement Technology Roadmap 2009,” published by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the International Energy Agency, lists what the cement industry, which accounts for around 5 percent of human-related CO2 emissions, needs to do to cuts its emissions, and explains what public and financial support will be needed to make that happen.

After an overview of cement production and a list of low-carbon or carbon-negative cements, many of which we recently covered, the report gives a detailed look at what efforts need to be pushed forward to lower cement’s impact: efficiency technologies for new and retrofit kilns, using alternative fuels (natural gas, biofuels, solid waste, discarded tires) instead of coal to heat kilns, substituting materials within cement and utilizing carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The roadmap also notes the limits of each effort; research and development needs and goals; the potential impacts on energy, CO2, cement production and investment needs; and what groups (industry, suppliers, government, universities, research institutes) will need to play what roles to make each effort possible.

While the efforts listed are already being used by some in the cement industry, the roadmap explains they all need to be applied more broadly and aggressively, providing a detailed list of public and financial support needed to advance them.

Some of the limits for CCS are the current high cost of capturing carbon, the need for a political framework to limit carbon leakage and the need to make the public more knowledgeable about CCS.

The roadmap is the first report of its kind on the cement industry and was developed over a year of work by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Cement Sustainability Initiative and the International Energy Agency after ministers at the G8 Summit in June 2008 requested a series of roadmaps that advance innovative energy technologies.

Source: www.greenbiz.com

Greenfest & One Degree Get Global Gong

On the eve of Australia’s Walk Against Warming and with Copenhagen’s Climate Change Summit underway, Brisbane’s Greenfest and News Limited’s One Degree Campaign have been recognised internationally by the United Nations Environment Programme in its special report “The Case for Climate Neutrality”.

Australia has received some very positive recognition from United Nations Environment Programme Director, Achim Steiner and stands to now showcase Australian renewable energy ingenuity on the world’s stage.

In the UNEP presentation of “The Case For Climate Neutrality”, Greenfest, a grassroots festival in Brisbane which attracted 60 000 people to environment causes earlier this year,  was recognised alongside Live Earth, as examples of positive cultural change helping to accelerate preferences towards a cooler planet.   

Greenfest Founder Colman Ridge said:

 “Greenfest is an action for cooler planet culture and next year we will launch the world’s first solar stage hosting the world’s biggest acts without plugging into the national coal powered grid.  This will allow us to showcase Australian renewable energy ingenuity to the world on the world’s coolest stage. 

Further to the recognition of cultural innovation down unde, Mr Steiner has invited Mr Ridge to become a founding participant in the new United Nations Music & Environment Initiative saying “the initiative aims to leverage the power of music to address some of the most pressing environmental problems facing the planet.   Festivals and other music events are in a unique position to influence the decisions and opinions of their audiences, inspire them to take a positive action for the environment.”  

On Saturday 12 December the Greenfest team worked with Queensland Conservation Council to organise the successful Walk Against Warming show.

Guest of honour at the Brisbane event was the Regional Director of UNEP for Asia and the Pacific, Dr Yong-Woo Park.

Source: www.greenfest.com.au

From the UNEP publication “The Case for Climate Neutrality”:

The ability to inspire audiences to make long-term changes is at the heart of the rapidly growing Greenfest event in Brisbane, Australia. Originally inspired by the Live Earth concerts of 2007, it is a three-day festival of music and a showcase for practical measures for greater sustainability— in the latest event in June 2009 it attracted 60,000 people.

According to Greenfest’s founder Colman Ridge, “The purpose of Greenfest is to promote a ‘Cooler Planet Culture’. Carbon neutrality is expected of us. Our ability to network our 200 plus exhibitors and a broader network to help each other and others reduce their footprint has become a year-round opportunity for us to assist acceleration of the lower carbon economy.”

Ridge’s advice to other events considering climate neutrality is to avoid building up the production levels to beyond what audiences really want, making up for it afterwards by buying more offsets. “Walk the talk by having the best staging and sound, but keep high energy consumption lighting and effects down to a minimum, and work with innovations to curb the rest; such as LED lighting. Your music festival is an opportunity to demonstrate the change in audience expectations and preferences: bring simple quality and content to life and you will have an outstanding success.”

On the offsets themselves, Greenfest chose an initiative run by the Queensland state government called Ecofund, which aims to regenerate habitats bordering national parks, expanding wilderness areas and creating biodiversity corridors. For Colman Ridge, this link with broader environmental objectives is what Greenfest’s audiences want to see from the offsets they are helping to support.

“Winning the race against climate change will be a hollow victory if we arrive without rich biodiversity and real wilderness on Earth. Let’s not lose sight of conservation priorities for biodiversity in pursuit of carbon neutrality—let’s leverage the race against climate change to fund conservation. This approach will be respected and preferred by your customers, and you can point to specific and meaningful outcomes from your care for a carbon neutral Earth,” says Ridge.

The communications and marketing sector has unique opportunities not just to reduce the footprint of their own businesses, but to use their communication skills to influence many others—clients, employees and the public—to reduce theirs. As the environmental campaigner Sir Jonathan Porritt once put it, the sector has a large climate brainprint.

In 2007, one of Australia’s biggest media groups, News Limited, followed its parent company, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, in pledging to become climate neutral by 2010.

To help achieve that goal, News Limited launched a programme called One Degree, an initiative to reduce greenhouse gases across the business, and to raise awareness of climate change among the company’s staff and the broader community.

At the heart of the One Degree programme is a tough target for reducing its own emissions—by 20 per cent between 2007 and 2010. This involves preventing 30,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from reaching the atmosphere—the equivalent of taking 7,500 cars permanently off the road.

News Limited has looked at its operations across Australia from top to bottom, and come up with more than 90 projects to reduce emissions. In some cases, looking at the inefficiencies of a single process can produce a “big hit”. For example, at its Mile End print centre in Adelaide, News Limited found it could prevent more than 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by reducing leakage of compressed and humidified air.

According to News Limited’s sustainability manager Dr Tony Wilkins, the efficiency gains identified so far have resulted in an annual saving of about 1.5 million Australian dollars. “Climate neutrality should not be seen as a difficult goal, but as a milestone on the longer path to tackling climate change,” Wilkins argues. To complement the One Degree programme, News Limited launched a competition amongst its staff called “How eco would you go?”, offering a Toyota Prius hybrid car to the winner.

The competition aimed to encourage staff to think about ways in which their actions impact climate change, and to make small changes in their day-to-day behaviour both at home and in the workplace to reduce their own footprints.

To enter the competition, staff pledged to undertake 14 days of action to reduce carbon emissions and to inspire others in original and sustainable ways. They could pledge to take action at home, at work and/or in the community. But the actions had to have some positive impact on climate change and had to be something that could be sustained to make a long-term difference.

The competition drew more than 300 pledges from News Limited’s staff, ranging from riding a bicycle to work, to starting a community vegetable garden and sharing laundry loads with flatmates.

“We had people looking at all aspects of their lives—from home, with the family or flatmates, to at work and in the community,” says News Limited’s Chief Executive John Hartigan. “Each person’s circumstance was different, but almost without exception they found that cutting their carbon footprint also saved money, encouraged their personal fitness and, in many cases, gave them back precious time.”

The winner of the competition, printer Carl Winter from Perth, made changes in every aspect of his life. He planted vegetable gardens, installed rainwater tanks, turned off the heat, switched to energy efficient lighting, started composting and making bread, ditched the dishwasher and installed a wind turbine to provide power. The family cut back on their car use and shopped in bulk to save time, travel and packaging.

Source: www.unep.org

Scrooge or Super Green Me for Christmas?

It’s possible to be eco-minded at Christmas without being a scrooge or a killjoy. Ken Hickson says we need to be ready to adapt our behaviour, but we can still enjoy the luxuries of life. We just need to be much more energy-efficient in doing it.Michael Green writes about being eco-smart this silly season in The Sunday Age.

By Michael Green in The Sunday Age (Melbourne)

Have a great tree without the green guilt, writes Michael Green

CHRISTMAS trees may not be the most pressing household sustainability issue, but for many little (and not so little) people, festive decorations are a serious business. So what’s the best option when you’re choosing a tree?

On the plus side for artificial trees, they can be packed up and reused. But their longevity is also a weakness, especially if they’re thrown out before their time is really up. The plastic cannot be recycled, and so, once discarded, they remain in landfill for thousands of years. Also, they are manufactured overseas, transported long distances and arrive decked in layers of packaging.

According to organic gardening expert Lyn Bagnall, plantation trees are a better option. “I love the smell of the pine   it’s part of the Christmas atmosphere,” she says.

There are a number of Christmas tree farms a short distance from Melbourne and a cut tree can be put to good use after the big day has passed. “The pine needles can be recycled in your garden and the wood can be mulched,” she says. If you can’t do it at home, ask your local council how to dispose of green waste. Alternatively, many tree farms will take back used trees.

It’s best to choose trees from plantations that don’t use chemicals, but even where they do, Ms Bagnall is pragmatic. “It’s no worse than buying commercially grown flowers,” she says.

Provided you don’t mind having a small tree, and lugging it indoors every year, growing your own tree in a pot might be the best option of all. “If you buy a potted tree, listen to what the nurseryman says about how to care for it,” Ms Bagnall says. “That way you’ll have it for a good many years. If you’re prepared to look after it, then it’s a lovely alternative.”

Ken Hickson, author of The ABC of Carbon, keeps a Christmas tree in a pot on his balcony. “We decorate it and bring it inside for festive season,” he says. As well, his family reuses their decorations and they make sure they don’t leave the Christmas tree lights flashing around the clock.

Mr Hickson is adamant that it’s possible to be eco-minded at Christmas without being a scrooge or a killjoy. “With climate change, we need to be ready to adapt our behaviour, but we can still enjoy the luxuries of life,” he says. “We just need to be much more energy-efficient in doing it.”

During the silly season, that means giving preference to organic and locally grown produce and being aware of food miles. It need not be more expensive, he argues, especially if you think carefully about how to avoid wastage.

That’s a message that goes for gifts, as well as for food. “By being sensible about the presents we give, we can eliminate a lot of unnecessary plastic packaging and boxes,” Mr Hickson says. Rather than clamouring for more material goods, consider eco-friendly gift ideas, such as donations to charities or planting trees.